How to Write a Musical Review

I write musical reviews for Associated Content and Yahoo! Here is an example of how to write a 400 word musical review for online or print publications.

"Croatian virtuoso pianist Maksim Mrvica plays classical cross-over and is himself a world class act. Since performing his first concerto at age 11, nothing, not even war, has prevented Maksim from creating beautiful music. Mrvica gives heart-stopping performances, made all the more memorable and poignant by the fact that this young man learned his art while his nation waged an epic war." Read more...

Writer Vulnerability

I feel very vulnerable posting my poems online. I'm like an actor feeling stage fright. What if my little verse does a belly flop? What if it's not enjoyed? What if it's not even read? So it was with great joy (and humbled appreciation) that I noted that two of my most recent pieces have been viewed 50 times...each! Thank you, readers, whoever you are. I know that if I'm going to survive this world of publishing, particularly in the tenuous area of poetry, I'm going to have to grow some thicker skin. But until then, (if I ever even do) the knowledge that people are reading was a real pick-me-up for this thin-skinned gal. Be well. Do good work. Love, mar

Free Printable Poetry Lesson--'Green' Nature Poems with Science Connections

April is National Poetry Month. April 22 is Earth Day, too. In spring, our lesson plans usually turn to life science, new life, plant life, seasons and other such activities. In many classrooms, from preschool to kindergarten and up through 8th grade, lessons are focused on the sun, clouds, rain, precipitation, the water cycle, budding trees, plants and flowers, insects and baby animals. Here's a green project. You can easily combine a unit on poetry reading and writing with your spring life science lessons.  Free Printable Poetry Lesson: Green Nature Poems