02/05/12

Guide to Networking: Part 1-Social Networking

As Music Education Majors, one way we can help prepare for the teaching world during our studies is by networking. Meeting the people who will eventually be our colleagues and administrators will help prepare us for the job search, increase our knowledge in the field, and leave us better-equipped to find the job we’re looking for. This 3-part series looks at three different ways we can use networking to our advantage.

Before diving into this very broad topic, think about these questions:

  • How many hours do you spend on the computer?
  • Of those hours, how many of them are on Facebook?
  • When you’re on the computer, how would you rank the ways in which you use it? (think: schoolwork, talking to friends, listening to music)

The term social networking is one that tends to scare a lot of people. In reality, many of us already engage in social networking on a daily basis! We just network with our firends and family, instead of professionals in our field. Regardless of how we go about it (this post will outline just a few of your many options), any means of meeting current music educators online can be considered social networking, and will help you create relationships that will help you as you prepare for your job search. [Read more...]

New Music Ed Major Facebook Community

This website was started in an effort to create a community of Music Education Majors (and current teachers) to discuss important topics in the field. While commenting on formal “posts” here on the site is one way to do this, I have come to realize that a better avenue for more frequent conversation is a website that is much more frequently visited than this, and that already has a large number of Music Education Majors as registered users. That website, of course, is Facebook. I came to this realization after coming across a Facebook community for Band Directors, thanks to a tweet from Thomas J. West (@thomasjwest). The page has over 3,700 “fans,” and discussions occur frequently and on a wide variety of topics.

Because most college students (myself included) practically live on Facebook, and as a result of the success of the Band Director page, I have decided to start a Music Education Major page on Facebook! On this page, you can meet other Music Education Majors, as well as discuss topics  that are pertinent to the field, but may not be worth a full-length post here on this site.

Don’t get me wrong, I still plan on posting here frequently (at least more frequently than I have already). The Facebook page will be more for connecting with other students, and discussing more specific questions. If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to see discussed on the page, please feel free to contact me at any time!

If you’re a Music Education Major, or already have your degree in Music Ed, I would encourage you to “become a fan” of the page, and to suggest the page to any other possibly-interested friends you may have!

Music Education Major | Promote Your Page Too