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THE  
    SOUND OF MUSIC...                                             IN OUR SCHOOLS
In This Issue:
Music Education An Academic Pillar
Study Tip: Becoming A Study Story-teller
Coach of the Month: Eric Pan
Quick Links

 
Academic Success Partner 
of the Month
This month we're excited to reacquaint you with one of our Success Partners doing great work in Education Therapy in southern California, 
Kimberly Green. An educational therapist going on 15 years now, Kim works with kids from as young as five, all the way up to 21 who are experiencing academic, social or emotional difficulties related to school. Going beyond a focus on specific subjects, Kim helps students to develop and build skills that may be lacking in a student, such as working memory, higher order thinking, problem solving and expressive language to name just a few. Having graduated from Cal State Northridge in 2002 with a Masters in Special Education, Kim has since developed a highly effective, collaborative approach, working with the student's parents, teachers and schools to build a platform for success. For more information, email Kim or call 310.702.4856.
Looking For A Student 
Community Service Opportunity?
Meet Rickey Smith, social entrepreneur and owner of the sustainable food business Urban Green. He's started a community education venture called the Urban Green Kids Row program, creating opportunities for kids from diverse backgrounds to participate in many activities related to food sustainability, from planting seeds  to learning about how organic food is grown and harvested. For more info on a terrific
community service and volunteering opportunity for kids, email Rickey, 

or call (800) 200 3320.

Check out Our  YouTube Video!
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Academic Success is very proud of the two-minute video we recently produced to give you a feel for who we are, our philosophy and the way we approach our work
How Academic Success Can Support You
At Academic Success we take great pride in finding the right coach to support the unique needs of each student we help.  Please check out the areas where we work on our  web site and let us know how we can support you.

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Looking for a College Counselor or Ed Therapist?
We work and partner with excellent Educational Therapists and College Counselors throughout the L.A. area.  Give us a call and we can recommend the right fit for your child.

310-823-4398
March 
Means Music In Our Schools Month!

As arts funding in our nation's schools dwindles, there is a growing movement to not only conserve what remains of music education for our kids, but also to restore and revive it to a position of strength.
This month, schools across the country celebrated Music In Our Schools, a program created by the National Association for Music Education. 
Started in 1973, Music In Our Schools is essentially a large-scale outreach program, featuring school concerts, student meetings with legislators, and programs to connect music teachers with students who may not have been exposed to music education. 
All involved in this annual endeavor share one element: a fervent belief in the importance of music education for our kids, not only culturally but also academically. It has become accepted fact that music is beneficial for both cognitive efficacy and mental health. 
This month, we'll shine a spotlight on the state of music education in our schools. We'll focus on leading music figures and programs seeking to make a difference, bring more kids into the fold and keep music education alive and thriving.
At Academic Success, we're aware that a well-rounded education gives our kids the best chance at achieving consistent academic and long-term career success. 

Please call with any questions at (310) 823 4398 or

Find us on Facebook 

All the best,

The Academic Success Team

"Music can change the world because it can change people."

- Bono

Education News 

Music Education An Academic Pillar 
 
While many of our students will only ever see music as a hobby, this important US News & World Report article lays out what now are facts: music education not only expands cognitive ability, but also can be a critical creative and emotional outlet during periods of high workloads for our students. 

  

Changing Lives, One Music Lesson At a Time 
 
 
In the quest to raise awareness about the importance of music in our schools, music education advocates are leaving no stone unturned. In addition to the Music In Our Schools program, Teach Music America is also celebrated during the last week of March. This inspiring program, now in its second year, lays down an amazing gauntlet to music educators: find one new student to teach by offering them a free 30-minute lesson.  

Google 
Bringing Art and Science Together 

With education funding for the arts under constant threat, there could be no greater ally in the fight for music education than tech giant Google. This month, to celebrate Music In Our Schools, Google released its highly anticipated music/science education platform Chrome Music Lab with a powerful core message: music can be taught as both art and science.


 

A Music Icon Lends A Hand 
   
Sometimes a cause needs a big name to put their weight behind it- and in contemporary music there aren't many bigger than Billy Joel. Recently, the Long Island High School for the Arts faced a funding shortfall, and the Piano Man stepped in, offering to donate a million dollars if the school stayed open for three more years. Read this inspiring article that details not only Joel's financial contribution, but also his impromptu concert and Q & A for the school's students.

Music Education
: Making Kids Better People

With so much focus on vocational training and academic achievement, other powerful factors related to music education can be lost in the debate. This moving Huffington Post op-ed, written by a music teacher, makes possibly the best case for music education: it brings joy to kids' lives and makes them more creative, vibrant human beings. 

Study Tips 

Becoming A Study Story-teller

As workloads increase and pressure builds, it can be progressively harder to assimilate and retain all the necessary information we need to achieve academic success. 
Just as music can often be a wonderful conduit to taking in information, creating a fun, memorable narrative around particular study topics can be a brilliant way to permanently retain the material you're working on.
An obvious example is the retention of acronyms. Let's take PEMDAS, the mathematical order of operations. You can memorize it but under the pressure of an exam, that may falter. However, creating a fun story that uses each letter in the correct order guarantees retention. It could go like this:
Philip (P) wanted to eat (E) his friend Mary (M) but he died (D) from arsenic (AS) poisoning.
If the story seems weird and funny- then it's on the right track! The more stimulating and unique the story is, the more permanently lodged it will be in your mind. 
This technique can be fantastic for fact-dense subjects like history. Take any topic you might be working on, write all the important facts down and then practice telling the story accurately yet with as much suspense, color and excitement as you can. If you enjoy telling the story, it will stick. You can test it by telling this story to family and friends.
Turning facts into storytelling not only will increase your success at exam time, but will also help you in your chosen career later in life. 

Coach Profile 

 
Meet
Eric Pan,
  Coach Profile of The Month   

This month we'd like to introduce you to one of the latest additions to our Academic Success coaching team, Eric Pan. Eric is currently a rising junior studying Biomedical Engineering at UCLA. Part of the reason Eric plans to pursue a career in this field is because he genuinely enjoys helping and improving the lives of others- motivations that also inspire him in his tutoring. Eric brings deep tutoring experience to his sessions, having been an AVID, high school and lower-division college tutor. He has learnt that great tutors know how to guide tutees towards true, and not just temporary, understanding of subjects. Eric also firmly believes that people are able to do great work if they clarify their goals and understand why things are important - an overall philosophy he uses in his own life. Eric finds that the best part of his job is that he gets to watch his students grow and improve. His enthusiasm, energy, and desire to make a difference in other peoples' lives makes him a great addition to our team.
In his spare time, Eric enjoys playing basketball, chess, working on projects, and occasionally learning a new song on the guitar. He also loves watching NBA and keeping up with startup companies. He draws inspiration from role models such as Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Elon Musk and Jack Ma. 
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We consider it a privilege and an honor to support students and their families throughout the Los Angeles area.  Please call us at any time; we welcome your thoughts and input.  We are available at 310-823-4398.

Sincerely,
 
Jamie Altshule
Academic Success, Inc.