Ukeleling with the Right Hand

I’m on a journey learning the wonders of the ukulele. It’s only four strings, but it’s capable of a wide breadth of rhythmic, melodic, and percussive sounds. I like to think of the ukulele as the simplest instrument capable of complex music. Imagine anything less? Three strings! Well, that limits the ability to do more complex chords. What about five or six strings? That makes playing and fretting much more complex. Sure, it adds some range, but there is a point of diminishing returns. The ukulele is at the golden apex for strummed stringed instruments—not being more complex than necessary, but also not being so simply that it can’t make complex music.

As I’m investigating percussive sounds, a great starting point is to just figure out what the ukulele can do without all those taps, bumps, scrapes, and other drum-like sounds. What can the right hand do to vary sound without becoming a drummer?

Index Finger Flick

The Index finger flick is a common way to strum an ukulele. And, it’s effective! It gives a nice, crisp sound and is great for strumming at a quick pace. It’s my preferred way to strum.

Thumb Strum

The thumb strum sounds a little more mellow—at least to my ears. This has to do with getting more meat on the strings. When I index finger flick, I’m getting more nail into the string. When I thumb strum, there’s more flesh. I’m developing the blister pad to prove it!

The technique is often used in chord-melody style. It’s fairly easy to strum down and come to rest on a string rather than play it. In terms of chords, this means chords can be played on the G, C, and E strings without bringing in the A string. Or, one can start at the C string and strum down (C, E, and A strings). On a low G ukulele this is a huge advantage. I can pick a higher pitched strum and the instrument sounds like a high G instrument. Or, I can pick a lower pitched strum. Strumming three strings also can reduce the work the fretting hand needs to do, which at times can significantly simplify a difficult chord.

Flicking and Strumming with Fingers

Another useful technique is to use multiple fingers for strumming. If the hand is fanned, this gives the effect of rapid back-to-back strums. Or, without fanning one is simply getting more finger into the strings which gives a louder sound. This is great for emphasizing a beat or adding some variety to a strum.

I’ve seen some videos of people using these types of strums to play ukulele Flamenco style. Honestly, I’m not there yet, but I’m learning.

The Pluck Strum

I generally do this using my thumb, index, and middle finger. I pluck three strings while giving a clockwise twist with my wrist. This can be done on four strings by adding in the ring finger, but I generally like to do it with three. This gives the same advantages of playing on three strings mentioned for the thumb strum—simplified fretting and the ability to make a low G ukulele sound like a high G instrument.

The pluck strum has a little different sound quality. To my ears, it sounds pure and bell-like. This gives one more tool to provide some variety.

The Tap

This technique is a fun one. One rings out a chord by tapping the hand on the strings between the sound hole and the bridge. It does take a little finesse. The hand has to bounce off the strings. Without the right bounce, the chord doesn’t ring out brightly because the fingers mute the sound. While I would categorize this as a strumming and plucking technique, it does have a percussive sound. If done correctly it has a hi hat or cymbal like quality to it.

Summary

So, there you have it—five techniques to add some variety to the strum without even looking into all the percussive sounds the ukulele is capable of. The ukulele may be a small instrument, but it’s a mighty one!

William Writer and His Eight Friends

            William Writer, a brilliant scientist, sat at his desk in deep thought. There were so many ideas in his head, but he didn’t know how to explain them to others. He decided he would make eight friends–Iggy Interjection, Vinnie Verb, Alvin Adjective, Angie Adverb, Nancy Noun, Priscilla Pronoun, Clark Conjunction and Penny Preposition–to help him share his ideas. He created these friends out of ink and called them “words”. He decided he would place these eight friends on paper to create what he called “sentences.” These sentences would help him share his ideas with others. Each sentence was a thought. By creating and combining these thoughts, he could share his ideas with others.

            Iggy Interjection was the loudmouth of the group. He would always scream out words like, “BAM!”, “WOW!”, or “COWABUNGA!” Iggy Interjection was very emotional and always shared his feelings.

            Vinnie Verb was a man of action. He was often running, jumping, walking, playing or swimming. However, at times he would sit by himself and stare into space. When asked what he was doing, he would reply, “I just want to be. I want to exist. Is that so wrong?”

            Alvin Adjective and Angie Adverb were brother and sister. They were into detail. They liked to describe things. Alvin Adjective was in love with Nancy Noun. At times the two were inseparable. He described her using words such as “pretty”, “stable” and “kind”. Alvin Adjective also liked to spend time with Priscilla Pronoun.

            Angie Adverb was in love with Vinnie Verb. She loved describing how “quickly” he ran, how “nimbly” he walked and how “gracefully” he swam. She just loved words that ended in the letter “l” followed by “y”. When Vinnie Verb would just sit and stare into space, she would often sit down right next to him.

            Nancy Noun was a magic being. She could change her shape and become many different things. Sometimes she would be a person. Sometimes she would be a place. Sometimes she would be a thing. Sometimes she would try to become something that only existed in the mind. That was difficult.

            Nancy Noun had a jealous sister, Priscilla Pronoun. She would often try to take the place of Nancy Noun when William Writer decided to make sentences. Sometimes William Writer felt that Priscilla Pronoun did things better than Nancy Noun, but Nancy Noun did have unique skills. Nancy Noun was more precise than Priscilla Pronoun. Because of this, Nancy Noun was often used first when William Writer made sentences. Priscilla Pronoun usually played second string, coming in to replace Nancy Noun.

            Clark Conjunction was the clingy one of the group. He would often lock arms with others–one with his right and the other with his left. By doing this, he joined things together.

            Penny Preposition was the last word that William Writer created. She was created after Nancy Noun married Vinnie Verb. Sometimes he needed to connect things to them as a couple. Clark Conjunction just didn’t work well for this task. He worked when William Writer wanted to connect something to one of them, but when he wanted to join something to them as a couple he needed another word. Penny Preposition was the woman for the job. The thing–or object–she connected was called the “object of the preposition”. She not only connected her objects to the married couple, but in doing so helped to answer who, what, where, when, why or how the object was connected.

            William Writer called his process of creating sentences “writing.” He soon found it was very difficult. Although his eight characters were powerful, they just could not get the job done. He decided to make families of each character. So, he created families of Interjections, families of Verbs, families of Adjectives, families of Adverbs, families of Nouns, families of Pronouns, families of Conjunctions and families of Prepositions.

            Each member of the family looked different, but they all shared common traits. All the Interjections were emotional and liked to share their feelings. All the Adjectives liked to describe things and hang out with the Nouns and Pronouns. All the Adverbs liked to describe things and hang out with the Verbs. All the Pronouns were jealous of the Nouns and tried to take their places in sentences. All the Prepositions helped to connect things to the marriage between nouns and verbs. These things were called the “objects of the preposition.” The Prepositions answered who, what, where, when, why or how their objects were connected to the married couple.

            The Verb family was a little strange. Some of the Verbs were always active. Some of the Verbs liked to sit, stare out into space and mutter “I just want to be. I want to exist. Is that so wrong?” Some of the Verbs acted both ways.

            The Nouns were the most diversified family. Some of the Nouns decided to be people. Some of the Nouns decided to be places. Some of the Nouns decided to be things. A few of the Nouns decided to become things that only existed in the mind. This was difficult to do.

             William Writer created so many words, that he needed a place to store them. He decided he would put them in a big book. He called this book a “dictionary”.

            William Writer now had all the friends he needed to convey his thoughts, but he found writing was hard. He just could not put the friends together in any order. When he did this, things did not make sense. He stared out his window to try to come up with a solution. Across a field, he could see two football teams playing. He noticed that the teams used formations. While each play was different, there were only a few ways they lined up to begin the plays. There were set patterns they used to organize their plays. “There should be patterns I can use to organize sentences,” he thought.

            He was intrigued by the running back. He noticed that he did not do the same thing on every play. On one play, he ran with the ball. On one play, he blocked so another player could break free. On one play, he passed the ball. On another play, he faked while his teammate ran the other direction. Although he was one player, he often took on different roles. “Perhaps,” he thought, “if each of my words could take on different roles then they could be more effective at making sentences.” These various roles he called “parts of a sentence.”

            William Writer went to work. Every sentence had to be about something. William decided to call that something a “subject”. Being the center of attention, subjects could become selfish. “Selfish subjects,” he thought. “It just doesn’t seem right.” He was a bit of a romantic so he decided to marry the subject to a verb. He decided a subject always needed to be married to a verb. Being married, the subject could not become too selfish. He also decided that on rare occasions the subject could serve as the invisible partner in the relationship: there, but not seen. This would also stop the subject from becoming too self-centered. This union would form the basic structure of a sentence. Nouns or pronouns generally played the role of being the subject. Verbs were verbs. They were so important that the role they played in the sentence was just being themselves.

            William Writer soon found that the union of subject and verb was not enough to convey his thoughts. At times, simple thoughts could be conveyed with just these two parts. For example, the sentence, “William ran.” It was quite simple, but did express a complete thought. However, sometimes there seemed to be something missing. For example, the sentence “William takes.” But, what does he take? That was a big question that needed to be answered. The subject was performing the action of the verb, but what was receiving the action? William Writer decided that certain actions needed to be done to someone or something. He decided to call this the “direct object.” He called it “direct”, because it directly received the action of the verb. He called it an “object”, because he had to call it something and “object” seemed to fit just as well as anything else. He now had another basic sentence structure: subject plus verb plus direct object.

            However, at times the verb was not a verb of action. At times the verb just wanted to be. It wanted to exist. And, in the verb’s defense, was that so wrong? However, this brought about confusion when the verb was married to a subject. For example, consider the sentence “He is.” William Writer thought about this sentence. “What is he?” It just didn’t make sense. He had to be something. The thought could be completed with an adjective. For example, “He is handsome.” Or, the thought could be completed with a noun. For example, “He is a boy.” He decided to call both of them a “complement.” In these type of sentences the verb acted like an equal sign. He equals handsome; or, he equals a boy. All of William Writer’s friends jokingly called the complement a “complete-ment”, because it completed the thought. He now had another sentence structure: subject plus verb plus complement.

            William Writer soon realized that it was not only the married couple, subject and verb, that needed a complement. As he wrote sentences, he realized that at times a direct object needed a complement: for example, the sentence, “Jill considers Jack.” It just didn’t seem right. It seemed to be missing something. What does Jill consider Jack? William Writer finished the sentence, “Jill considers Jack a friend.” Now it had a complement and made sense. He had another sentence structure: subject plus verb plus direct object plus complement.

            One day William Writer was writing a sentence. He wrote “Jack gave water.” He sat down and thought about it for a while. “Who did Jack give water to?” was the question on his mind. He had a subject, a verb and a direct object. However, this just didn’t seem sufficient. At times, the direct object was given to someone or something. In this case he decided to give the water to Jill. So his sentence read, “Jack gave Jill water.” He called the person, place or thing that received the direct object the “indirect object.” Now he had another sentence structure: subject plus verb plus indirect object plus direct object.

            William Writer soon realized there was another way to finish an idea when he joined a subject with a verb that just wanted to be or exist. The verb did not always need to function as an equal. Sometimes things made sense when he just added some detail to the verb. Since it added detail, it was similar to an adverb. He called this an adverbial. The sentence, “They are.” does not make as much sense as, “They are on the bus.” So he had his final, basic sentence structure: subject plus verb plus adverbial.

            These basic sentence structures were like the trunk of a tree. They provided basic support, but much could be added. Two trees could have similar trunks, but look very different. The same is true of two sentences.

            As William Writer began to write, he found people did not understand his ideas. All his sentences ran together. They just did not seem to flow smoothly. He thought about the football game he watched. The game had referees. These referees helped to maintain the flow of the game. Without them the game could easily break down into chaos–just like his sentences. He decided he needed to make referees for his sentences. He called these referees “punctuation marks”.

            William Writer created three punctuation marks to use for ending sentences–the period, the exclamation mark and the question mark. The period was the simplest way to end a sentence. Because it was simple, William Writer decided to make it a simple dot. Its function was simply to end a sentence. However, there were times when he wanted a sentence to convey strong emotion and to make a point forcefully. He decided he would keep a dot, but put a line standing tall above it. The line stood tall because it was making a bold statement. He called this an “exclamation mark”. At times he wanted to ask a question or state something he was unsure about. For this he created a “question mark”. Above the dot he made a loop with a short line at the bottom. It looked a little like an ear with an earring on the bottom. He thought this was appropriate, since it reminded him of his mom’s ear. She was the one that listened when he asked questions.

            William Writer now had the basic rules he needed to convey thought. Having accomplished that task, he was really tired. He slipped off into blissfully slumber–his mind filled with well-organized thoughts.

Figuring Out Percussive Ukulele

 

I’ve been starting to dabble in percussive ukulele. I’ve watched some videos as well as been beating on my ukulele to figure out what sounds it can make. What seems to be lacking is a systematic approach to this mysterious art. People seem to share a particular strum technique or demo a pattern one can use, but that really isn’t a system. While I haven’t figured out a system, writing helps my thinking process. Plus, maybe others will see this and engage in some discussion.

 

The Ukulele is NOT a Drum Kit

Many of the videos and resources I’ve seen compare the ukulele to a drum kit. While there is some logic to approaching percussion by thinking like a drummer, have you seen a drum kit? A basic drum kit has a kick drum, snare drum, floor tom, mid tom, high tom, hi hat, crash cymbal, and ride cymbal. Many of those pieces can be played in different ways to produce different sounds. How many basic sounds are there? It’s hard to say, because I’m not a drummer. But, I can say that the percussive sounds an ukulele is capable of do not correlate well to a drum kit, which has too many sounds. Could I take something written from a drum kit and play something that correlates on an ukulele? Obviously no!

 

We Need a Simpler Drum

So, to me it seems more logical to correlate an ukulele to a simpler set of drums. But, what would that be? As I’ve been doing some research and thinking things through, it seems the most logical drums would be the cajon (box drum people sit on) and djembe (large African goblet drum). The beats of these drums are based around three basic sounds: bass, tone, and slap. Obviously, there are other sounds and techniques, but the core of their beats focuses on three sounds. The bass is the deepest sound. The tone is a middle sound. The slap is the highest sound. So, we have lowest, middle, and highest sounds. If you want to correlate this to a drum kit, the most logical correlation would be kick drum (lowest), snare drum (middle), and hi hat or some sort of cymbal (highest). So, this three-tone scheme does correlate to drum kit—at least if the drum kit is extremely simplified.

 

Can I find those three sounds on an ukulele? While I’m still playing around and figuring things out, the simple answer is yes! So, at least in theory, I should be able to take most drum parts written for a cajon or djembe and play them on an ukulele. Now, I’m thinking like a drummer, and I’ve picked the right drum!

 

Strum and Drum

But, things aren’t that simple. While playing an ukulele solely like a drum would be useful in some sort of ukulele performance group, what if I want to play solo? So, ukulele drum! Playing it simply like a drum gets boring. If all I want to do is drum, why not just get a djembe or cajon? Either sounds better as a percussive instrument than an ukulele.

 

I don’t just want to drum. I want to drum and strum. But, here’s the catch. Listen to some music. You’ll find it common for a note or chord to be played simultaneously with a percussive sound. This does make sense—at least if you’re listening to some musicians who have some sense of the beat. You may also hear a chord, note, or percussive sound played by itself.

 

Things Become More Complicated

While magical things can be done with an ukulele, in general it makes one sound at a time—a chord, a note, or a percussive sound. Now, I’m asking it to multitask, and I now need eleven sounds if I want to play chords, notes, and percussive sounds together. Let’s look at the eleven sounds I want:

·       Bass by itself

·       Tone by itself

·       Slap by itself

·       Bass + Chord simultaneously

·       Tone + Chord simultaneously

·       Slap + Chord simultaneously

·       Bass + Note simultaneously

·       Tone + Note simultaneously

·       Slap + Note simultaneously

·       Chord by itself

·       Note by itself

Let’s Focus on Nine

Playing chords, singles notes, or multiple notes on the ukulele are basic strumming and fingerpicking techniques. So, I really don’t need to focus on figuring those out to develop a percussive ukulele system. That leaves me with nine sounds and some blisters and sore fingers!

 

Let’s Add in the Fretting Hand

If I’m going to play percussive sounds by themselves, I’m going to need to mute the strings with my left hand. If you play around and beat on your ukulele to figure out percussive sounds, you’ll notice that the strings ring out. In some cases this is loud enough to be heard as a chord, but in most cases it’s just extraneous sound that muddies up the percussive sound.

 

I’m going to talk about my fretting hand as my left hand. I am aware there are left-handed players that fret with their right. So, if that happens to be you, you may need to think in mirror for this discussion.

 

If I want a percussive sound by itself, I’m probably going to have to use my left hand to mute strings. But, there’s a catch. What if I want a percussive sound to play after a chord has been played and is still ringing out? Muting the strings would stop the chord from ringing out. However, at least for the percussive sounds I’ve been playing around with, the percussive sound doesn’t seem to interfere with a chord that’s already ringing out. So, I’m hoping as I play around this doesn’t become a problem.

 

What is a problem is making a percussive sound at the exact same time as a chord is being strummed or a note is being plucked.

 

Plucked or Strum is the Same Thing

Wait, no it’s not! I know a plucked string and strummed chord are not the same thing. But, I think it might be the same thing for your strumming hand when you’re playing a plucked note or strummed chord at the same time as you’re making a percussive sound. In such a case, you really need some sort of technique that performs the percussive sound at the same time as you strum the strings—or somehow cause all the strings to ring out simultaneously. Here’s where the left hand would come in—to mute strings so only the proper note, notes, or chord ring out.

 

Left and Right

So, now I’m starting to develop a systematic approach to percussive ukulele. I obviously haven’t figured out how my fingers are going to do everything, but I have system for my left and right hand.

 

My left hand is tasked with fretting chords, muting strings, or fretting some strings while muting others. While I haven’t totally figured that out, I have four fingers and four strings, so many combinations of muting and fretting should be possible.

 

My right hand no longer must learn nine new things (because my left hand is now doing some of the work). My right hand must do six new things:

·       Bass by itself

·       Tone by itself

·       Slap by itself

·       Bass + Chord simultaneously (with left hand muting if single notes, dyads, or triads are needed)

·       Tone + Chord simultaneously (with left hand muting if single notes, dyads, or triads are needed)

·       Slap + Chord simultaneously (with left hand muting if single notes, dyads, or triads are needed)

 

Where to Go From Here?

The obvious place to go from here is to grab my ukulele and begin playing around. Hopefully others will read this, and it will spur their thinking and some dialogue. But, if not, it’s been a useful thought process for me. Basically, to really play percussive ukulele like I see it being played, seven techniques need to be added to the common chord and melody techniques common on ukulele:

·       The ability to combine muting and fretting simultaneously with the left hand.

·       Bass by itself

·       Tone by itself

·       Slap by itself

·       Bass + Chord simultaneously

·       Tone + Chord simultaneously

·       Slap + Chord simultaneously

Seven! While I know it won’t be easy, at least I have a place to start my journey.

Sue and Stu

 

In a time long ago
Kids were good
Kids were bad
Kids were happy and laughing
Kids were squealing and glad
 

In a time long ago
Kids could do what they want
They could run ‘round in traffic
They could eat a croissant
 

All the kids thought this bliss
Oh so happy were they
Until one horrid mess
Happed on one horrid day
 

A cute girl, name of Sue
And her kitten named Stu
Were out playing in traffic
What was mother to do?

Come get out of the street
Now come play in the yard
Before someone gets hurt
Yelled her mother real hard
 

But Sue just would not listen
As her mother did scorn
It was dark; it was foggy
Then they heard a truck horn
 

The horn blasted and blasted
Mother screamed turning blue
The truck screeched to a halt
Only inches from Sue
 

Sue stood still—frozen stiff
As tears flowed from her eyes
And her mother was frantic
As she let our her cries
 

Mother ran to her child
Checking arms, legs and nose
Yes, she scanned every inch
Checking fingers and toes
 

Mother spoke to her child
When I yell and I blurt
It is not out of anger
I just don’t want you hurt
 

Mommy, mommy cried the child
I should heed your command
I was selfish and unwise
I did not understand
 

The two hugged and embraced
In a huddle of two
Then a thought of great terror
What had happened to Stu
 

The truck driver was screaming
Screaming with all his might
Crying what could he do
Asking if all was right
 

Mom said Sue would be fine
To not be all alarmed
There was no injury
Not a person was harmed
 

In a moment of terror
Came a scream out of Sue
On the side of the road
Lay her kitten named Stu
 

Stu lay silent and limp
And his chest was now heaving
So, mom scooped him up softly
And yelled, come we are leaving
 

In the car Sue sat silent
As they rushed to the vet
Tears of sorrow flowed down
Out of love for her pet
 

The vet did what she could
Then in soft words she said
I am sorry to tell you
Little Stu is now dead
 

There’s a lesson to learn
From this story of Sue
That you listen to mom
When she says what to do

Count Those Calories

 

              I’m in the process of losing weight. It’s not easy for me. I'm about 40 pounds lighter and am learning how to manage things. For anyone trying to lose weight, I think it’s important to count calories.

Weighing the Options

              The first benefit of counting calories is that it provides a tool to consider options. Let’s take a real-world example. I love Chipotle. My go-to meal is the burrito bowl. It’s a glorious trough of food! They have a nutrition calculator online where I can build a bowl and see my calories. I can also see which ingredients really add up calories quickly. I’ve been able to build my "diet" bowl with a side drink that is 780 calories. While certainly not low calorie, it’s an extremely satisfying, filling meal that I’m able to fit into my weight loss goals.

              What if I went hog wild and ordered the most fattening bowl and drink I could? Even for someone with my voracious appetite, it’s a meal that would leave me feeling sick and sluggish afterward. But, how many calories do you think it would add up to? It would be 2,400 calories! For me, trying to lose weight, that means I could only have that one meal for an entire day.

              What if I went the other extreme? What if I tried to build a super low-calorie bowl? I could skip some of the higher calorie components I love like the rice, guac, and roasted chili-corn salsa. It is possible to build a 260-calorie bowl based around beans, salsa, and veggies. That would be a complete waste of 260 calories. I would be a hungry, surly bear roaming the kitchen within a half hour. Bleh!

              By counting calories, I know the cost. The cost of eating a satisfying meal at Chipotle is 780 calories. It takes some effort to hunt down and figure out calories, but I’m fat and I don’t want to stay fat. I’ve also put together a 650-calorie meal at Denny’s. Sure, I could probably order a side salad with no dressing and have less calories, but 650 calories is my cost to eat something satisfying at Denny’s.

Learning Your Budget

              As I’m tracking calories and monitoring my weight, I’m learning my budget. By budget, I mean how many calories I can afford. I know it will take several months to really nail down a realistic number, but right now it looks like I’ll maintain weight at around 2800 calories and can lose weight efficiently if I keep things around 2000 calories or less.

              How do I know that? Let’s say I track calories and find for a given week I average 2,000 calories a day. Let’s say I lost 1.6 pounds for that week. To get solid numbers, you need to track for several weeks. I recommend your official weigh in is at the same time each week and under the same conditions. For example, if you weigh yourself after using the restroom one week, you should do that every week. You should also weigh yourself at approximately the same time and day of the week. In general, I do my official weigh in on Monday morning before I’ve eaten or drank anything. I wouldn’t recommend weighing yourself after breakfast—unless you’re precisely weighing each meal. Also, be aware that one week really doesn’t count to figure out your calorie budget. My weight can fluctuate five pounds or more throughout the course of a day. So, it’s going to take several months of tracking to get consistent numbers and find my calorie budget.

              So, my calories were 2,000 per day (2,000 X 7 = 14,000) and my weight loss was 1.6 pounds. A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. So, that’s a 5,600-calorie deficit (1.6 X 3,500) or 800 calories a day (5,600 ÷ 7 = 800). If I take my 2,000 calories per day and add in the 800 calories per day I lost, I can estimate I would maintain weight at about 2,800 calories a day. Obviously, this isn’t perfect. I could have lost some water weight. I could have put on some muscle from working out. So, it’s only an estimate, but at least it gives me some numbers to base things around.

              Also, be aware as you lose weight that your calorie budget goes down. A smaller car burns less fuel than a bigger car. The same is true with your body. As you lose weight, you need less calories to move around. So, your calorie budget at your ideal weight is going to be less than your calorie budget at your chubby weight—unless you move around more with that newer, fitter body to make up the difference!

              What if I add in exercise? I am exercising intensely, and it does increase calories burned. You can go online and find calculators that estimate how many calories a given activity will burn. Realize, those calculators are estimates. So, you still need to track your calories and weight.

              Let’s say I want to eat that super fattening 2,400 Chipotle burrito bowl? How long would I have to run at a quick pace (10-minute mile) at my current weight to burn it off? I would have to run a little over 2 ½ hours. That means I would be running over 15 miles.

Ugh! Here’s the truth about exercise and calories. If you’re able to spend 30-60 minutes a day doing something of moderate to high intensity, you’re likely not adding much more than 300-500 calories burned (maybe less for a smaller person). That activity is subtracting at most about a pound of fat burned per week. I’m not saying you shouldn’t exercise. The benefits of exercise are tremendous and is part of a healthy plan to lose weight. However, don’t fall into the trap of thinking, “I worked out hard this morning. I can enjoy a Big Mac, fries, and a Coke!” No, no, no. You can’t! If you’re like me, you’re taking their offer to biggie size. Suddenly that 300-calorie workout is dwarfed by that 1,320-calorie meal! Do I spend 2/3 of my weight-loss calories for the day on McD’s? Or, do I go for my 780-calorie bowl at Chipotles? Or, my 650-calorie burger at Denny’s? Or, do I use McDonald’s nutrition calculator to see where I can shave some calories? Or, do I decide I’ll run for over an hour tonight? Okay, I already worked out this morning, so who am I kidding? I’m not going running tonight. I have a new episode of The Orville to watch!

Establishing Lifetime Changes

              One of the biggest benefits of counting calories is one begins to get a sense of what to eat and what not to eat. Am I opening that bag of chips? Or, am I breaking out the hot air popper and having some popcorn—with some yummy seasoning! Do I want that buttermilk-based ranch dressing? Or, is a low-calorie mustard-based dressing just as satisfying? Obviously, I better read some labels, because that mustard-based dressing may have a lot of hidden calories and may not be as low-calorie as it should be. Plus, I better keep an eye on portion sizes.

              Calorie counting allows one to develop more of a sense of what to eat and what to avoid. It also helps one to figure out those lower-calorie alternatives that may be just as satisfying as the higher-calorie alternatives.

              I’m going through the process of figuring out what works for me—in terms of eating and exercising. Calorie counting is a tool to help do that. It helps me to figure out my calorie budget for the day and to spend those calories wisely. I think it's an important component of a weight loss journey.

Teaching Various Ages

 

              I’ve taught a wide range of students—from toddlers through senior citizens. This includes teaching college classes, teaching online English classes to kids, and teaching in volunteer positions. There are many similarities between teaching various ages and a few differences including: attention span, abstract thinking ability, and knowledge base.

Attention Span

              When teaching adults, they can only absorb so much material. If you stretch them too far, you’re wasting effort. When absorbing information through watching or listening, this attention span is only about 15-20 minutes. Sit through a sermon or lecture. About 15-20 minutes in the average adult either begins to lose focus or starts forgetting what was covered. This is normative. There’re certainly people that can listen for hours. And, a certain number of motivated students that will take notes and stay focused for a long time. But, the 15-20 minute rule applies to most.

              So, what to do if you have more than 15-20 minutes of material? You need to give people a chance to apply the material. This could be through discussion or hands-on application. Once the material begins to be absorbed into longer term memory then you can move on and present more material. So much that is done in our education or religious circles disregards this simply rule.

              While this applies to adults, the younger a person is, the shorter their attention span. A toddler may only have an attention span of a minute. An elementary school student’s attention will be longer, but it does vary between students. Usually, girls have better attention spans than boys.

              So, we could view attention span on a continuum—from maybe a minute or so for a toddler to 15-20 minutes for an adult. These are just general guidelines but should help if you need to teach something to various ages.

Abstract Thinking

              Young kids have limited ability to think in concepts. They tend to need information boiled down to stories, object lessons, and hands-on activities. For example, a young kid may understand what a table is; but he may not be able to wrap his head around why "table" is a noun. He just doesn’t have the ability.

              When do people gain the ability to think in the abstract? In general, I wouldn’t expect a kid much younger than 8-10 to be able to do much with abstract thinking. This ability may develop quite a bit earlier or later. I’ve met some adults that don’t excel at abstract thinking. Often, they are very gifted at using their hands—carpentry, painting, sports, or other kinds of physical activities.

              I suspect abstract thinking ability begins to develop when one is a toddler, but I still would keep things extremely concrete for anyone under 8-10 years old.

              While adults do have the ability to think in the abstract, it is much easier to absorb concrete information—stories, object lessons, and hands-on experiences. Ever sit through that hour-long terms-and-definitions college lecture? Later, you look at your notes and think, “Did we cover this? We must have, but I don’t remember a thing!” Why? Because you were presented abstract material and it didn’t sink in. You’re more likely to remember a funny story your teacher told than a list of terms and definitions.

              My advice with any age group is to keep things as concrete as possible. Use stories, object lessons, hands-on applications, and visual aids as much as possible. It will help your material sink in deep.

Knowledge Base

              This is the final difference in teaching age groups. In general, the older a person is, the deeper their knowledge base. Adults in general know more than children. Although, I have met a few adults where that seems iffy.

              The most important thing when teaching is to put yourself in the shoes of the learner. Figure out what they know and don’t know. Don’t place unreasonable expectations on them. Teach at their level and you’ll be fine.

Summary

              Jesus was the master teacher. Think about what he did? He met people where they were—even at times just meeting a basic physical need like making sure a hungry person was fed. He taught using stories and analogies—putting things into the concrete, everyday life of his audience. Most of his “sermons” were only a few minutes long. And, even his longest sermons (like the Sermon on the Mount) probably lasted under a half hour.

              There are an infinite number of variables when teaching to different age groups. However, if you consider attention span, abstract thinking abilities, and knowledge base, you’ll be well on your way to effectively meeting your audience.

Where You Been?

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. So, the biggest question may be, “Where You Been?” Yeah, yeah, I know. I should technically say, “Where Have I Been?”, but this is a blog—not some sort of grammar test.

 

I have been writing, but much of that writing has been for school projects. In 2019 I went back to school to update my skillset. I wasn’t having much luck finding a good job. Sure, I had work, but nothing that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Actually, there was almost the constant internal nagging of just quitting and removing a big stress in my life.

 

Instead of quitting, I decided to do something positive and go back to school. I just finished up degree work in Digital Video and Media Technology at Stark State College. Basically, I learned content creation—in particular videography, photography, editing, sound design, graphic design, and even some web design. In short, I added the technical media skills, which are so needed today, to my creative writing skills. I’m also a skilled educator, but honestly, I don’t want to do that any longer.

 

Along the way I ended up experiencing my first global pandemic. Yeah me! Fortunately, I didn’t catch the bug. I’m fully vaccinated and made sure to stay in the house. At times I felt like a dog with public health officials being my owner and telling me when I can and can’t leave the house.

 

Like many, I experienced loss. Early in the pandemic, my aunt passed away. She was in a nursing home. I heard rumors that Covid had hit the nursing home. Turns out those rumors were true. Fortunately, I was able to go and see her right before lockdown. It was an extreme hardship on my two cousins, who couldn’t see their mom face-to-face during the last weeks of her life. They had to see her through the nursing home windows. She was buried with a small service with just her daughters and maybe a few others present. They didn’t want to expose family and friends to the virus during the pandemic. There was talk of plans to have a larger memorial after the pandemic was over. I’m not sure if that will happen. Two years is a long time to revisit the grief of such a loss.

 

I also lost a friend. I would occasionally go to a movie with her and we would have an occasional chat on the phone. She was one of my former students. She was a nice lady and I occasionally think of her and miss not being able to reach out.

 

Taking classes during the pandemic was an experience. Spring of 2020 classes were going great. I was in a fun media class. The instructor was great and every week we’d have great conversations in class. Then everything changed. Classes moving to being virtual. Everything became disconnected. Now, everything was a Zoom meeting and a discussion board. It just wasn’t the same.

 

I was also just starting to get involved with Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society at Stark State. Then, I became disconnected. I lost about a year of involvement. I did eventually become engaged. I became the Newsletter Editor and then Vice President. It was a great experience, but I feel I missed a year of fun because the world went sideways.

 

Now, I’m looking for work. I feel both hopeful and frayed. The last couple years have been weird. Where you been? I’ve been surviving a global pandemic. I’ve lost a few people close to me. I’ve faced some hardships, but I’ve also had blessings. I’m now fully engaged in figuring out where I am. So, where you been?

Let's Arm Teachers

            After recent events in Florida, people are starting to throw around the idea of arming teachers. As both an honorably discharged member of the Army Reserves and a college instructor, I will say this idea won’t work. Even worse, it will end up leading to catastrophes. There is some validity to arming teachers. That’s not the problem. The problem is that this is being viewed by some, and may likely be legislated, as an easy solution to the problem. Arming teachers, if it happens, will end up failing due to improper implementation.

THE TWO MINDSETS

            Using a firearm, particularly in a panic situation that may require killing or harming another person, takes a totally different mindset than teaching. The idea that a teacher can simply flip the switch, from compassionate teacher to trained warrior, at a moment’s notice is foolish. Simply giving a teacher a gun won’t help, because the average teacher would freeze if the situation arose where action was demanded. Using a gun to defend takes training—extensive training. The training would likely be expensive and ongoing. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of schools without textbooks or heat. So, where is the money going to come for this expensive training?

A GUN IS A GUN

            Arming teachers puts guns into the school. Could a teacher’s gun end up being used against that teacher? Or, against other students? Could a teacher be stripped of a gun by a violent student?

            Teaching requires an immense amount of focus—enough focus that a teacher would lose focus on the gun they are carrying. It’s simply impossible to teach (at least properly) and remain a vigilant warrior simultaneously. Until the switch to vigilant warrior has been turned on, that teacher’s gun is vulnerable. If violence happens, the teacher with the gun may become the target—the main point of attack for a perpetrator!

DO COMBAT SOLDIERS SHOOT TO KILL?

            There have been some experts that suggest that combat soldiers—people highly trained to handle a weapon and take a life—often deliberately overshoot when placed in combat. This is likely particularly true with their first experience in combat. The debate on this is controversial, so you can do your own research, but it does raise doubts about a teacher’s ability to fire, especially during their first round of combat.

            Combat. Let’s just be honest. When a shooter enters a school property, that premise has now become a combat zone. But, it’s a different kind of combat zone. When a soldier is sent to war, they know they are in a combat zone. It becomes a part of their psyche, constantly in the back of their mind. A teacher doesn’t drive to work expecting combat. Their psyche isn’t in that place, and this may make them less prepared to enter combat.

IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?

            Instead of arming teachers, a more viable solution may simply be putting a few armed guards (whether police or military) on school grounds. Being a vigilant defender means coming to work with that mindset. It’s not a switch that can easily be flipped. The switch already needs to be on when a crisis arises.

            Even military personnel and police would need significant training—not near the training a teacher would require—but still significant training.

CONCLUSIONS

            Arming teachers may be part of the solution, but it isn’t the easy solution some people paint it to be. An armed teacher may be a deterrent; but, can an armed teacher become a defender in a crisis situation quickly enough to either eradicate or minimize casualties? Not necessarily. It would take someone with the right psychological makeup combined with intense and ongoing training. Without proper training, the average teacher with a gun would freeze at the moment of crisis.

What is Wrong with Education?

            What is wrong with education? It's an interesting question, isn't it? To begin we must distinguish between learning and education. One would assume the two concepts are intimately intertwined, but that assumption is faulty. Learning is often an inverted version of education.

            When we thinking of learning, we think of gaining knowledge of self, knowledge of the world, and a better understanding of truth. This process is driven internally. It's our own sense of wonder; emotional attachment to some thing, concept, or person; or innate curiosity that propels us to explore the world. Learning is an inside-out process fueled by the spark of spirit and heart that lies within.

            Education is all about control. It's not that a teacher wants to be controlling. It might not even be a dean, supervisor, or principal that wants to be controlling. But, who is really in control of education? It's almost always some bureaucrat or politician that makes the real decisions that control the direction of education. And, what are bureaucrats and politicians? Control freaks!

            How do control freaks operate? It can't be about the spark of spirit and heart that lies within. That can't easily be controlled. For each individual, that spark is unique. Unique things are hard to control. They’re unpredictable. Control is always achieved externally—through policies, procedures, grades, tests, and whatever other rewards and punishments one deems necessary. In religious circles, this is called legalism. It's when a group or individual becomes overly concerned with meeting externally-opposed standards as opposed to being transformed in the inner man.

            So, learning starts from the inside. Education is imposed from the outside. I don't necessarily think education has to be that way, but that's how it's usually done.

            Let's consider for a moment how a teacher is wired. I've met many. Most are wonderful people that are concerned for their students. They give, give, and give of themselves—of their time, effort, emotional and spiritual energies. Teachers (by this I mean someone who is a teacher by nature and not necessarily by profession) are wired this way. All their internal goodness flows out—like a spigot that has been welded wide open. They can’t stop giving of themselves. It’s a nature they can’t overcome even when it becomes detrimental to their own wellbeing.

            There are people that God has designed to be teachers. Not everyone leading a classroom is one of them. If you’re a student, you know the difference between someone who is a teacher by profession, and someone who is a teacher because that’s who they are. When I speak of teachers, I’m speaking of the latter.

            Put someone wired this way into a system that focuses on imposing externals to control behavior, and a pressure-multiplying effect happens. The forces from within are pushing out and the forces from without are pushing in. The effect is the same as a pressure cooker with too much internal pressure. There’s only two options: explode or lessen the steam. We’ve seen the first option on social media—the teacher that explodes. People always blame the teacher, but it’s the system that pushed to that conclusion. The second option is what happens to most teachers. Over time they lose steam. Their love for teaching and students diminish. They don’t want it to happen, but self-preservation demands the inevitable decline of teaching steam.

            Let’s consider what happens to students. Place someone inside a system of external rewards and punishment and they do learn—primarily how to manipulate the system to avoid punishments and reap rewards. The direction comes from without instead of within. Overtime students learn to become other-directed and manipulative. But, learning is an inside-out process. People generally don’t let the inside come out unless they're in a supportive, open environment—which is the polar opposite of education. That becomes the crux of the matter—learning and education are often negatives of one another.

            Teachers struggle to form the proper relationships with student. They are often at odds—with teacher being the enforcer of the system, and student being the manipulator of the system. A teacher has a hard time turning off their spigot of energy. It’s at the heart of the gift God has given them—an outpouring of positive energy into their environment. Self-directed people reflect and enhance that flow. Other-directed people absorb that energy like a sponge. Remember, students have been conditioned by the system to be other-directed and manipulative.

            A true teacher is wired to function within a learning environment surrounded by learners. The inner spark of each member of the community, not the inner spark of a few labeled as “teacher”, fuels such an environment. God hasn’t designed a teacher to be surrounded by other-directed people. In such an environment, the teacher becomes a burnt-out husk—constantly giving while others are constantly absorbing.

            What is wrong with education? Learning is self-directed; education is other-directed. Learning functions best in an open, supportive environment that allows for individual expression and exploration; education is controlling, constricting, and bureaucratic. Learning explodes when a teacher becomes a catalyst; but education takes those gifted to teach and puts them in an environment than exploits them, and surrounds them by people that abuse them. Abuse will only sound like a harsh word to those that have never been an educator. Educators will testify that students and administrators show everything from a mild lack of respect to an utter disregard to the humanity of teachers. Abuse is anything that dehumanizes another—and educators face dehumanization on a daily basis.

            Learning and education are opposites. This is a simplification, but it is an accurate one in many cases. I know an exploration of these topics mean different things to those who control the system and those that teach. For those controlling the system, they think, “Okay, then let’s add this structure, or try this policy, or let’s retrain our teachers.” Bureaucrats never think in terms of radically transforming anything, because they wouldn’t know how to function. So, when confronted with systemic problems, they try to solve it by adding something to the system—which, inevitable, ends up another to-do on the checklist of the minions below them. Ever wonder why the most seasoned teachers are often the least vocal at the faculty meeting? They know that great ideas are transformed as they progress up the chain of command—from means of transformation to measures of tyranny.

            What is wrong with education? Education often conflicts with teaching and learning. The product doesn’t meet the marketing, and the only hope is to abandon what we consider education and begin to design something new from the ground up.

            

Wahoo for the Windians!

            The streak is over, but the march to the pennant continues! The Indians have become the dominant team in baseball. Can they go all the way? Only time will tell, but fans in Northeast, Ohio have come to revel in the team-wide heroics that define this team. Let’s look at a few.

TITOLATING MANAGEMENT

            We see the mastermind in the dugout, constantly chomping on his sunflower seeds. His humble demeanor masking the strategy going on in his head. He is a wizard with the players, bringing out the best in each of them. Perhaps the best moment to understand Tito is when he sent 21-year Francisco Mejia to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a 23-game winning streak on the line. Some may question the wisdom of that decision, but Tito was less concerned about a winning streak and more concerned about developing a winning player. He understands talent and will take a gamble when he sees potential. In terms of the game, sometimes that gamble pays off. Sometimes it doesn’t. But, in terms of player development, the gamble always pays off. Every player on the roster is playing to their potential. That starts at the top.

FRANKIE SPANKIE

            Frankie continues to spank the ball—it’s going back deep, deep, deep, . . . it’s gone! When he came to Cleveland, we knew Lindor could lead with leather. Now, he’s developing into a potent power hitter and a great lead-off batter.

BAUER POWER

            When discussions arise about Cleveland’s pitching staff, the first name mentioned is Kluber. He is the Klubot and resistance is futile. However, it has been the development of the rest of the staff that has transformed them into a force of nature. Right before our eyes, Bauer and Clevinger are becoming aces. The road to the pennant is paved with pitching. The formula is usually: 2 aces, a dominant closer, several setup men, and solid pitching to fill in the gaps. The Indians may enter October with 4 aces, 2 dominant closers, and a bullpen filled with hard hurling setup and middlemen!

            We also have to give props to Bauer for his Mini Head baseballs. This is the type of fun that creates a great atmosphere—both for the fans and the players!

BRUCE JUICE

            The big man takes it deep—again! The Indians are playing better with his bat, and no doubt his presence in the locker room and on the field. We’ve also witnessed his efforts to help those harmed by Hurricane Harvey. He doesn’t just make this team better. He makes the world a better place. Welcome to Cleveland!

RAMI SLAMMY

            When Ramirez hit five extra base hits in a game, no one in Cleveland was surprised. Jose is one of the most exciting offensive players in the game. The moment the ball leaves the bat, he’s looking to extend a single into a double, or a double into a triple. He’s also developed into a great fielder. What may be scary for every other team is that we’re not certain if Ramirez has peaked. He could get even better!

GOMER HOMER

            Credit must go to the two men behind the plate—Gomes and Perez. The fans have come to expect their defense, their cannon throws to pickoff runners, and the way they work with the pitchers. But, these two have given us more—so much more. They’ve transformed the bottom of the lineup into a threat. Opposing pitchers simply can’t find an easy out anywhere in this Indians’ lineup.

GIOVACUUM URSHELA

            This kid has leather—lithe and lively! He may be the best defender in the Indians’ infield—and this is an infield stacked with leather. It seems every young player the Indians call up brings something fascinating to the field. The logical conclusion is that this organization is deep—from the minors all the way up, they have the management and developmental staff to bring the best!

EDWINNER

            I could also refer to the parrot! EE is a veteran that brings experience and a big bat to this club. It’s also fun to watch fans dressing up in parrot uniforms. He is an anchor in the middle of the lineup!

A-JACK

            It may be more appropriate to use his nickname, Ajax. We’ve all heard of the cleaner that washes away grime, grease, and gunk. Ajax washes away homeruns! He had the catch. It’s likely the play of the year for baseball—maybe the play of the year for all of sports. It’s just another example of the excitement every player brings—night in and night out!

SLAMTANA

             Carlos goes deep! Again! Night after night he brings the bat. We are also watching him develop into a defensive diamond at first. Clevelanders stay up late at night arguing who should win the MVP. The obvious choice is Lindor, but then talk of Ramirez and Santana enter the mix. If only Santana could also play guitar. Would that be asking too much!

            There’s not much debate in Cleveland who should be the manager of the year. And, even less debate about the Cy Young. It should be Kluber! But next year, could several Indians hurler be in the race? Ah, that is worth a late-night argument.

            Of course, these are only a small sample of all the highlights. We have the 22-game winning streak. That should be enough, but we want more. We want the pennant, and this team has the tools to deliver!