Grays are a dead giveaway to your age, even though they look good on a few people. If you’re not one of them, don't hesitate to cover them up. Choose a natural color that’s only a shade or two away from your own actual tresses. If you're seriously graying, you may wish to color eyebrows, too – they may end up giving you away if they're also changing color. Just because you’re not chewing on your hair in algebra class anymore doesn’t mean you can’t have long hair. Sure, it’s a bit harder to fuss with, but your hair is beautiful! Keep it to layers and highlights and you can appear trendy and younger in one go. That is, if you want long hair. You may decide that after years of dealing with it, it's just not worth it anymore. Though long hair can be an indicator of youth, as long as your hair is taken care of, you'll look good. With age comes experience...experiences of smoking, drinking coffee, and teeth turning yellow or gray. Take initiative and get them whitened, either with a kit or at the dentist’s office. They don’t need to be blindingly white, just the natural ivory shade of 10 years ago. There are a number of kits out there you can do at home that range from a few days to a few weeks. Most involve somewhere around 30 minutes a day. And if that’s not enough, there are often whitening toothpastes you can combine with the kits, too. When our hormones change as they do with age, it’s natural for nails to get a bit brittle. Combat this by putting a strengthener on your nails, or using a strengthening colored nail polish. Keep them at a trim yet delicate length, too. Go in for regular manicures and pedicures for an excuse to relax as well. Clear, French, and pastels and lighter, neutral-tinted tones are best. That goes for just about any age if you want to appear sophisticated and professional.

Summary: Color your hair the right color. If you want, grow your hair long. Get your teeth whitened. Pay attention to your nails.


Line up 3 coins along the left side of your music stand. Play the hardest section in the song you're learning. If you play it well, advance a token. Then, play the section again, and advance the second token if you play it well. If you make a mistake, return all of the tokens to the starting position. Continue until all of your tokens have advanced across the music stand or for up to 15 minutes. You can use any small item as a token. For instance, buttons or cookies can also make great tokens. Instead of practicing in the same room for your entire session, play each section in a different room. Start in your typical practice space, such as your bedroom. Then, move to the bathroom, kitchen, living room, and porch. Alternatively, take your practice session outside and pick a few houses to serve as your tour destinations.  If anyone is around, thank them for coming to your concert, then play for them. Even if you make a mistake, they'll likely be delighted and give you applause. If you're nervous, ask someone, like a parent, guardian, or sibling, to go with you. Take a deck of cards or some popsicle sticks and write different gestures on them, such as “stick out your tongue,” “close your eyes,” or “stand on one foot.” Then, put them in a jar. During practice, pull out one card or stick before you play each section. Perform the section while doing the gesture on the card or stick.  For instance, let's say your stick says, “walk in a circle.” While you play the next section, you'd walk around in a circle until it's finished. Other gestures you might write on your cards or sticks include, “shake your bottom,” “close one eye,” “do fish lips,” “sing along,” “wiggle your nose,” or “sway.” Ask a friend or family member to set up 8-10 cups, with 5-6 treats placed under them. After each section, pick a cup to see if you get a treat. Keep practicing until all of your treats are found.  Ideally, it's best to have more cups than sections you plan to practice. That way you don't accidentally find all of the treats before you finish playing. Treats can be candies or small items, depending on what you prefer. For instance, you might keep a big bowl of things you like, such as bite-sized candies, trinkets, costume jewelry, nail polish, hot wheels, makeup samples, bouncy balls, etc.
Summary: Do a token race to help you master harder sections. Go on a “tour” of your home or neighborhood. Use silly cards or sticks to make practice playful. Play “pick a cup” with hidden treats.