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Other Notes —

Free Concert
Mr. Al Fix (tenor saxophone) and Ms. Vivian Juneau (clarinet) will be performing with the Northeast Minneapolis Community Band in concert at Northeast Middle School at 7pm on March 31. This will be a movie-themed concert, with selections from Mission: Impossible, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Shaft, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars, among others. There is no admission fee.

A DVD Recommendation by Mr. Fix
The Karate Kid is out on DVD!! Not just a single disc, but the entire four-disc set. The first one is still the best, and considered one of the best martial art movies ever made. Karate Kid II is OK, with some nice location scenery (ostensibly on Okinawa). I cannot recommend the third one (with an obviously out-of-shape Ralph Macchio, and disrespecting everything the character learned up to that point). I have not seen the fourth one yet (The Next Karate Kid), although that stars the current “Million Dollar Baby” Oscar winner, Hilary Swank. The Karate Kid was an important influence in my early TKD training — I’d only been training for about a year when this movie came out. Great story, well-directed and photographed, etc. I know that this movie influenced a lot of people to join Taekwondo at the time it came out in 1984 (even if it was a different martial art).

Web Sites
Here’s a local web site to search for or post about free stuff. Looks like a lot of pianos are available, and some old computer stuff as well. www.twincitiesfreemarket.org

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Five Important Tips to Help You Prepare For Your Next Rank Testing —

By Joseph Galea (PPS)

Testing day is not only an opportunity to be evaluated, but is also a day of performance. Your instructor’s goal is to determine whether or not you have mastered sufficient material during your current rank to advance to the next level. Your goal should be to show your instructors, your parents, your family and friends that you are growing and gaining skill from your martial arts training. Many people look at testing as “game day” where you put into action all that you have been working hard to learn.

In order to put on a great performance at your next testing, we’ve assembled a list of the top five tips to help you prepare for the big day:

1.	Preparation is the key to good performance. Make sure that you practice your testing material daily for at least 15 to 30 minutes each day.
2.	Eat a healthy dinner the night before, and eat a light meal –two to four hours before your testing time.
3.	Get at least eight hours of sleep the night before the test.
4.	Leave any unrelated stresses and challenges at the door when you arrive at the test.
5.	Invite as many family members and friends as you can to support your performance and boost your attitude.

By following these tips, you are sure not only to meet your own personal goals for your next testing, but also to please your instructors. Before you know it, your performance at each and every testing will blow away everyone who is watching you!

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Welcome to Kid's Korner... Tongue Twister Here’s a challenging phrase — say it out loud. If you mess up, give yourself 10 pushups! A skunk sat on a stump. The stump thunk the skunk stunk, and the skunk thunk the stump stunk. The stumped skunk thumped the stump.

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