2009

The new year is upon us with all of its hope and promise. We have set a robust deadline of May 23rd to complete the new MusickEd.com Kore Series. The interface is slicker, the content more sharply designed, the inner workings and production of the software all streamlined and much improved.

So now we embark on the task of migrating data into the new format as well as creating, editing and producing the 'support' information that resides outside of the software. This includes writing and editing support text and producing videos for 39 instruments (times 20 lessons that have 9 songs each).

The new format will make future MusickEd software such as the Jazz Series, Polka Series (just kidding) or Childrens Series much simpler to produce as the framework remains the same from series to series.

Kudos to the 'big cheese' for the vision and tenacity to put this framework in place!

Rock on...

Another Year...

Since DSM and MusickEd operate outside of academia, our year follows a traditional business year more closely than an academic one. There are however some similarities between DSM and traditional schools or 'band programs'. For example, at this time of year we are preparing our students for Holiday Showcases and we will have a well deserved two weeks off for winter break.

As we look back at 2008 we ask ourselves 'What have we learned?'

At this time last year we were putting in extra hours to complete the Discovery Series software. We had set a 'deadline' and by the close of business December 19, 2007 we were hell bent on finishing the impossible task of packaging 20 'units' times 45 instruments for the online store. This meant hours of 'encryption' and 'building' each of the roughly 900 products. Once complete, these needed to be transferred to our server and uploaded to be made available to the public. We celebrated completion at the 11th hour with a great dinner at one of our favorite places called Sweet Basil. I'm sure the waiters wondered what 4 bleary-eyed guys were doing starting dinner at 10:30 PM with a hearty round of drinks! Nonetheless, we were thrilled to 'be done'.

It didn't take long to realize however that we indeed weren't 'done' and that we had a fantastic opportunity to re-do the software to make things even better. So when we returned in January we set out to not only redesign the look, feel and navigation of the software but also streamline the process of creating future products (i.e. The Jazz Series, The Children's Series, The Band Series, etc.). The work of reorganizing the infrastructure of our product from creation of content to production, editing, and even storage remains underway.

There are also changes being made in the structure at DSM. For over 15 years the core founding members have searched high and low for talented staff to 'come aboard' and be part of our amazing team. We offered many people positions and a chance to pitch in and make themselves a career. We never made a distinction between part time and full time faculty or Partners and Associates as far as the pricing structure for our students. But over the years we have come to realize that there is a difference. Our students and families see it and the entire staff sees it. Now the 'tenured' (to use an academic term) faculty tuition reflects that change.

This is a bittersweet development because as you know (if you are an avid reader of this blog), we have had high expectations for the entire profession of private music education. Our vision in part is to pave the way for successful models of DSM to pop up all over the country. This would give teachers (and future teachers) a viable, healthy option for employment outside of academia and allow local community music programs to benefit from professional education. Although that goal will not be reached in the time frame that we had hoped...we forge ahead!

Still in all, DSM remains a vibrant, healthy jewel serving an avid community of music enthusiasts and parents who want the best for their children. And MusickEd's time is coming! We are indeed thankful for a great year and look forward to a fantastic 2009!!

Happy Holidays to one and all.

Welcome to the December 2008 Music Education Carnival of Blogs

At Discover, Learn, Play we are very excited and honored to be hosting this edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival! We hope you'll take a moment to get to know us, read some of our posts, leave a comment and drop by now and again to stay in touch.

Submissions for this December Carnival began finding my mailbox bright and early on Monday morning, November 3. We had no sooner started changing the clocks to Daylight Savings time when the first 'ding' arrived from 'One Family's Blog' offering a 'Comparative Review' of Yamaha digital pianos. And I thought I was prolific! This blog covers so many topics that it had my head swimming. The final post came in just under the gun mere moments ago. Posts, authors and home pages are listed below in order of their arrival.

PS check out the music education blogger time-line compiled by Joel at So You Want to Teach? - it's very cool and you just might see your blog and name in print!

Special thanks to Dr. Joe Pisano at MusTech.Net for all of his hard work and for this opportunity. Please be sure to 'actively participate' in this global conversation, comment on posts that you find interesting and above all, tell your friends about the Carnival. Enjoy!

1. Yamaha Digital Pianos - A Comparative Review by One Family's Blog

2. Music Teachers: Free printable sheet music by Crystal H. Site For Music Teachers

3. Get Into Rhythm: 50 Open Courseware Collections for Musicians by Alisa Miller MatchACollege

4. Learning to Play Better Guitar by Jeffery Hansen Ultra Guitar Method

5.Things I've Learned by Alexandra Gallant The Misadventures of a First Year Music Teacher

6. Promoting Your New School Blog by Theresa White Education in Music

7. 20 Questions to ask Yourself When Practising by Mike Seville How To Practise

8. Mozart Makes You Human by Nancy Flanagan Teacher in a Strange Land

9. A Partial Timeline of Music Education Blogging by Joel So You Want to Teach?

10. Cross Sticking on Snare Drum by Cary Stewart Third Stream Music Education

11. The Process of Learning a Musical Instrument by Thomas J. West Music Education Practice Tips

12. MuseScore , A Free Open-Source Music Composition and Notation Program by Joe Pisano MusicTechnology.Net

That concludes this edition. Be sure to submit your blog article to the next edition of music education blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. Thanks for visiting!

Last Call for the Blog Carnival!

Please be sure to get your posts submitted for the next Carnival - we will be publishing as scheduled on Monday, December 1st. I will be making last minute edits up until that very morning so you still have time!

Thanks!

4 Must Haves for Every Music Teacher

1. Computer

OK, it sounds ridiculous. But as we all know, music educators are not the first or most likely group to adopt 'new' technology. I know some teachers who still prefer to wind their metronomes. And how many of us teach out of the same old tired method books that we learned from when we were kids?

The offices of DSM are furnished with state of the art systems from Dell and have been ever since its inception in 1992. It was always part of the grand plan to expose faculty (and students) to the best tools available for both teaching and learning.

Of course, we were building MusickEd.com all along the way so having computers, the internet and related software came with the territory. We also developed something called an II Doc (Individual Instruction Documentation) that is completed by each teacher during every session and is e-mailed to the student or parent afterward. This documentation becomes a terrific history of every students' progress and a reference for other teachers who may step in or sub on given notice. The idea is so powerful that it is being incorporated into the Support Center of our MusickEd software.

Computers allow us to stay connected with students, parents and the outside world. If you are a teacher, get yourself a computer and use it to better your craft. Keep it connected to the internet and close to where you teach. You won't regret it!


2. YouTube

This is a fantastic resource for recorded music - both with and without video. Spend a few minutes searching and you'll become addicted. Once you become a little discerning, you can quickly cipher the good from the bad and find great examples of music covering all genres. I've used YouTube as a play-along tool, to show great performances by great artists and to show examples of what NOT to do (and there's plenty of that to choose from, believe me).

Every teacher (especially private teachers) should access YouTube in their studios and spend some time getting their favorite videos saved for future reference. You and your students will love it.

3. Digital Keyboard

In the offices at DSM and MusickEd, we have a combination of upright and digital pianos depending on the taste and need for each educator. I totally love my Yamaha 625 and use it often during my sessions... regardless of the instrument I'm teaching. It has an amazing number of sounds, grooves and even recording capability. know I have only scratched the surface of this fantastic machine. Many of my younger students seem to have this innate ability to find all sorts of fun sound combinations and rhythms very quickly. It sure beats the wind up metronome my teacher used.



4. MusickEd.com Software

Yeah, I know, it sounds like a plug. But my passion for this software goes way beyond the fact that I have had a hand in its development. I know what is happening behind the scenes and I can tell you that there is a team of amazing educators and innovators who are working to make this product all that it can be. The software is comprehensive in its approach, presenting concepts in sequential order and giving learners (and teachers) a variety of ways to address and absorb musical information. Teachers who once may have felt uncomfortable working with students at certain levels of ability (low or high) now have a quick and easy way to evaluate and assimilate them into a solid curriculum.

In the few years that we have been using MusickEd material here at DSM, our students have found the learning process is fun and easy to follow. Younger students enjoy the interactivity and older students appreciate the no nonsense approach (it's not a shortcut or magic potion!).

In 2009 we will be announcing some major partnerships and releasing a new navigation and look for the current software. We are also excited about the release of our Jazz Series later next year. Keep an eye out in this space for sneak peeks and breaking news!