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Singer Cheryl Cole will team up with Snow Patrol to help raise funds for a children’s charity. The latest Cheryl Cole video has already caused controversy with its racy setting.

The Girls Aloud star will perform the band’s hit ‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar’ for a special Children in Need charity gig.

“People have raised an eyebrow now and again when we’ve mentioned we’re doing it with Cheryl Cole but I think it’s going to be a really interesting experience,” the Mirror quoted frontman Gary Lightbody as saying.

“She said ‘What song do you want to do?’ and we said that, and she went away and listened to it. I think she’d only heard a couple of our singles.

“She got back straight away and said ‘yeah, I’m up for it.’ Hats off to her,” he added.

Simon Cowell encouraged Cheryl Cole to vote against Lucie Jones on Sunday night’s X Factor, a report has suggested.

According to sources quoted in The Mirror, the music mogul was keen to see the Welsh singer eliminated rather than twins John & Edward, but did not want to face the embarrassment of backing the brothers himself.

An insider said: “It seems Simon may have tried to get Cheryl to vote for the twins so he could save Lucie and then it could have gone to deadlock without him, or the show, losing any credibility.

“But Cheryl knows her own mind and didn’t want to take the fall for him. She thought Lucie deserved to stay.”

Jones was sent home in the latest results episode after Cowell failed to support her following her sing-off against John & Edward. As the judges’ verdict had reached deadlock, the earlier viewer poll, which saw Lucie pick up the fewest votes, determined the 18-year-old’s fate.

The newspaper has also claimed that Cowell is worried that he has “damaged his own reputation” by making the controversial choice.

MTV has celebrated its 28th year with a tribute to the King of Pop. The music channel aired three all-new tribute shows about Michael Jackson Saturday.

The first show, “Michael Jackson’s Human Nature,” showcased 30 minutes of candid stories from Michael’s friends and colleagues about him as a human being, rather than the music icon. Micheal Jackson thriller has become the biggest selling album ever released.

Next was 90 minutes of music video collections from many of today’s artists who have been influenced by the superstar in “Michael Jackson’s Influence on Music,” including Justin Timberlake and Usher.

MTV also featured an encore of “America’s Best Dance Crew - Michael Jackson’s Thriller” at 3 p.m. Dance crews choreographed their own moves to Michael’s songs from his “Thriller” album.

Michael Jackson died June 25 after suffering from a suspected cardiac arrest. His official cause of death has not yet been determined.

Ever since his sudden death in June, there have been a lot of questions asked and a lot of speculation, surrounding the actual cause of his tragic and untimely death.

And now according to skynews.com, a British newspaper has published photos, which are said to be of the room that Michael died in. The paper also claims that the pictures show the bed in which the doctor reportedly tried to revive the King of Pop.

The recent reports to be published, state that the Los Angeles County Coroner Lieutenant Fred Corral, has confirmed that Michael’s bedroom was where he died. This is yet another story to leave the Michael’s fans outraged.

Minnesota is a great place for music. There are many people here who love music and are passionate about it. As a result there is a culture for music that is harbored and nourished. If you are one of them who wish to add a magical touch of music in their lives, then you can go ahead and enroll in a music school to take music lessons. The resources available for learning music in this place are just too good to be mentioned. You just need to take some initiatives to take advantage of the music schools and the high quality trainers available.

Are you confused as to what music you would learn? You love all forms of music and don’t really understand what form attracts you the most, right? No worries. The music schools in Minnesota allow you to go for a counseling before you start taking music lessons. The experienced and veteran trainers delve deep into your interests and guide you with the right kind of music that suits you the most. With this you can avoid wasting a lot of time, money and energy on something which you don’t really like much. Once you get the right form that is your calling there is no doubt that you excel in that and draw pleasure.

While taking music lessons in the schools in Minnesota you will have to decide whether it is the vocal music or the instrumental ones that actually interests you more. Each form has their respective beauty. Once you have taken classes for a considerable amount of time you can participate in stage shows and concerts to exhibit your signing or music prowess. So, give your best and learn music with a heart so that it spreads its charm to reach your soul and life.

Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer number of choices becomes a burden. Should I play this note? What chord next? Where do I go from here? All valid questions newbies (and oldbies) at improvisation sometimes ask themselves.

The number one reason people have problems creating in the moment is that they won’t let up on themselves and just play. They knew how to do it once as children but now that memory is gone and with it, a void has taken its place.

Fortunately, there is a solution. It’s really a two-pronged solution because once we do learn how to ease up and just play, we are left with another problem and that is, what game are we playing.

The game of improvisation is a game like any other. We have a few rules, some guidelines, and then the game is played. You see, we must have some kind of structure to play the game of improvisation. Why? Because without it there would be way too many choices and this would prevent most people from even beginning.

Here’s a perfect example. In Lesson 5, “Winter Scene,” we have 2 chords, a scale, and a way to play these chords. With these choices out of the way, we can now focus on and enjoy the act of improvisation. We can play around with the music and feel good about our play.

Some think working within a set of limitations is uncreative. I thought so too once until I realized that until I learned how to do this by following the examples of others, I couldn’t be free to create my own set of limitations.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!