PicoBlog

Online piano courses offer convenience, accessibility, and sometimes, a way more engaging learning process than those old-fashioned piano books. One of the most popular online programs, especially for kids, is Hoffman Academy. With its charming videos, focus on play, and emphasis on musical fundamentals, Hoffman Academy has caught the attention of parents. But before you sign up, is it the right choice for you or your child? In this review, we'll break down everything Hoffman Academy offers, its pros and cons, and who'll benefit the most from its unique approach.

I may have mentioned this one or a hundred times, but Ethel Smyth’s second opera Der Waldhas just got its world premiere recording. Not only is this exciting if you’re interested in Smyth, but it’s exciting if you’re interested in classical music generally. Der Wald (‘The Forest’) was a historically significant work, and this recording allows us to hear it for the first time. It was the first opera by a woman staged at both the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Covent Garden in London.

Much can be said about Pep Guardiola. If his outfit had successfully pulled off a late swoop of Declan Rice, I’d have a few more things to add. For now, I’ll be more obsequious, and say this: Pep Guardiola notices things. As a small, terrible example, I remember stumbling upon an anecdote from a Bristol City assistant after a Carabao Cup tie. Pep invited their coaching staff to join him for a post-match meeting, showering them with his usual Peppy compliments.

Andrea and I wanted to take some time to exclusively talk about our upcoming shared universe of horror, The Bone Orchard Mythos. We cannot be more excited to share this new world with you all. It’s the name of our line of horror Original Graphic Novels. It will act as both a Series, and Limited Series that will be released (one or two books a year) starting by 2022 and onwards, all set in the same brand-new universe.

N.B. This is part of my ongoing series explaining the different types of cryptic clue. For the first in the series, go here. Skip to the end (or go here) for a quick cryptic puzzle! I’m working on a collection of wonderfully useless and unlikely words for next week, but in the meantime I want to return (briefly) to the subject of cryptic puzzles. I spent two days in the south of England last month in a cryptic-setting masterclass with one of my favorite setters from The Guardian, and the experience has made me want to recommit to sharing the joys of the cryptic with other wordy people, so I hope you’ll indulge me this week.

I’ve been fielding a lot of direct messages about Mazzy’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah (it’s tomorrow!!!), so I thought I’d answer some of the most frequently asked questions. But first I have to point out that the questions are kind of hilarious in their breadth. I’ve got a lot of Jewish followers who have been to way more Bar and Bat Mitzvahs than I have, and then I’ve got a fair share of followers who grew up in places where their only relationship to Judaism was Monica and Ross Geller, and are asking questions like, “What’s a Bat Mitzvah?

Sources close to the Evil Geniuses organisation have revealed that their management have turned down a number of proposed buyouts for members of their Valorant squad. These buyouts come at a time when the players, who are being pressured internally to accept a paycut, have resigned themselves to leaving the organisation ahead of the January roster lock for the Valorant circuit. It was first reported on September 12th that the Evil Geniuses players were involved in a dispute with their organisation.

by Lee Williams Former Punta Gorda, Florida Police Officer Lee Coel aimed his Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver at 73-year-old retired librarian Mary Knowlton and pulled the trigger four times. What were supposed to be blanks, weren’t. Coel had loaded wadcutters into his personal weapon. He could not tell the difference between blanks and live rounds. Two rounds struck Knowlton — one hit her elbow and the other perforated her aorta.

Hi! I’m Meg Conley. I write about the intersection of capitalism, culture and care work at Pocket Observatory. Select essays are republished to Substack. If you'd like to receive my official (FREE) newsletter, subscribe here + I'll take care of the rest! By Meg Conley · Over 14,000 subscribersmaybe next time“Meg has this incredible ability to translate her own learning/processing/research about the intersection of race/class/gender and the home into some jaw-dropping, make-you-mad-for-not-having-written-it prose.