Got so much music you’re not quite sure what to do with yourself? Apple knew how that felt and launched the iPod classic in October 2001. Now seven years on and 6 generations later the iPod can not only play great quality music as it did in origin but it can also play videos, allow the user to browse the web, watch movies and tv shows and view digital photographs.

Using Apple’s Safari web browser on the iPod Touch the user can surf the internet using WiFi connections. Since WiFi is becoming so much more widespread these days, having an iPod Touch is like having a mini computer on hand at all times. Connect directly to the Apple iTunes store and download songs to listen to immediately with the headphones included in the package. Alternatively set it down and use the built in speaker to share music, check your emails, update your calendar, watch videos and view personal photographs. They’re available in the shops and online with either 8GB or 16GB memory from around £175.

The iPod Touch is just one of four different models of iPod available, along with the 6th generation iPod Classic in black and silver with either 80GB or 160GB memory.

Last but not least we look to the iPod shuffle, Apple’s smallest portable media player, which is on sale for an equally small price of around £35 to £50. Its 12 hour playback and up to 240 song storage limit (1GB) means you can have all your favourite tracks with you wherever you go. They’re customizable too with sport cases and sleeves to protect them from the rain and docks to allow easy connection to PCs.

Buying an iPod online means you can browse through the specifications of each one at your own pace to get an unbiased view. Read reviews from existing customers, compare prices and take your own time. The best thing about it is that you can get Apple’s answer to portable music delivered right to your door without even having to leave your seat!

We’ve all heard of them. Child prodigies who begin composing music at some ridiculously young age. For instance, history reports that Mozart was writing minuets by the time he was five years old. Amazing. At five years of age, I’m not sure that I knew the difference between my finger and my thumb and I certainly wasn’t composing music.

Now there is no doubt that the fact that Mozart was composing music by the age of five does not prove that any of the rest of us ever could compose music, but a number of studies conducted over the past fifty or so years indicates that most children can begin composing music as long as they are given both guidance and opportunity.

True, in the vast majority of the cases the end product is not going to rival anything that Mozart put out, but just because you (or your child) may not be the best there ever was at composing music doesn’t mean the attempt is not worth the effort. If we follow that reasoning why would a child learn to walk or run when he or she knows he could never walk or run as well as, say, Michael Jordan? Why would they learn to talk if they knew they could never speak as well as Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan?

Similarly, imagine if Mozart’s parents had not given him the opportunity to be exposed to music and then the formal training that gave him the tools to begin composing music. The world would be a poorer place without the input of this musical genius.

In Mozart’s situation, he began formal training on the keyboard at the age of four and within a year he was composing music - though I’m sure that it wasn’t of the caliber of his later works. In the case of the average child, however studies have shown that if given the opportunity and the education (i.e. instruction on an instrument, a little bit of music theory, etc) average children can begin composing music somewhere around the age of nine.

Give your child the opportunity and training he or she needs to begin composing music. In most cases it will develop their mind, round out their education, and give them a creative outlet. Eventually, however, of all the children composing music who might not have otherwise, the next Mozart will spring and if it’s your child, the world will thank you. And if not, at least your child has been exposed to some good music and had his or her mind stretched a bit.

I am extremely thankful that my parents had the good sense to expose me to music by way of piano lessons starting when I was about 7. And even though it didn’t “take” until I was an early teenager, when it did I had the background in music theory and technique to where I could progress rapidly from then on. And while I’m a country mile from Mozart’s class, I do well enough to enjoy my self and make a living in music.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for both children & adults. His book & DVD course entitled “Classical Piano For Adult Beginners!” is used by adults around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled “Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 58,800 current subscribers.

People around the world love to hear a good song and listen to a soprano sing in opera. They are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to attend an opera life. Musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables and many more attract world wide audience who love to pay and listen to the musicals. If you are thinking of a career in singing, it is good to take some voice lessons beforehand. Train up your vocal cords so that they can hit very high notes without getting broken voice or sore throats.

Kristy Lee Cook, American Idol top 6 took voice singing lessons personally. She was able to be in the top 6 critical moment because of the singing lessons that she took from a professional voice trainer. As you know, American Idol is a very popular television series showing week after week of elimination round of the contestants as they are voted off the show. These contestants pit against each other by choosing the best song to sing and to compete for spectators’ votes via sms in order to continue to be in the running to be a winner. From 20 singers, they are down to 10, then to critical 5 and finally only 1 sole winner with the most votes becomes the American Idol Champion.

Kelly Clarkson was the first female American Idol, which was followed by the rest year after year. Because of her success on American Idol, she went on to record her own eponymous album of several hit songs and make colossal amount of money selling her albums. Many ordinary people become instant super stars and singing sensation overnight due to the success of American Idol. To start with, you need to take voice lessons before you can smell any success coming your way at all.