A First Look at the Happy Planner - Teacher Edition

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I’m a bit of a planner geek. Last year, I used the Private Music Teacher Planner & Agenda by Full Voice. You can find out my first impressions of it here:

It is a wonderful planner. Very well thought out.

It’s just that since a good chunk of my operations is managed online via My Music Staff (affiliate link) and my main bullet journal/planner, it was too much planner for what I need. I probably used only half of the layouts.

This year, I am trying the Teacher Edition of The Happy Planner. What attracted me to it is its simplicity and flexibility. I give my first impressions and take you on a flip through in today’s video:

Fellow teachers, what is your favourite planner for lessons? Analog or digital? Pre-made or custom-made? Share them in the Comments below.

Student Article Review: Liveabout's Beginner's Guide to Music History

My student M is back with another review:

Student Review of A Beginner’s Guide to Music History

The website is called A Beginner’s Guide to Music History, written by Espie Estrella. She is a lyricist, songwriter, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

The article included a paragraph of The origin of history and music and the different music time periods. I liked how simple it was to read and how easy it was to understand, even though there were a couple of advanced terms.

I also liked how they didn't use 3-4 paragraphs to explain the time periods. There wasn't anything I specifically did not like, just some improvements I think should be made, like adding a bit more information.

It was pretty easy to navigate and find what you wanted because the article is pretty short and it was arranged where the older periods are at the top and modern ones at the bottom. Another website I came across also used time periods, and they were in the same order. I would rate it a 5/5 for how easy it was to read, but a 4.5/5 overall.

Teacher’s First Impressions of A Beginner’s Guide to Music History

The article does give a good general overview of music history. There are just a couple of points that stuck out, that I should address.

Regarding the Baroque era, that is actually my first time reading that translation for “barocco". In music history class, we were taught that it meant “rough pearl.” Also, the modern double bass did not exist in the Baroque Period. Its predecessors, the violione and viol da gamba did.

It would have been beneficial for music students for hotlinks to be added for some of the terms, such as “cantus firmus”, “Ondes-Martnot” “monophonic” and “serialism”.

Student Website Review: CMUSE

My student M is back again with a website review of CMUSE’s History of Website page:

CMUSE: Brief History of Music Student Review

The name of the website is called Brief History of Music: An Introduction. The website is It is written by Dr. Justin Wildridge. He is a media composer and multi-instrumentalist based in the South-West of England where he works from his own studio.

The article includes some of how music started, the history of music, and a very descriptive introduction to all the important music time periods.

I liked how much information is included, and how it included a lot of information in a very short amount of words. It is a pretty great introduction to all the time periods and the basics of music history.

I didn't really like some of the words included in the article, because they are pretty complicated, and I needed to search them up.

I'd say that it is pretty easy to navigate in the article unless you only want to learn about a specific time period. It was organized in order from the older times periods to more modern time periods, so it makes sense. This one would be one of the pretty descriptive and informative types based on the websites I looked at, and it included everything other websites had and even more. I would rate it a solid 4.9 out of 5 because it did a great job of informing me, it's just that some of the language was confusing.

About CMUSE

CMUSE is a music and entertainment website which includes articles written by various industry contributors. The articles fall under the following categories:

• Classical

• Jazz

• Rock & Pop

• Music Tech

• Lists & Quizzes

• Inspirational

• Music Promotions

• Musician Interviews

• Feature articles

They cover a diverse range of music-related topics and makes for fun an educational exploration.

Please note that CMUSE is a participant of the Amazon Associates Program, meaning that they share affiliate links on their site.

Adventures in Migraine Prophylaxis

I think it was around 2018* that I started to suffer from migraines, or at least, they started to become an issue. Although at the time, I complained to my doctor about “really bad weather-related sinus headaches.”

Since the headaches start when the barometric pressure rises, my doctor didn’t jump right away to call it a migraine. Since hypertension runs in my family, I was diagnosed with that and started taking blood pressure medication.

Fast forward to 2019. My GP wasn’t available so I wound up with another doctor at the clinic. I complained that the weather-related headaches were getting worse and he recommended that I start keeping a headache log. He was my attending doctor for the next few visits, so I gave him updates while he gave me suggestions. He urged me to continue logging my triggers and remedies.

It was really just this year that we started looking at my headaches as migraines. One glance at the Timeline of a Migraine Attack (Source: American Migraine Foundation) confirmed that I have been suffering from something beyond a mere sinus headache:

Source: American Migraine Foundation

I do have my own nicknames for my most common symptoms, such as “Thinking is Hard,” “Words Hard", “Icepick Head,” “Super Senses,” “Sinus Head,” “Foggy Brain,” “Super Slow Mode,” etc.

Here is a good talk about migraines featuring Dr. Michael Teixido, a neurotologist from Delaware and Vice President of the Association of Migraine Disorders. He describes how the brain and body react to a migraine trigger, understanding your pattern, and learning to manage your triggers:

March was my breakthrough month. I started to chart my symptoms in relation to the barometric pressure changes:

Barometric Pressure Tracker

March 2021 was a barometrically exciting month. My fellow migraineurs and I went from one migraine straight into the next.

I Cracked My Migraine Code

Thanks to this, I can predict when I am likely to be pro-dromal, need a Migraine Nap, need my migraine hat and when I should just stop being productive.

I learned that I’m in Group 1 - those who suffer before the weather changes (e.g. chinook, thunderstorm). Most people I know belong to Group 2 - those who suffer when the change hits (Source: CBC: Migraines and asthma flare-ups may be due to weather changes, says doctor).

But knowing the pattern wasn’t enough. I wanted to be able to predict when I might have a migraine so that I could schedule my heavy thinking tasks when I wasn’t in the middle of “Completely Useless Mode.” I vlogged about working with the barometric pressure forecast:

Around this time, I stumbled upon migraine hats. I wound up buying three different kinds: the Icekap, Tolaccea Migraine & Headache Hat and FOMI Gel Ice Hat. Check out my unboxing and review videos below:

They all provide cold therapy and compression therapy - two things migraineurs crave during the neurological roller coaster of pain and weirdness known as a migraine.

Thanks to understanding my pattern and the weather forecast, with planning I can usually get through migraine attacks armed with my migraine hats, and mitigating my symptoms and triggers within my control. I can generally predict when I might need a Migraine Nap and/or Tylenol.

But still, that wasn’t enough. I wanted to learn how to decrease the severity and frequency of my migraine attacks. However, I wanted to do this without taking prescription medication, botox, e-TNS or surgery.

Enter my “gauntlet of migraine management” - vitamins and supplements. Migraineurs tend to be low on Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Magnesium, CoQ10, Vitamin D, and Melatonin. Click here for the recommended dosages.

I added the vitamins one at a time, so I can share how each improved my situation:

• Vitamin D: Increasing my dosage through vitamins and sunshine just meant that my immune system got a huge boost.

• Magnesium: Decreased the severity of the headache symptoms within one to two weeks of adding it.

• Melatonin: Better sleep.

• CoQ10: Decreased the severity of the “brain fog” symptoms.

• Vitamin B2: Decreased the frequency and severity to the point I am barely affected by the weather changes when my fellow Group 1 friends are riding the roller coaster of pain.

Although there are migraine multivitamins out on the market, I prefer to take the vitamins individually. That way, if I eat more foods rich in Magnesium and Melatonin, I don’t need to take as much in pill form that day. Don’t bother trying to eat the required CoQ10 intake for migraineurs It’s just not feasible to eat 51 pounds of salmon a day.

It’s a work in progress. I have since discovered I have additional migraine triggers, which are manageable if I am vigilant. Although I’m doing much better these days, I still need to make sure I don’t overwhelm my sensitive little brain by letting the triggers pile up. Been there, done that. Don’t care to repeat.

If you would like to learn more about how barometric pressure affects your health or about managing your migraines, check out these links:

• Feel It? 4 Ways Barometric Pressure Affects Your Health

• Migraine Canada (check out the “Resources” page)

• American Migraine Foundation: Understanding Migraine Progression Can Help You Anticipate & Manage Your Symptoms

• Vitamins and Supplements for Migraine

• The Best Time to Take Vitamins

Do you suffer from migraines or other weather-related chronic conditions? Share any tips, tricks or comments below.

*December 8, 2021 note: It must have been longer than 2018 as I recall that Maestro would guard me whenever I was lying down on the floor with a severe bout, and he passed away in 2016.

Our 2021 Video Game Playlist

Last time, I shared my students and my favourite tabletop games in response to a request from a colleague for game recommendations. You can read that list here. This post is dedicated to some of the video games my students or I are currently playing (or recently completed).

My Video Game List

Human Fall Flat: This game hooked me with the trailer. It’s a cheeky platformer where you solve puzzles as you explore the world. Play with a friend (or more) for even more fun. The tutorials are cheeky yet helpful and it’s wonderful that there are multiple ways to solve a puzzle. Here’s a bit of my early gameplay with my brother, which showcases this perfectly:

It Takes Two: I just started this game last weekend. This is a co-operative platformer in which you and a friend play a couple on the verge of divorcing. Their daughter wishes for her parents to become friends again, which puts their souls into two of her dolls. They must complete several challenges, repairing their fractured relationship in the process, in hopes of returning to their bodies. The game mechanics and the variety of the puzzles are amazing. Unfortunately, parts of it triggered a migraine, so this is on hold for now.

The Dig: This game was a huge nostalgia trip for me. I was filled with a sense of déjà vu while playing it. I am fairly certain that I played the original version back in the 1990s. You play the commander of a team sent to plant explosives into an asteroid to steer it off of its crash course towards earth. Thing is, the asteroid is really a spaceship, which transports the team to a distant planet. Explore the deserted planet, unravel the technology as you attempt to find a way back home. Here’s a bit of my gameplay about a third of the way in:

Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise: I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure story puzzle game. You play Agent A, a secret agent tasked with infiltrating Ruby La Rouge’s secret hideaway to stop her nefarious plans.

Shing!: This was a fun, button-mashing beat up baddies game with quirky characters and an interesting story. The battle mechanics were a bit different from say, Samurai Warriors but once I got the hang of it, very ingenious.

Honourable Mentions: Katamari Damacy Reroll, Pixel Junk Monsters Ultimate, Cat Quest II, Pikuniku, Rogue Glitch

Video Games That My Students are Playing

Animal Crossing: You play a human who lives in a village with humanlike animals. Explore the world, go fishing, bug catching, and fossil hunting. 

Minecraft: Players can explore the block-filled world, mine for resources to create all sorts of things. Or go on battle mobs and much, much more. Play by yourself, friends or others in the Minecraft community. Some of my students enjoy creating their own worlds in Minecraft, while others go on massive PvP (Player vs. Player) battle mobs. There are so many new additions to the Minecraft franchise to keep players coming back, year after year.

Among Us: This is an online, multiplayer murder mystery. You and your friends are part of the crew on a spaceship. While you’re working through your task list, one or more alien imposters are skulking around, killing the crew. After each death, the crew meets in the cafeteria to try solving the murder mystery before the impostors take out the entire crew.

Roblox: Roblox is another online gaming platform geared towards students. There are numerous user-created games for players to explore, from adventure games to battle games, and from puzzlers to platformers, and everything else in between.

Super Mario: This is perhaps the first platformer game that most gamers try. Since then, numerous other games have cropped up, expanding the Super Mario World. Catchy music.

Call of Duty Black Ops - an extremely popular first person shooter game. This is part of the Call of Duty franchise.

Genshin Impact: This is an online action role-playing game. Explore the world, go on quests, level up your skills and weapons - the long way (by gaining battle/quest experience) and/or the faster way (paying real money for upgrades).

Honorable Mentions: Paper Mario: Origami King, Bloons TD6, Call of Duty, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Just Dance, Nancy Drew: Warnings at Waverley Academy, Grand Theft Auto 5 , Pkmin 3

That’s it for now, from the Studio. What are some of your favourite video games? Drop them down in the comments below.