First off, I know it’s been a while since there’s been new content up on MusicEdMajor.net, but unfortunately the school year is taking over. I’ll try to update more frequently once things get underway, but just know I haven’t forgotten about it!
In the meantime, however, I was inspired to start a new project that should hopefully be more beneficial and enjoyable all-around. The project is based around Twitter, and is called #MusEdChat.
Background
I have been on Twitter since August of 2008, and in the past year and a half, it has helped me make connections with hundreds of fantastic individuals based upon our common hobbies (read more about my thoughts on Twitter here). Recently, I have started following more educators (not just music teachers, but “normal” classroom teachers as well), and have noticed a fantastic project that has been underway for a while now. The project, called #EdChat, gathers all interested educators, parents, students, and others together for a concentrated discussion on a specific topic in education. There is a different topic each week, and the roughly 2-hour long discussion is moderated by a few of the founders (namely @web20classroom). All participants need to do is tweet using the hashtag #EdChat, and follow the discussion around that tag. Transcripts and additional discussions are posted on the EdChat Wiki.
EdChat has turned into a huge discussion, with hundreds of educators, parents, administrators, and even students participating. This is a fantastic situation, because it allows more voices to be heard, but it can also create a discussion that can be hard to follow, with comments pouring in by the second. There are many applications that help take in all the information (TweetDeck, TweetChat, etc.), and transcripts are always posted to help with this. Still, however, it can be daunting trying to intake all the information that comes out of one weekly #edchat session. While this is a fantastic resource for discussion on topics that pertain to education in general, all music educators can agree that there are many topics worth discussing that pertain specifically to music education. So, without further adieu…
Announcing #MusEdChat!
After some discussion with other #musiced folks on Twitter, and with some of the brains behind #edchat, I’m pleased to announce that we are getting ready to start a weekly Twitter chat geared specifically towards Music Educators! The hashtag will be #musedchat (#musicedchat seemed to be a bit too long for Twitter’s 140-character limit), and each week, we will discuss a different topic of importance to music educators worldwide. Here are a few other bits of information regarding #musedchat:
- Chats will occur on a weeknight, around 8 pm EST. The day of the week is currently up to vote, so be sure to vote for what day works best for you in the poll!
- If you have a topic suggestion, fill out the Topic Submission Form to submit your idea
- Each week, a few days before the discussion, a TwtPoll will be started with up to five possible topics for discussion. Whichever topic has the most votes after a few days will be the topic of discussion for that week.
- Topics that are not selected in a given week will be put up for vote again in the following weeks
- When the chat starts, all you have to do is post your thoughts/reactions/questions using the hashtag #musedchat!
- If you see a comment from someone else that you find interesting, it is encouraged that you “Re-Tweet” that comment to YOUR followers!
- Stay tuned for a post detailing ways to follow the chat!
It’s that simple! If you have other questions, check out the new #MusEdChat page here on MusicEdMajor.net. It will be updated with links to chat transcripts, polls, and other pertinent information! Also, don’t forget to vote for your preferred day/time in our poll!
Can I Help?
While #MusEdChat is still in its infancy, I hope that it will grow to be a well-attended and enjoyable event for everyone. As such, it may require more administration than I am able to do on a weekly basis. If you are interested in helping moderate #MusEdChat, please contact me and let me know; I am looking for one or two co-collaborators to help moderate the chat on a weekly basis.
Happy Tweeting! 
