Where Mr. Sewall Got His Yelling Trick . . .

From a choir conductor in a New York City public school. See how these kids sing and move.  And what they sing is Classical: the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. This guy from New York is good. See how he strikes his first crystal clear chord on the piano, then turns to the choir for their first phrase -  "So sentimental," which he has gone over with them a hundred times, you may be sure  . . .

All this is to show the importance of practice (in music or sport) and revision (in writing.)  Practice that leads to improvement requires focus and effort.  Practice that leads to great improvement, especially in groups, usually has substantial elements of satisfaction and fun. These kids are all singing from the gut: just look at their body language. That's why we start Egl102 the way we do: writing from the gut. Finding our voices. Once you have found your voice, you are in touch with parts of yourself - interests, concerns, ideas - that you will learn about, develop and express in your Explaining, Problem Solving and Arguing essays.