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Muzart launches original music program for kids 18 months - 3 years

mozart4Muzart, a Hollywood-based family enrichment center for music and the arts, has taken the most successful ingredients from 10 years of experience and put them together to create a new “Theme Based Music Class.” The program, designed for children between 18 months and 3 years is intended to co-ordinate with, and reinforce concepts that kids are learning in Muzart’s art classes.


Music Time! will teach participants tonal patterns, rhythm, singing in tune, and class participation by incorporating  instrumental interaction, story time, puppet play and a CD to enjoy outside of class.


The theme for the fall semester of Music Time! is ‘A Day at the Farm’ and the program is offered Thursday and Friday mornings through Dec. 18.


Muzart is located at 1205 S. 21 Ave. just outside the Downtown district of Hollywood. For fees and more information, call 954-924-1133.

Martial arts classes teach self-defense, important life skills to Hollywood kids

Milic1In an attempt to not only teach children important life-saving self-defense skills but also to teach children important life skills, the Milic Sport Club offers martial arts classes in Hollywood.


Founded in 2008, Milic Sport Club aims to provide individuals with extensive knowledge of the martial arts in an environment that promotes personal well-being, growth and development, according to its website.


Sensei Andrej Milic, the instructor who has 16 years of martial arts experience, said the martial arts classes teach children how to deal with bullying (the problem he thinks ranks No. 1 among children), how to escape if attacked by strangers and values like confidence and leadership.


“I think it’s important to get kids empowered,” Milic said. “We teach them how to take control of situations and teach them positive habits. One thing every kid will leave these classes with is discipline.”


In addition to empowerment and discipline, Milic said martial arts offer children great exercise. He said kids have a lot of built-up energy and these classes are a positive way for them to burn that energy off. The classes are limited to 15 children in order to provide more personalized training and are offered all year. And since Milic Sport Club understands that some parents are dealing with economic strain, Milic said they offer low-cost classes and allow first-time participants to try a class for free.


The classes and services Milic Sport Club offer have even gained national attention. Milic said the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations have awarded the club both martial arts and fitness achievements.


“This is a good foundation for kids to start achieving personal success,” Milic said. “The skills they get from these classes are definitely going to impact their lives.”


Classes are offered at Anytime Fitness, 1715 E. Young Circle, on Tuesdays at 3:15 p.m. and Wednesdays at 5:15 p.m.


For more information, visit www.milicsportclub.com or call 786-218-3804.

Donate your car to help Florida Youth Orchestra

The Florida Youth Orchestra - a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality music education for children throughout South Florida regardless of race, religion, ethnic background or financial circumstance – boasts 340 children and has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, receiving standing ovations at both.


In addition, the Orchestra offers an outreach program for at-risk students called Music S.T.E.P.S. The program, which stands for Symphonic Training & Education Program for Students, provides students in second through fifth grades with a free musical instrument, music books and weekly lessons. The Florida Youth Orchestra funds and administers the entire program at no cost to the families or to the school systems.


But the orchestra always needs funding to offer these programs, and it has found a unique organization to help out.


Chariots4Charities is a non-profit organization that collects donated cars and resells them, giving proceeds to local charities. People needing to rid themselves of a vehicle, regardless of whether it’s running, can have Chariots4Charities pick it up. The organization then donates the money made from the sale of the vehicle to the charity of the owner’s choice – with one possible charity being the Florida Youth Orchestra.


Chariots4Charities accepts cars, SUVs, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, campers, boats, small aircrafts, utility and cargo trailers, heavy equipment, farm machinery and golf carts.


For more information on the Florida Youth Orchestra, visit www. FloridaYouthOrchestra.org, and for more information about Chariots4Charities, visit www.chariots4charity.org.

The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood Announces Winners of the Florida BRICK Creation Challenge

legoMore than 13,000 people visited the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood during renowned LEGO® artist Nathan Sawaya’s “Replay” exhibition, drawing the largest attendance in the Center’s 30+ year history.

In conjunction with Sawaya’s exhibition, Florida residents had the opportunity to use their own LEGO® pieces to compete in the Florida BRICK Creation Challenge.

On Sunday, Aug. 15, the Center awarded 12 first-place prizes.

Seven easy ways to make your website more effective

wendy_lieberPeople are always asking me what they can do to make their website more effective. Unfortunately by the time they get to me, they have usually spent thousands of dollars with other firms and ended up with nothing more than a slightly better version of what they already had, leaving them frustrated with very little budget left.


Here are seven easy things you can do to make your website MORE of a revenue generator and LESS of an expense:


1. Install Google Analytics on your site. You can’t manage what you can’t measure. If you can’t answer basic questions like “what is your bounce rate?” or “what is your highest exit page?” then you are missing out on important data. You should look at your analytics weekly just like you look at other key sales and financial data. It’s free.


2. Make sure you have the information and the ability to access your site. Your hosting information, your FTP information, your content management access, etc. I meet so many companies that have no way to update their website because they never got the information and their webmaster is long gone. This can be costly yet easily avoidable.


3. Have a well-crafted offer designed specifically for your audience in exchange for an e-mail or other key information. (Example: a monthly newsletter with great content, weekly promotions/discounts, etc.) Test different offers to see what generates the best response. This is an effective way to build an online database to communicate with frequently.


4. Make it easy for people to contact you. Have a way for people to contact you on every page. A simple form that generates an e-mail and/or phone number is best.


5. Have a clear goal of what action you want people to take on every page. Whether you want to collect e-mail addresses, register online or make a call, each page of your website should have a “Call To Action” front and center. Review your analytics to determine if your visitors are taking the desired actions. If they aren’t, then you will know it isn’t clear or it isn’t compelling, so you can change it. (Refer to No. 3 to make sure you have a compelling offer.)


6. Cut your text in half. Don’t fill every part of the screen with text on the main pages of your site. It won’t get read. If people want to read more, give them a way to click through to access more in-depth copy. And make sure your copy is written from your audience’s perspective and not your own. (Bonus: Use images and video throughout your site.)


7. Be the champion of your website in your organization. If there isn’t at least one champion, then your website will never be a useful part of your marketing and sales strategy. Take it on and start learning by reading articles, blogs and books on website strategy. Be the champion and start to generate exciting results.


Your website is an important reflection of your company, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. There is no greater cost effective, measureable marketing and sales tool that gives immediate gratification than the Internet. So start using it!


For more information, e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or leave a comment on my blog http://wendylieber.wordpress.com/.

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