Nomad With Glassware: 2 Summer Wrongs

This is quite an enjoyable and well written post. I think we'd agree there has been a Mrs. Rust and Mrs. Bell in all of our lives.

Nomad With Glassware: 2 Summer Wrongs: "Of all the things I've forgotten from elementary school, like basic math and how to avoid girl bullies, I've never forgotten music education."

If You Build It...

There is an old marketing adage that says 'If your idea is great, people will find you'. Thanks go out to Seth Godin for that one. We have always believed the internet could be a terrific vehicle to deliver music education. Hopefully the fruits of this labor are paying off as more and more people learn about the product and services we can provide at MusickEd.com....but I digress.
















Our resident composer/arranger Mike Finkel has an encyclopedic-like knowledge of musical artists, band members and genres. He pulls from all areas of his own personal I-pod of a brain and creates amazing orchestrations. I know because he works right across the hall in office 210... (that's Mike on the left and yours truly on the right).

I asked Mike to give our readers a sneak peek at some of his latest work for the Jazz Series. He says this little beauty is 'drum 'n bass' influenced in a British dance style. Discerning ears may notice a little Weather Report flavored funk as well. We hope you enjoy the track and we welcome your comments. And by the way, feel free to test Mike's music trivia knowledge anytime!

CLICK HERE FOR THE JAZZ SERIES SAMPLE

Embrace the Process, Beware the Shortcut

I have visited many music education related blogs over the past few weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the opinions of my colleagues across the country and the world. We are an amazing group of thoughtful and intelligent professionals! Among the plethora of sites I visited however, there were a number that make fantastic and sometimes outlandish claims:

Cut 'your learning time in half' boasts one, offering 'tons of shortcuts' that evidently have never before been revealed. Another site has this bold and amazing statement; 'YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MUSIC' and after just 30 minutes you'll be playing 'DOZENS OF SONGS WITHOUT STRUGGLING, WITHOUT BORING EXERCISES AND YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE TO READ MUSIC'!

Now I am all about entrepreneurship, especially in our profession - believe me, but I am just as passionate about promoting quality music education throughout our communities. So rather than name names, I thought I'd cast this sobering thought out to the blogosphere; embrace the process, beware the shortcut. Remember, this goes for both the learner and the teacher.

I hope that teachers with passion will encourage learners to embrace the process of discovering musical concepts and manage the challenges that come with applying those concepts to any instrument. And I hope that music enthusiasts choose to embrace their amazing journey with excitement, optimism and realistic expectations.

Christopher Small, a very wise music philosopher once said that 'music should be viewed as an act instead of a thing'. He called the act musicking and claimed it to be valid at every level. Rather than searching for shortcuts, let's all remember that the connections formed around the act of hearing, learning and making music are what really matters.

So to teachers and students alike I say, choose your materials wisely and enjoy the process!