It's an undisputable fact of life: kids learn by example. Both positive and negative behaviors are often learned and reinforced by a parent's example. What better way to teach your child a skill, like piano playing, than by demonstrating it?

Dads have an extra important role to play when motivating kids to learn music. Children who are regularly exposed to music in the home are more likely to grow up musical. Kids with parents who actually play an instrument (like piano) have an even further edge.

Dad's role is especially important when it comes to raising a budding pianist. Young children in particular look to their fathers as role models. They see Dad as omniscient, Herculean and heroic. Kids are natural imitators and will readily and willingly engage in an activity that Dad portrays as cool or fun.

Mothers, of course, can play a significant role in helping kids get excited about piano playing. The downside of having a mother who is musical when Dad isn't is that it can send mixed messages. Children may view piano playing as a "girl" activity, at least at home.

Motivating a child to practice regularly is a chore at the best of times. Children are often even less excited about practicing when they know that their parents don't play. It's tough for kids to see the value in a musical education under these circumstances.

Dads can make a difference in the musical education of their children even if they've never played piano before. It's never too late to learn something new. You might not become a virtuoso, but that's not the point. The point is to show your child that piano playing is a valuable life skill.

Dads who haven't previously taken piano lessons can get started by doing one or more of the following:

* Taking a parent/child piano class. Some music schools offer parent/child piano lessons. Many are actually founded on the philosophy that children learn best through active parent participation. Parent/child classes teach basic musical skills but also foster healthy interaction between parent and child. Plus, dads who never took piano lessons get to learn right along with their children.

* Take a self-tutorial. Piano tutorials are available in workbook and DVD form as well as online. Tutorials are self-directed and cover the basics like note reading and chords. Online tutorials sometimes have the added advantage of access to an online mentor. Self tutorials range in price. Many are free. Most courses cost between $25 and $100 for basic foundational skills. A dad can at least learn enough this way to understand what his child is learning. He may even be able to learn from his child.

* Take formal piano lessons. Remember, it's not too late to learn. You don't have to take classical piano either if that's not your forte. Find an instructor who understands what your goal is: to lead your child by example. Your instructor can design a lesson plan that helps meet those needs without scaring you with long-winded classical pieces. He or she can teach you the basics and give you a great foundation for piano playing for and with your child.

Dads who master the basics of piano playing have another advantage that non-musical dads don't. Pianist fathers have one more way to encourage kids to turn off the television and engage in something productive and beneficial. Impromptu family concerts, father/child duets or simply making up goofy songs together fosters relaxation, bonding and emotional health.

Now that EA's Wii Active is out in the market, a few of its users had questions about the use of the new product. EA set out to answer them as clearly as possible.

What controls are needed to use EA SPORTS Active? Basically, you just need two of them, namely the Wii remote and nunchuk. The nunchuk has to be plugged in to the Wii Remote throughout the exercise program. You can also use the Wii balance board for some exercises. But for EA Sports Active, this is not a necessity.

How are the remote and nunchuk used? Depending on the exercise, these two accessories will have a variety of uses. Not to worry because a trainer and video instruction are available for each program. Generally, you will be asked to hold the Wii remote on your right hand. The nunchuk will either be placed on your left hand or on the leg strap, depending on the kind of exercise you choose.

How do the controls respond to the movements? The secret to this is to always try to follow the trainer and mimic his movements. If you have difficulty doing this, again it is advised that you watch the video instructions before you exercise. This will provide you with tips on how to move correctly. Once you’ve started, listen to the trainer carefully and follow the text on the screen. When you need to put the nunchuk on the leg strap, insert it properly, pointing down with the control stick facing to the right.

Try all this with the Active Life Outdoor Challenge if you want to have some real fun and keep fit at the same time!

Want to save some money? Ever wonder if you could do a car stereo installation yourself? Yes, you can do it yourself! Go ahead, spend that money on your hardware! Don’t spend it on labor. Besides, doing a car stereo installation yourself can be a very rewarding experience, not to mention you can learn a lot from it too. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your “creation” in action, running smoothly and perfectly.

But be very careful, you really won’t want to damage your expensive hardware. Well, most car audio hardware are no-brainers to install, you’d find that most of the time the parts have specially shaped sockets and slots etc. and would only fit where it’s supposed to be installed. Still, it’s best to proceed methodically.

In a car stereo installation, you have to determine what kind of rig you’re going to put into your vehicle. If you’re a beginner, it’s best you do a car stereo installation if it’s just a simple system. You may want to leave the complicated stuff to the professionals, like installing delicate equipment like LCD panels, motorized parts etc. especially if it requires the creation of custom panels and such.

Head units are one of the easiest to do in a car stereo installation. Fortunately, most units follow the same size standards (DIN). In many cars, once the factory radio is removed the aftermarket radio will fit in the hole. In many other cars, a kit is needed if the factory hole is too big, or not deep enough. In some cases the dash has to be cut. Any car stereo store should have kits required for installation.

There are two types of mounting in a car stereo installation. ISO mounting is when the radio can be screwed to existing factory radio brackets, such as in most Japanese cars. Ring mounting is when an aftermarket radio comes with a metal ring that gets mounted to the factory radio hole or aftermarket kit via bendable tabs. In many cars, dash and trim rings have to be filed to enlarge the radio hole. Once the ring is installed, the radio slides in and is held by snaps. In most cases, special tools are required to remove the radio.

Speakers are very critical in a car stereo installation. No matter how expensive your speakers are, if they are not properly installed, the sound will not be up to par.

In a simple car stereo installation, you’ll probably be using speakers that fit into a factory location. Just make sure there are no gaps or holes. Sometimes building a wood or fiberglass baffle helps reduce holes and gives you much better sound. But always be careful when using power tools around speakers. Car stereo installation warranties usually don't cover holes in speakers.

For unconventional speaker locations, sometimes metal has to be cut. You might want to leave this to the professionals, tools like plasma cutters and pneumatics drills are required. But if you’re going to insist, a pair of metal snips (left and right cut) will do.

A car stereo installation has to put up with vibrations and other noise sources in its environment. Even though it is impossible to eliminate these completely, there are products that will greatly decrease the noise and rattling, particularly on non-luxury cars. Liners, sprays and adhesive strips and even carpeting applied onto the panels can make a world of difference.

http://www.find-an-article.com/articles