Learn To Play Piano

If you're like many of us, at some point in your life, you took piano lessons only to drop out before you become adept at playing anything melodic. Or, perhaps learning to play piano has long been on your "wish list".

We're fortunate to have an option in the Peterborough area that takes a unique approach to teaching piano. The Learning Source is pleased to partner with Andrea and Ken Minaker who are passionate about sharing this training model with our community.

For more info on our spring course, click here.

You're Never Too Old to Dance

Check out this video of a 92-year old woman dancing with her 29-year old grandson:

Response from Wen-Do Workshops

Here is some of the feedback received from our two Women's Self-Defence Wen-Do Sessions that ran Sunday, January 23rd and Saturday, February 5th:

"Very informative, interactive and relevant to my community".

"It went really well!!

"The workshop was a truly empowering experience for both the women and the girls who attended. I now feel more sure of my ability to defend myself and that is a great feeling".

"The workshop was beyond my expectations. It was very well taught."

"My granddaughter loved it."

"It was an excellent workshop. I learned lots of good information about self defense. The course was fun despite it dealing with a sensitive and difficult issue, and it was very well paced."

Spanish Course Responses

Here is some of the feedback received from our Spanish courses (and about our fantastic instructor) that ran in the Fall session:

Es muy bien, gracias!!

Excellent! Karen kept the class engaged throughout the 2 hours, and ensured that each student was involved. Simply stated, she did a great job!

Excellent teacher!!!

I enjoyed it very much!

We enjoyed it very much. Karen is a super teacher.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Spanish course. I thought the teacher was excellent.

I would like to be informed when ANY Spanish courses are offered.

Interested in taking a Spanish course with the Learning Source? Beginning in January we have Level 1 and Conversational Spanish running. Register now! See our website at www.learningsource.ca or call (705) 743-2141 for more information.

The Benefits of Singing

Singing is an act of vibration. It takes music from the realm of the unformed and moves it from within to without. Singing is an act of vibration. It takes music from the realm of the unformed- whether that is in your mind or from that magical space of inspiration- and moves it from within to without. From the first breath singing moves the energy in a circular way inside your body. As the breath fills your lungs, it brushes against the second and third chakras—the centers of creation and honoring self and others. Instead of merely exhaling, pushing the air past the fourth and fifth chakras where heart charka and the center of will and intention reside, singing engages both the heart and mind. Sound vibrations from vocal chords resonate in the sinus cavities, filling the head with motion and sound while the brain lights up with the processing of the mathematics of music. This marriage of activities brings the third eye into play and opens the door for inspiration from the crown chakra before sending the sound out into the world.

Once the vibration begins, it is sustained with each note, moving throughout your body and the space around you. This can help you to harmonize your frequency with the world and with the divine. The use of the voice can bring about catharsis, a cleansing from the expression of emotion, which is why we feel better after singing certain types of songs. All of this occurs even if we are not conscious of what we are singing, but when we really connect with an intention, the power of the voice and music together are powerful tools in creation.

Even if you are not a singer by nature or talent, you are not left out. If you have a voice, it is your birthright to celebrate life with song. It doesn't matter if you don't feel you have a nice voice. Chanting or humming, singing solo or with others, your voice is yours to enjoy. Whether you sing along to the radio or use vocalization as part of your meditation time, singing and harmonizing are healing activities that bring your body's vibrations into alignment with the universe.
Source: The Daily Om

Register for our Community Choir starting January 10th.

Empowering Ourselves

The Learning Source is pleased to announce that we will be sponsoring three Wen-do Self Defence workshops for women and girls in January and February. Wen-Do Women's Self Defence is a registered charity and the oldest women's self defence organization in Canada. They believe that a woman's experience with and the fear of violence is typically different from men's, and it is therefore vital for women and girls to have access to self-defence courses taught by women, for women and girls only. Women and girls already have a wealth of experience in protecting their own safety. Females can use their bodies effectively; regardless of age, athletic ability, disabled or non-disabled, to resist or defuse violent situations. Wen-do training aims to build on participants' prior knowledge and increase their self-confidence by teaching a variety of awareness, avoidance and verbal self-defence strategies, and simple, practical physical techniques that are designed to be effective even against a larger and stronger attacker.

The goal of Wen-do workshops is to increase the choices available to women, and to provide suggestions and ideas, not a list of do's and don'ts. Instructors emphatically reject any approach that tries to blame women and girls for having "provoked" or "failed to prevent" violent attempts to dominate and control them. We believe that ultimately each female must make her own decision about how to respond to a particular situation.

For more information on the Peterborough and Havelock workshops, visit here.

Paddle Making Responses

Here are some of the comments received from our paddle making courses:

I have a Paddle making book and although I could have learned from the book I realized the best approach would be to take a course. This one answered all my questions! People I show my paddle to can't believe I carved it by hand! Gerry was great to work with and extremely knowledgeable!!

I am very honoured to have had the opportunity to spend a day with Gerry learning how to craft a paddle form such a large blank and it honestly melts my heart every time I look at the paddle I made that fits just me :))

It was more demanding in skill level and fitness than I thought. However, the instructor was very helpful in assisting so the paddle could be finished.

Gerry's experience and knowledge about paddles, canoes, tripping and the great wilderness in our back yard shows what an expert he really is.

Two more Paddle Making courses are scheduled for November 2 and December 7. Register early!