Why Choir?

I encourage all of you to read the following post from Byron Davis who teaches high school chorus at West High School in Knoxville, TN. He is a thoughtful music educator who has written an impressive post as he wrestles with 'justifying' his program to the school board this fall. We can certainly use a lot more music educators like him!

Byron's Post is called; Why Choir? (Part I)

Response to an AAJ Post

This post is in response to an article on the AAJ (All About Jazz) website. It seems that MENC (Music Educators National Conference) is coming to the rescue of Jazz Educators since the demise of the IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education). OK, enough with the initials already; on with the post.

It strikes me as a somewhat sad state of affairs that jazz educators need to be 'served' and the profession needs to be 'promoted'.

I might even argue that the profession of jazz educating doesn't exist in a traditional sense of the word. After all, what are the options for a jazz educator upon graduation from college? Either work in a traditional school system where one has few if any colleagues or opt to abandon education and/or music altogether.

The goal 'to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all' is a lofty one. Perhaps MENC should contribute to a fund that goes toward teaching jazz educators business and entrepreneurial skills so they can band together and open schools in communities around the country.

Turning our attention to the health of the profession is a great idea. We should be as passionate about music educating as we are about music education. If the benefits of teaching music were as apparent as other professions, we wouldn't need to be promoted or served.

Music Education vs Playing Songs

I read an interesting post this morning by Jonathan Segel (enter Chris Berman to say Jonathan 'Livingston' Segel!). Jon was lamenting the fact that 'certainly in the past 15-20 years the market of guitar based music has changed massively and the quality of playing has declined in proportion to its popularity percentage. '

He wonders what might be the cause... 'U.S. schools?', the 'Market iconification of rock music'?

I think we can look at teaching for both the cause and the cure. Very few US schools even offer guitar as an option. And it seems that many private guitar 'teachers' have been neglecting basic musical concepts in favor of TAB and shredding techniques. Now we have tons of Gen X-ers, Gen Nex-ers and Guitar Hero aficionados who know 6 seconds of 4 songs but absolutely nothing about music.

Why not teach musical concepts on guitar just as we do on woodwind or brass instruments? I think too many 'teachers' assume wrongly that students will lose interest or think it's 'uncool' if they are not playing the intro to Stairway to Heaven in a few weeks (showing may age here).

Teaching traditional note reading, rhythms, intervals, scales and chords etc. will go a long way toward correcting this trend. It will also make for more well rounded musicians, music enthusiasts and music consumers. It's up to teachers to find the correct balance with each student and to provide music education, not song playing, as their core curriculum.

This is what we do at DSM and it's why MusickEd.com software is designed to be a concept based curriculum - regardless of the instrument.

Kudos to Jonathan Segel for recognizing this slippery-slope trend in guitar education. When more musicians and educators become as enlightened, we'll all be better off!

The Case for Educational Support

Can your book do this?

Has this ever happened to you? You head to your local print music shop and ask the guy behind the counter for a good book of songs or exercises for your instrument. He doesn’t actually play, but he steers you to the appropriate section and makes a few suggestions for you to thumb through. You recognize a familiar melody and a couple of exercises that look ‘playable’. You’re thinking ‘Page 15 has a scale I need to learn – can I buy just this page?’ You finally make your choice, purchase the entire book and head home. You get your instrument ready to play and then…the questions begin.

I already know some of this stuff; do I need to start from the beginning?

Am I playing this note right?

How is this rhythm supposed to sound?

Can I contact the publisher for help?

These are some of the questions we’ve tried to address by adding several levels of support to the MusickEd software. The Support Center is easily accessible via our product. Finally, you can get the answers and help you need in an instant. We know that your book can’t do this!

Instrument Support

MusickEd Instrument Support is where you’ll go to watch videos and listen to MusickEd faculty discuss important insight to playing your instrument. A variety of topics are explored and new videos are continually being added. So when you’re having that ‘Am I playing this note right?’ moment, you’ll be able to access the help you need instantly, 24 hours a day.

Unit Support

MusickEd Unit Support includes text and videos that discuss important insight to learning the concepts presented in each Lesson. This is the place you’ll go to make sure you’re staying on the right track through each step of the learning process.

Custom Support

This area includes several sections: The Music Knowledge Base has support references created by our faculty who have answered questions and posted answers for our members. This section is updated often as new answers are posted immediately. The Glossary is an amazing reference for any musician. Each term is defined simply and many include cross references that lead to wonderful new bits of information. We highly recommend you peruse this area as part of your musical journey. The Troubleshooter allows you to view questions and answers that are sorted by instrument and topic. For example; click on ‘Woodwinds – Clarinet – Technique’ and view 7 Q and A’s covering topics like practice time, articulations, and breathing.

Tech Support

This area actually contains 3 sections to help you find answers to any of your software snags: The Tech Knowledge Base contains common questions and answers that help you download, install and use our software correctly. It also addresses basic functional issues like uploading midi files to your iPod or optimally adjusting your browser settings for our software. You may also Chat with a live technician to help find your solution or submit an E-Ticket for a timely and professional response via e-mail.

Stop the Madness!

Why are music educators so emphatic about giving away their services? I just learned of a free music school in the Chicago area. How wonderful it must be for those students and their families who are fortunate enough to get a slot for free lessons! However, are programs like this good for the health of our industry, music education as a whole? Are the musicians/music educators in that area so well off that they can afford to work for little or no fees?

The Peoples Music School recently constructed a new building that cost over $1 million dollars. Evidently the have no problem paying construction workers up there in the windy city. I read a long list of supporters, foundations and 'individuals like you' - you that is, unless you are a music teacher. In that case you need to donate your time and talent because that's all you can afford to give. Does anyone else think this sounds whacky?

There's no doubt that free music lessons are wonderful for those students, families and communities on the receiving end. But let's take a good hard look at the health of our industry as a whole before giving away the farm. If music teachers were compensated on a par with other disciplines, maybe more of these schools would be popping up around the country.