One of the biggest obstacles I have heard for people interested in participating in #MusEdChat that participating requires a basic knowledge of Twitter. In order to combat that issue, I’m going to use this post to walk you through how to get set up to participate in #MusEdChat quickly and easily. Enjoy!

Step 1: Get on Twitter

MYTH: Twitter is NOT a service to let you tell your friends what you’re eating for breakfast!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… here are the easy steps to setting up a Twitter account so you can participate in #MusEdChat:

1. Go to the Twitter Homepage (http://twitter.com)
2. Click “Sign Up”
3. Enter the requested information-see below for tips on filling this out!
4. Click “Create My Account.” You may be requested to enter some “Captcha” information for anti-SPAM purposes
5. Check your email for the address you entered, and click the confirmation link in the email you receive
6. You’re all set up! Once you’re logged in, go to Settings -> Profile and upload an avatar. While you’re here, you should also fill out your bio.

Tips for your profile information:

• Username: This should be something that can be tied to you (consider including part of your name), and professional in nature. Also, try to keep it short in length – remember, you only get 140 Characters in Twitter, and people talking to or about you will need to include your username as part of their 140 characters!
• Password: Make it safe!
• Email: Use a professional address, similar to one you would use on college applications and resumes.
• Avatar: Your avatar should reflect who you are! It should actually be YOU (your face, that is) and should reflect your personality
• Bio: This is your 160-character “elevator pitch” to potential followers. Tell people who you are, what you talk about, and what you’re interested in.
• Location/Web: Fill them out if you can/want. If you have a website, use it! If not, you can always point to your LinkedIn profile. I would advise against linking to your Facebook profile, unless you don’t mind potential employers seeing your Facebook!

Great. You’re on Twitter! Now what?

Step 2: Learn the Important Concepts

Some important concepts/terms to know about Twitter that will help you navigate the site:

• Tweet: This is a Twitter update. You can send a Tweet by posting in the “What’s Happening?” box on your Twitter homepage, by text message (if you set up Mobile in your settings), or from an external application.
• Follow: Unlike Facebook, following on Twitter does not have to be confirmed by the person being followed. You can follow anyone with a Twitter account, without needing their approval. Tweets from anyone you follow will be displayed in chronological order on your homepage, with the most recent tweets appearing at the top.
• Mention: When you want to refer specifically to or about a Twitter user, you can include a mention in your tweet. To do this, simply put the @ sign before their username. For example:

Happy Birthday to @pisanojm!

You can view all mentions about you by clicking the “@ Username” link in the sidebar of your homepage.

• Reply: This is a specific type of mention in which you are replying to an individual tweet by someone else. You can do this by hovering over the tweet you want to reply to, and clicking the “Reply” link. This will automatically put a Mention of the user into your tweet box, and allow you to type your response. Replies are different from Mentions because when you view a Reply, you have the option to see what tweet it was in response to.
• Retweet: If someone posts a tweet you feel is worth sharing with your followers, you can Retweet it! To do this, hover over the tweet, and click the “Retweet” button. This will display that tweet in the timeline of all your followers, even if they don’t follow the original author of the tweet. You may also see tweets containing “RT @Zweibz7: ” – this is a way that users Retweet a comment while retaining the ability to add their own commentary (usually before the RT label, or after the entire RT’ed text).
• Profile: Your profile is located at http://twitter.com/yourusername. Your profile will only show tweets by you, and RT’s that you have published (through the RT link, with no commentary).
• Direct Messages: These are private one-way messages from one user to another. Nobody else can see these messages. In order to DM someone, they must be following you, although you don’t necessarily have to be following them. You can see your DM’s by clicking the “Direct Messages” link.
• Favorite: If you mark a tweet as a Favorite (hover over the Tweet and click on the star), it will be stored under the “Favorites” tab on the Twitter link. This can be great for Tweets containing links to articles you want to read eventually, or particularly inspiring tweets you want fast access to.
• Hashtag: A hashtag begins with a # sign, and helps categorize a Tweet for searching purposes. For example, many people post content on the #MusEdChat hashtag over the course of the week (including me posting topic poll information, recap links, etc.) – this allows all the users to search for one common phrase (“#MusEdChat”) and gather the information. To include a hashtag in your tweet, simply place the # sign before the tag.

Step 3: Start Following!

The next step to being ready for #MusEdChat is to follow some Music Educators! Dr. Joseph Pisano (@pisanojm on Twitter) has made this process extremely easy by creating a list of Recommended Music Educators to Follow on Twitter. You can automatically view and follow all the great members on this list (53 of them!) by checking out the list’s page on TweepML or by clicking this button:

That was easy, wasn’t it?!

Step 4: Get Ready to Chat

Once you’re set up with an account, understand the lingo, and have begun to build your Twitter network, it’s time to get ready for the chat. The first thing to do is to start searching for the #MusEdChat hashtag ALL the time (not just at 8pm on Mondays!). Enter #MusEdChat in the search bar on the right of your Twitter page, and click the “Save this Search” link to keep a quick link in your sidebar. As you browse, be sure to check the #MusEdChat feed for great links/discussion, and for important updates on the chat!

Each week, I post a poll using TwtPoll where anyone can vote on what topic they would like to discuss in this week’s chat. You can always find the most updated poll by visiting http://musicedmajor.net/musedchat/poll (bookmark this!). Be sure to vote each week for what YOU want to discuss.

So, you’ve got your account and network set up, you’re following #MusEdChat and voting in polls… it’s 7pm on a Monday night, and it’s time to get ready for the chat! How in the world will you keep track of all this information? There are a few services you can use to keep track of the flow of information during the chat, but I will recommend TweetGrid. @pisanojm has also made this process extremely user friendly by creating a TweetGrid template for #MusEdChat. When you open this template, all you need to do is enter your username and password for Twitter underneath the “Tweet” area and enter your username in the rightmost column, and you’re set! The following columns have already been set up for you (you can always modify them to suit your own needs):

1. pisanojm – one of our moderators, this column allows you to see what Dr. Pisano is posting
2. Zweibz7 (that’s me!) – I’m a moderator for the chat, see what I’m saying in this column
3. #MusEdChat – follow this one during the chat to see what everyone is saying!
4. yourname – replace this with your username to keep track of your mentions during the chat

Step 5: Chat Time!

You’re all set, it’s 8pm, and it’s time to chat! Here’s what you can/should do:

• Follow the moderator columns to see what the topic is, and some specific questions for discussion. Post your answers in the “Tweet” area at the top and click “Tweet!” to share your thoughts
• Follow the tweets streaming into the #MusEdChat column, and if you see something you have an opinion on, hover over the tweet and click the “Reply” arrow to respond to that user’s comment
• Follow your mentions column to see who is responding to you
• If you see something worth sharing with everyone else, retweet it!

It’s that simple!

Step 6: After the Chat

After the chat is over (or if you missed the chat), I post a transcript of the chat on the #MusEdChat homepage. Stay tuned in to the #MusEdChat search on Twitter for the link. Also, the wonderful Andrew Ritenour (@andrewritenour) posts prose-based recaps of the chats here at MusicEdMajor.net. If you want to stay updated on these posts and more, consider subscribing to our feed!

I hope this tutorial was helpful in getting you set up on #MusEdChat! If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in comments to this post, and I’ll be sure to address them. Happy chatting!

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Music Education Professional Learning Network Opens to Public

Grove City, PA – July18, 2010  — The Music Education Professional Learning Network (MPLN) opens to the public, at12:00 pm EDT, on July 19, 2010.

The MPLN is a new Website specifically developed for music educators, pre-service music teachers, and teaching musicians of any kind. As its base framework, it incorporates the BuddyPress and WordPress Social Networking (SN) platforms, but also includes integrations with Twitter, FaceBook, and other existing SN platforms. As a SN platform, this site seeks to promote elongated discussions about important topics facing music educators today.

Founded by Dr. Joseph M. Pisano the Associate Chair of Music and Fine Arts at Grove City College, the site’s official Launch Team includes ten of the top Music and Technology Integrators today including: Dr. James Frankel (President of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction and Managing Director of SoundTree), Ms. Amy M. Burns (President of the Technology Institute for Music Educators) and Ms. Marcia Neel (President of Music Education Consultants, Inc.).

“The mission of the MPLN is to generate better, more accessible,  information about music, education, and technology and to use technologies to bring musicians of all types together to benefit by it, discuss it, and collaborate with it for the generation of even better and even more accessible information about music, education, and technology…”

The site requires independent registration, but is dedicated to providing its services for free to all music educators –everywhere.  Find the MPLN at http://musicpln.org.

ENDS
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250 words

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Now what?

For some, the next logical step is graduate school. For others, it’s time to start your teaching career. The great thing about getting a teaching position is that, from now on, you can expect and demand to be paid for your services as a music teacher. But, the real challenge is getting hired.

As a professional music educator for the past 12 years, I have changed teaching positions four times. I was in my first job for six years, then have jumped jobs quite a bit the past six for a variety of reasons. This process of applying and interviewing multiple times has given me a pretty good handle on what it takes to get hired in American public school systems.

Go For The Dream Job, But Have Realistic Expectations

Every music major has an area of emphasis. Take the time to visualize or even write down your ideal dream job. You need to know what that dream job looks like so you’ll recognize it when it comes. The fact is, many other music teachers, both recent graduates and teachers with years of experience, are probably looking for the same job you are. You main objective upon graduating and starting your career should be simple: land a job you can live with.

This certainly doesn’t mean you should “settle,” but you are not going to appear attractive to someone with your dream job if you yourself believe that dream job is beyond your skills as a new teacher. Your first job does not have to be the place where you spend a 30 year career. However, don’t consider accepting a job offer in a school that you can’t see yourself spending at least three years in. In most states, K-12 tenure is attained after year three, and achieving tenure in a state is a big feather in your cap for future employers. You really won’t see the effect that your teaching has on a music program until you’ve worked through at least one graduating class. For example, if you teach middle school band, grades 5 through 8, you will need to see those 5th graders through to 8th grade graduation before you can really call that program “your own.”

If you really want to search for the dream job right out of the gate, you have to be willing to relocate. The desirable music teaching jobs, particularly secondary performing ensemble jobs, will always have a high number of applicants no matter where you are in the country.You will have to carefully weigh the pros and cons of leaving comfortable locations, friends, and family behind to pursue a desirable job. You can always make new social connections in a new place, and with online social networking, it’s easier than ever to stay connected to people you care about.

Applying for Jobs – Leave No Stone Unturned

Consider the following suggestions for finding jobs to apply to:

1. Most states, some regional areas, some counties, and even some school districts have their own online job search portals. Be sure to check out USreap.net to see if your state has a REAP employment website.
2. For states with county-wide school districts, most county districts or I.S.D.’s have their own employment portal for every school in the county.
3. Both Craigslist and Monster.com have regional classified ads for education.
4. Many state board of education associations have regular job postings. For example, here are the listings for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association website.
5. Many state music educators associations have their own job boards, and certainly check the MENC jobs postings. By the way, if you have a music ed degree and you’re not an MENC member, what are you waiting for?
6. Check out online forums for organizations affiliated with your primary teaching area. I actually found my third teaching job by posting “I’m looking for a job” in the forums at Youth Education in the Arts.
7. School districts are required by law, at least in my state, to make a public announcement every time they have an opening, even if the position is filled internally. Many school districts will give as little warning about openings in public advertising as possible if they already have a good applicant pool. Many districts do not advertise job openings at all except for the “employment” page on their district website. If you have a specific school district you are gunning for, be sure you check out their website and talk to people who are on the inside. The first place to find out about openings from a specific school district is the rumor mill.
8. Many retail music stores have a list of local openings. Typically, they have a traveling sales representative who visits all of the schools in a geographic area. Those road reps are great sources for all kinds of insider information on the districts they serve.

Credentials, Credentials, Credentials

Here are some suggestions for sprucing up your application package:

1. Some districts prefer to get your entire application electronically. The previously mentioned USreap.net system delivers your entire application to any school district in the system. Others will give you a specific email address to send items to. Still others want it mailed to them in paper. As the old song goes, “Find out what they like, and how they like it, and give it to them just that way.”
2. Be sure that you have current copies of any clearances in your possession – child abuse clearance, criminal record check, FBI clearance, etc. Make copies of the originals and include them with your initial application. This shows that you are organized.
3. Make sure that your references and reference letters are people who really know you personally and can go to bat for you. The more recent their contact with you, or the longer-term their work has been with you, the better they are as a reference. The more references you can provide that directly interacted with you in a music teaching (or any teaching capacity) the better.
4. Make sure that your resume is clean, easy to read, and is full of action words. If you have not done a lot of teaching outside of your bachelor’s program, incorporate any employment you have had that demonstrates your professionalism. Be sure to include awards you have won and student leadership positions you have held in ensembles.
5. Your cover letter is one of the most important parts of your packet. This is where you need to customize the message for each school you submit to – do NOT write one cover letter and then send copies of the same letter to all of the employers. Your cover letter needs to address the specific position that is open in the school district and how you are uniquely qualified to fill that position. This is your chance to tell the employers something about yourself that is not apparent in your resume, as well as express your individual personality and philosophy with respect to the opening they have. I do not recommend that you use your cover letter to “tell them what you think they want to hear,” but certainly use it to highlight abilities you have that match the job opening.

The Interview

When you do finally get an interview, be thankful for the opportunity – it means that the district is considering you as a possible match for their needs. Keep in mind that districts are looking to add a full-time employee, complete with a significant salary and benefits – it is a big investment on their part. They are also adding someone to their extended work family. No matter what kind of “inside track” you may have with this district (you’ve subbed there, you know the principal, etc.), you really have no idea of what qualities the interviewing panel is looking for, so don’t try to “tell them what you think they want to hear.” It is much better for all parties involved if you are straightforward and honest with them about who you are, what you value, and what you want out of this relationship. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. If you get mixed signals from them or have any kind of intuitive “red flags” like a knot in the pit of your stomach when they mention something, consider finding a different district to work for. Yes, you need a job, but again if you can’t picture spending at least three years of your life working with these people, you will be much happier somewhere else.

Some tips for the interview:

1. Be on time, dress to kill. Plan travel time with at least a 30 minute cushion for unexpected delays.
2. Make sure you have a contact number in case you get lost.
3. Shake hands, make eye contact as much as possible. Sit with good posture, but not too rigidly.
4. Be prepared to answer questions on your teaching style, how you handle classroom discipline, what kind of music you program, how you accommodate special learners, etc.
5. If you don’t have an immediate answer to a question they ask, relax, take a deep breath, and if nothing comes, say so.
6. Be prepared for an interview panel containing anywhere between 2 and 10 people. Some districts will have the parent booster group president sit in on interviews.
7. Come prepared with at least one question to ask the panel, as they usually give you an opportunity to do so at the end. If something comes up for you as a “red flag” in what they say during the interview, dump your prepared question and ask about that.
8. Confident but not cocky is a good approach.
9. Most districts are looking for tech-savvy people. If you use technology, be sure to bring it up if possible.
10. Afterwards, send an email thanking them for the opportunity and looking forward to speaking with them again.

And here’s a great power tip: If you don’t get hired after giving an interview, call them back and ask who was hired and which school district they are coming from. Not all schools will give out that information, but if they do, you have another school to apply to. Chances are that the district the other person is leaving hasn’t posted their opening yet.

Above all, getting hired by a district has more to do with your own preparation and attitude than anything else. If you go in with a “please hire me, I’m desperate” attitude, this will come across in your presentation. If you consider yourself to be a valuable addition to a teaching faculty and expect to be hired by a deserving district, you will find yourself in a teaching position. Above all, DON’T GIVE UP! I got one of my teaching jobs in the third week of August and had two weeks to put a marching band show on the field! Best of luck to you on your job search, and be sure to join us as a professional in the Music Educators Professional Learning Network.

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Check Out the Live-Blog Here

SoundTree Sponsorship

Thanks to the wonderful support of SoundTree, the MusicEdMajor.net live-blogging team will have 24/7 internet access with a wireless broadband card. This will allow us to much more easily update you from inside the conference rooms, where wireless internet will not otherwise be available. With internet access inside the conference rooms, we look forward to providing you with the most up-to-date information and media from Music Education Week as it happens! A very special thanks to Jim Frankel, Managing Director of SoundTree (find him on twitter at @jimfrankel) for  his support of our live-blogging endeavors.

The First Ever Live-Blog Team

For the first time in MusicEdMajor.net’s history, we are live-blogging an event with a team of people, instead of one individual. For Music Ed Week, we have a fantastic group of four pre-service music teachers working together to bring you up-to-the-minute news and information from this event. Let’s meet them:

• Andy Zweibel (that’s me!) is the founder and editor-in-chief of MusicEdMajor.net and has been live-blogging conferences around the country for a year. He will be blogging from the Collegiate MENC Leadership Academy next week, and working specifically on video and audio content.
• Andrew Ritenour is the co-editor of MusicEdMajor.net and started live-blogging at the PMEA conference this past spring. He will also be attending the Collegiate MENC Leadership Academy, and will be providing updates from the DCI event on Saturday evening, as well.
• Justine Dolorfino is new to live-blogging, but not to MusicEdMajor.net. A recent guest poster here and a pre-service teacher at Teacher’s College, Justine will be providing updates from the Collegiate MENC Leadership Academy and the Jazz Academy, as well as hunting down interviews over the course of the event.
• Brigid Moran makes her live-blogging and Twitter debut at this event. She is also a pre-service teacher studying at Teacher’s College, and will be providing us updates from the Collegiate MENC Leadership Academy and the Choral Academy later in the week. Brigid is also new to Twitter, and we hope to encourage her to join our wonderful network of music educators as a result of this process.

What to Watch For

• Text-We’ll be updating our live-blog with comments and thoughts from many of the sessions that will be taking place at the event. Keep an eye out on the live-blog homepage for these updates
• Tweets-Our live-blog will be automatically pulling in Tweets from the official @MENC Twitter account, as well as from the official HashTag for this event: #MEW2010. Want to see your tweet in the stream? Just tag it!
• Audio-We were able to do this a bit last year, but look out this year for more audio clips from the event. We’ll specifically try to bring you a few interviews, and maybe even some audio recordings of sessions!
• Video-For the first time, our live-blog team will have video recording capabilities! Look for some video interviews and other fun video clips as the event progresses

Where to Watch

You can keep up with all the action at the Music Ed Week 2010 Landing Page, where the live-blog is located. The event will officially begin Friday, June 25, at 9:00AM EDT. If you want a reminder email in the time leading up to the event’s start, enter your email address  in the interface. From there, feel free to read, comment, and share any thoughts you may have regarding the live-blog!

Is there a particular session you would like to see live-blogged? Leave a comment here and we’ll do everything we can to get to it!

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This session, entitled Band Instrument Repairs You Can Do, was given by band director, Robert Woodbridge. His goal for this session was to show educators, especially band directors, how to do simple repairs on an instrument, as well as recommended a few things to watch out for to prevent the need for small repairs.

General Repairs

Mr. Woodbridge began the session by stating that knowing how to do these basic repairs will not only save your department money, but will also prevent taking the instrument out of the student’s hands for an extended period of time.  He started by giving a couple of pointers to consider in general when dealing with simple instrument repairs. The first was to always work over a towel, because it will catch small parts that might be lost otherwise. He stated that in order to shine brass, you can apply Windex and wipe it off (like washing a window). This tends to make the brass really shiny. He also suggested to never do repairs in front of students. If the students see their teacher repairing their instrument, they may try it  and cause serious damage. Mr. Woodbridge then approached the simple repairs one family at a time, starting with brass.

Brass Repairs

Trombones

The main problem with brass instruments is dirt that builds up on them. One of the dirtiest of the brass instruments is trombones. Dirt often builds up in the slide and causes slow response. To avoid this, Mr. Woodbridge suggested to clean the slide regularly. To clean the inside of the slide, he recommended to get cheesecloth and wrap it around a rod. Then work the rod into the slide of the trombone to collect dirt that is built up in it. Then to clean the outside of the slide, he suggested using a small amount of Brasso, and then wiping it off. He also said that some professionals suggest using a bit of pledge on the slide to make it move easily.

Stuck Slides

Another common problem on brass instruments is a stuck tuning slide. I think most of us have experienced using a school-issued instrument where the slide hasn’t been moved for 20 years. Mr. Woodbridge stated that the method that works most of the time for these slides is penetrating oil. Just apply penetrating oil to the place where the slide should be moving and wait. He was also sure to state that penetrating oil takes a while (we’re talking multiple hours.) On larger slides, if the penetrating oil doesn’t work, Mr. Woodbridge suggested using a roll of electrical tape and a hammer. Simply place the roll of electrical tape in the curve of the slide, and tap the roll of electrical tape until the slide begins to move. Once again, the biggest culprit of stuck slides is dirt on the slides. The easiest (and safest) way to remove dirt from the slides is to use some dish soap and a washcloth. If some corrosion is still left, a Scotch Brite 3M pad works well. It is important to remember that this has the potential to damage the slide and should be used gently. NEVER USE A SCOTCH PAD ON VALVES OR ON A TROMBONE SLIDE! This could cause scratches  and damage the overall sound of the instrument.

Stuck Valves

Stuck valves are also a large problem. If it is just the valve cap, then penetrating oil and a rubber gripper (like the kinds found in grocery stores used to open jar lids) usually do the trick. If the valve itself is stuck in the valve casing, it is a bit more complicated. The example that Mr. Woodbridge showed was a trumpet. He suggested to remove the bottom valve cap of the stuck valve. After you do this, take one of the other valves and push it into the casing of the stuck valve. Gently push until the other valve comes out.

Rotary Valves

Horn rotors are a completely different story as they involve strings. As any horn player knows, these strings become untied (usually right before a concert.) Mr. Woodbridge suggested having a needle threader and 50 lb fishing line in your repair kit. If a string happens to come loose he recommended just using the other valves as a guide to restring. If you are in an emergency and have no string, you can use 50 lb fishing line as a temporary fix.

Mouthpieces and Water Keys

Stuck mouthpieces also prove to be a problem. Mr. Woodbridge’s advice on this matter was simple; invest in the Bobcat Mouthpiece Puller. This device will attach to any size mouthpiece and gently pull it out without damage to the instrument. If the cork in a water key happens to fall out, air will leak out of the valve and it will be harder for the student to get a good sound out of the instrument. Replacing one of these is fairly simple. Just clean the residue out of the cork holder, apply some Elmer’s Glue, and press the cork back in. Mr. Woodbridge also said to be sure that you adjust the cork and water key so that no air leaks out when it is closed.

Woodwind Repairs

Mr. Woodbridge then went on to explain some simple repairs that can be made on woodwind instruments. He began with a warning: Never attempt repairs on piccolos or bassoons. He stated that Bassoons are just too complicated and piccolos have too many tiny parts that are easily lost. Some general problems to check for on woodwinds were then covered. The first was to check all of the screws. They should be tight, but not too tight.

Flute

Mr. Woodbridge covered some key things to look for on the flute. He first stated to make sure that springs are in place or sticking out and adjust them accordingly. Bent keys are also a problem. If a key is bent so that it is causing a problem, it is soft enough to be gently bent back into place. Mr. Woodbridge then warned that the head cork (the closed end of the flute) should never come out or be adjusted. Adjusting this can completely throw the flute out of tune.

Clarinet

He then went on to explain quick fixes for clarinets. Pads can cause a major problem with clarinets. To test to see if one of the pads are leaking, Mr. Woodbridge suggested plugging one end of the body shut while blowing in the other. If you hear air escaping, there is a leak in one of the keys. After identifying which key it is, you can do a quick fix by wrapping a small piece of paper around the cork to make the seal more snug.

Saxophones

Mr. Woodbridge briefly touched upon a key problem with saxophones. He stated that the octave key is often the problem here. If the student cannot play in the lower register, then you can gently adjust the octave key with your thumbs until it is in the correct position.

Robert Woodbridge’s pointers and suggestions are quite valuable. Having the ability to make minor repairs on instruments has the potential to save your department a significant amount of money, and keeps an instrument in the student’s hands, instead sending it out to get repaired. It is important to remember though that if something is wrong with the instrument and it isn’t a simple fix, it would be wise to send it out to someone who knows instrument repair.

You can see the complete list of notes on this session (and many others) on the PMEA 2010 Cover it Live feed hosted on Thomas J. West’s website.

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This is a re-post of an article I wrote on my personal website a while ago. In light of some recent discussions I’ve had, I felt it had merit here. Stay tuned for a few other posts from the andyzweibel.com archives in the coming weeks!

I just recently was talking to a close friend, who is a graduate student in the Frost School of Music at UM, pursuing a DMA in Instrumental Conducting. She is also a graduate assistant with the marching band, and a TA for the Frost Symphonic Winds and Wind Ensemble. As a future band director, she recently went to the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) convention in Austin, Texas. She came back with a new found inspiration, and attributed it to the experiences she had at CBDNA, which made me think abut my experiences after returning from conferences. I’ve realized that what my friend is experiencing is similar to what we all tend to experience after an event such as CBDNA-something I have come to call “the conference effect.”

On the most basic level, “the conference effect” is the sense of inspiration and excitement for the profession that many people (in this case music educators) tend to feel after spending a day/weekend/week immersing themselves in what they love at a conference. I know the feeling myself, and I know that many of the music educators reading this know it as well. When you return from a conference, you feel revitalized-almost like a new person, and ready to take on whatever challenges may approach you. In my case as a student, conferences are the times when I find myself wishing I could actually be out in the field, teaching, right away. However you react specifically, this heightened level of inspiration motivates us all to be our best in the days and weeks following the conference.

It is important, though, to keep in mind the effect that timing has on this inspiration. I have only ever been to three different music education conferences: the Midwest clinic in Chicago in mid-December, the FMEA conference in Tampa in early-January, and MENC’s Music Education Week in June. Midwest, while extremely enjoyable, comes just at the end of the semester and the beginning of the holidays, so when the conference is over, I tend to find myself extremely inspired, but with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs for the rest of December. Music Ed Week, while also enjoyable, runs into the same problem, as it takes place during the summer holiday. FMEA, on the other hand, occurs just before the spring semester begins, and I find myself beginning each spring semester with a renewed excitement for what I am doing, in part because of the lasting effects of this inspiration I get from the conference. This has been even more obvious the past two Januaries, when I had the opportunity to spend the week in between FMEA and the beginning of classes working with a high school band in LaBelle, FL at a school where a close friend (and recent UM alum) teaches. By the time the conference was over and my week of working in a real-life situation was through, I was prepared to do whatever it took to get myself teaching right away.

I’m sure any person who has been to a conference in their field has had experiences like mine, where they have felt a renewed excitement for their profession in the days and weeks following the conference. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it’s likely that we are more productive in this period than we are in any other, as a result of this excitement. So the real question is-how do we artificially create this “conference effect,” and the productivity that comes with it, when there is not a conference to inspire us? If we can somehow trigger this motivation without actually going to a conference, we can increase the caliber of the work we do throughout the entire year, instead of just for a few select weeks after conferences.

Let’s examine what types of activities take place at these conferences. For music education, specifically, we can narrow it into three main activities: learning, networking, and concert-going. Generally, any music education conference will include each of these three aspects. Attendees go to sessions where they learn about a specific subject, they speak to other professionals in their field and network with them, and they attend concerts put on by performing ensembles over the course of the conference.

So, how can we recreate each of these in our daily lives to artificially create the “concert effect”?

1. Learning-Now that the Internet has improved the way we share information, there have been tons of blogs set up in which educators share their thoughts and ideas on the field. By subscribing to these blogs and reading the new entries, we can stay informed and continue to learn even when we’re not at a conference. For a great place to start looking for music education blogs to subscribe to, check out the 100 ME Bloggers, organized by Dr. Joseph Pisano.
2. Networking-Networking can be difficult when you’re the only music teacher in your school, but the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and Social Networking tools have changed that. Dr. Pisano has a great list of music educators to follow on Twitter, and if you’re interested in more discussion, consider participating in our weekly #MusEdChat on Monday nights!
3. Attending Concerts-There’s really not a great techie-answer to this one, but my only suggestion is: go see concerts! Whether it’s a school band in your area, the local community band, or the symphony orchestra in your closest city, continue to expose yourself to music performances, and listen to them critically!

Hopefully these tips will help everyone be able to re-create “the conference effect” in their every day lives. Do you have an experience with this effect? Do you have a great story from a conference you’ve been to? Thoughts on my ideas? Leave a comment!

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The preparations for Music Ed Week 2010 (June 24-29, 2010) have begun in earnest over the past few weeks. MENC recently announced that housing and registration for the conference is open, and on Tuesday, they sent information out regarding a new academy for this year’s event, the “Collegiate Leadership Academy.” This academy is geared specifically towards collegiate members of MENC, and has sessions geared specifically towards future music educators. The (tentative) list of sessions includes:

• “Hero Training: How to Harness Your Super Powers” with Milt Allen, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
• “Policy and Practice: What Does this Mean and Why Should I Care?” with Lynn Brinckmeyer, Texas State University, San Marcos
• “Nine Liberating Habits of Change” with Scott Shuler (president, MENC), Connecticut Department of Education, Hartford
• “Using Technology to Keep Sane” with Jim Frankel, SoundTree, Melville, NY
• “Can I Do This for Thirty Years?” with Jack Elgin, Oscar Smith High School, Chesapeake, VA

Additionally, registration for Music Ed Week grants you admission to many other fantastic concerts and advocacy events over the course of the week. The other academies that are being offered this year are:

• Choral
• General Music K-12 Technology (keynote by Amy Burns)
• Instrumental, “IN-Ovations” (Teaching techniques and opportunities for teachers of non-traditional curricula)
• Jazz
• Marching Music (registration includes ticket to DCI Show)
• NACWPI (National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors)
• New Teachers

Attendance at this conference last year was a very enjoyable experience for me, and one that I would strongly suggest you try to gain. If at all possible, try to find a way to get to Washington, D.C. between June 24 and 29 for this wonderful event! Hopefully, I will also be “live-blogging” the event this year, just as I did last year! Stay tuned for more information regarding this.

Are you already going to Music Ed Week? Let me know in a comment, and we can try to find a time to meet up!

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Twitter Stream – The Updates

• Morning, everyone! This morning I’ll be live-tweeting a presentation on #musictech from our weekly #umiami Music Ed forum! Stay tuned!
• Today’s #musictech presentation: Radio Cremata-”Maximizing Your Student’s Musical Potential: Strategies for Teaching Music With Technology”
• Radio Cremata just started his presentation off right-saying he’s hoping for a ‘Canes win tomorrow!
• “Music is Evolving, but Music Education tends to be behind the Evolution of Music”
• Reason: Electronic Music Creation Program -Allows students without musical training to create music
• Technology Program:”Reason” helps teach how a Mixing Board works (visual mixing board, front and back, on the screen).. way cool!
• This guy can beat-box, too! He’s an a-capella aficionado
• Cremata is showing an example of how he teaches students to create drum patterns, when they have no musical experience!
• “My goal is to make them un-afraid, so they can love music”
• In “Reason,” you can look at the back of the mixing board, and drag/drop cables on your screen to re-wire!
• The class that Cremata uses “Reason” in is entitled “Sound Engineering”
• Cremata moves on to a demo of “Music Ace Maestro” to teach students with no experience how to read music!
• EarMaster Pro – Ear Training software
• Uh oh! We’re getting tested… the last level of the “Extended Harmony” lesson in EarMaster Pro!
• Another software demo: eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method
• Jazz Piano MasterClass with Miles Black helps teach Jazz Piano… not very interesting interface, but it teaches well!
• Cremata gives every child he teaches in his classroom high-back leather chairs, so they “feel special” and are more motivated
• Programs that Cremata calls “creative software”- GarageBand, Logic, Reason, ACID Pro
• Cremata is modeling how he teaches the blues using ACID Pro
• “Music is supposed to be FUN!”
• Cremata has a project to remix the #umiami fight song in ACID Pro! WAY cool!
• “Our goal is to maximize students’ opportunities to grow” – Radio Cremata
• GREAT presentation from Radio Cremata on using Music Technology to enrich students’ music education! Thanks for coming, Radio!

The Software

The following is a list of software programs that Cremata mentioned during his presentation, with links to the websites of the programs.

• Reason – Music sequencing, sound engineering, digital mixing board
• Music Ace Maestro – Teaching basics of music
• EarMaster Pro – Ear training/aural skills, basic to very advanced
• eMedia Piano & Keyboard Method – Computerized piano/keyboard method book
• Jazz Piano MasterClass with Miles Black – Jazz piano method
• ACID Pro – Music sequencing, recording software (Free Version – ACID Xpress)

Quotes

Quotes from Mr. Cremata’s presentation:

• Music is Evolving, but Music Education tends to be behind the Evolution of Music
• My goal is to make them un-afraid, so they can love music
• Music is supposed to be FUN!
• Our goal is to maximize students’ opportunities to grow

The Study

As part of his doctoral work, Mr. Cremata is doing case studies on collegiate music students and their experiences with music technology instruction. If you are interested in participating in this study, which will take no more than 15-20 minutes of your time, please email him at rcremata@yahoo.com. Any offers to participate would be greatly appreciated, I’m sure.

What do you think of some of the things Mr. Cremata is doing in his classroom? Do you have other ideas for integrating technology into the music classroom? Share them below in the comments, so we can continue to advocate for music technology!

Front Page Image – Flickr Photo

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Anyway, on to the list! I will continue my numbering from the previous post, so first up is number 6…

6. Perform Your Instrument!

Summer is a great time to be able to perform your instrument in a much lower-stress environment than your typical college-level performing ensembles. There are two great examples of this. Brian Liporto (find him on Twitter at @bliporto) points out that playing in a community band is a great way to stay active and keep your chops in shape. Also, playing in community bands is a fantastic opportunity to experience new repertoire. Another summertime option is playing for musicals. Many local theater guilds and companies perform musicals in the summer, and Music Education students make great additions to the pit orchestra for these shows. The theater company gets a solid player who has been actively playing for a while, and you get the chance to keep your chops up, learn a bit about what it’s like conducting for musicals (if that is something you are interested in), and just have fun!

7. Improve a Specific Skill Through Practice

If you, like many Music Education majors, don’t have as much time to practice during the school year as you wish you did, summer can be a great time to focus on your performance skills. Specifically, summer is a perfect opportunity to choose a specific skill to improve upon. For example, if you are a clarinet player, you may want to focus your summer practice on improving finger speed. As a trumpet player, I am trying to focus my efforts in the practice room this summer on a weak aspect of my playing: endurance. Whatever you choose to focus on, don’t short-change the rest of the aspects of your instrument! Without maintenance, you may come back and have the best range in the studio, but if your tone quality and lip flexibility have been neglected, you will not have done yourself a favor in the end.

8. Learn and Collaborate Online

With the advent of Web 2.0, there is a wealth of information available on the internet related to the field of Music Education. While tip #3 in this series referred to networking using Social Media, the internet also provides an opportunity for learning and collaboration through blogging. If you have ideas to share, start your own blog! If you’re more interested in reading other people’s ideas, check out Dr. J. Pisano’s list of 100 Music Education Bloggers for some great reading material. If you’re in the middle, consider trying to contribute to an already existing blog as a guest poster (shameless plug-MusicEdMajor.net is looking for contributors!). However you spin it, blogs are a great way to learn more and focus your ideas and thoughts regarding specific topics.

9. Get a Job in the Field

What better way to stay active in music over the summer than to make it your job? Summer jobs are a part of life for most college students, but instead of flipping burgers or selling shirts, why not sort music or teach camp sessions? There are usually plenty of jobs to do around your School of Music, and while it might not be extremely exciting (I’m filing music for the instrumental music librarian all summer), there may also be opportunities to teach at camps available. As Matt pointed out in the comments to the original post, working at a summer music camp can be a great way to get experience in a diverse set of tasks, from administration to individual, small, and large group instruction. You may even have a chance to work on becoming proficient at a secondary instrument! Whatever you end up doing, it can benefit you in multiple ways: not only are you getting experience in music, but chances are you’re getting paid too!

More Ideas?

Do you have other ideas for staying active over the summer? What do you do to keep your chops and mind in shape? Join our conversation by leaving a comment below! Also, if you haven’t already, check out the first part of this post, 5 Low-Stress Ways to Stay Musically Active Over the Summer!

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Why go to graduate school?

Teachers are expected to be constantly learning and growing.  While professional development and workshops are wonderful ways to add to knowledge, graduate school is a concentrated path of study in one topic.  Also, in many states, obtaining a graduate degree will increase the salary of a teacher.  Lastly, if career goals include teaching college later on down the road, this may require some form of graduate degree.

What are the differences between graduate and undergraduate study?

What I have noticed as a graduate student is that my professors have higher expectations of us graduate students than they have of undergraduate students.  They obviously expect maturity.  I remember the first few days of graduate school I would just try to crack jokes and stuff, and everyone would just look at me strangely.  Professors expect us students to have a certain amount of knowledge coming in, since usually the graduate program is the next level of what we studied as an undergraduate. Instead of telling me to read something or to work certain problems, I am expected to do those things myself.  Also I am expected to be able to do research on my own.

What I have also noticed is that professors are more understanding of what is going on in graduate students’ lives.  Graduate students come from all backgrounds and walks of life.  They can bring unique experiences but also have different life situations to work around.

Should I go straight out of college, or should I wait awhile?

I have known colleagues that have done both.  There is no definite answer, but I think it really depends on your needs and your attitude toward education.  Personally, I decided to go teach for a while before even thinking about a graduate degree.  Graduating from college was a stressful time– I had just gotten married and I was broke!  No way could I afford graduate school!

Also, going to work really helps one realize what he/she wants to get out of graduate school.  Teaching for four years helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses as a musician and a teacher, so when I could finally start school I knew what to work toward. I also had experience that I could share with my classmates and professors that I may not have had straight out of college.

Some of you may be ready to begin graduate school right after earning your Bachelor’s degree.  There are some definite positives to this.  It can be harder to go back to school after having a job for awhile, and even harder if you have a family, bills and other obligations.  If you are still young without any of these obligations, and you are ready for it, it may be worth looking into graduate school.  Also, the knowledge you obtained in your undergraduate program is still fresh on your mind.

Should I look into an online program or on-site program?

Again, this is up to the needs and attitude of the student.  There has been a rising trend with entire degree programs being offered online.  Even some on-site programs offer online classes.  Online programs are great for people who are working and going to school at the same time.  For the most part one can do classwork at any time it is convenient.  Depending on the school, sometimes tuition is less with an online program.  Currently the only three schools I have found that offer a program online are Boston University, East Carolina University, and University of Southern Mississippi.

There are many different on-site programs.  Your average program is full-time for two years.  There are some summer programs, especially for teachers, that are even more convenient.  I am in a program at Appalachian State University that takes four summers to complete.  The classes meet for six weeks every summer.

Making the decision to go to graduate school is not one to be made lightly.  Hopefully the above comments will be helpful in helping you decide.

What about you?

Are you a graduate student (or do you have a graduate degree)? What considerations did you take before getting a graduate degree? Are you an undergraduate student with additional questions about grad school? The conversation does not have to stop here! Please leave your thoughts in a comment and this topic can be discussed further!

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