#leading notes

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I am VERY pleased to announce that the new issue of Leading Notes is out now! 

Seriously, the collection of articles - focusing on encouraging creativity and musical independence within the classroom - is amazing. That has nothing to do with me, obviously! The teachers who contributed their ideas are doing incredible things in their classrooms and they've been kind enough to share their lessons with you. What possible reason do you have NOT to go check it out?

SOUNDWALKS - A new unit idea from moi!

For those who have been waiting (there's at least a few of you) for a blog post on my "soundwalk" project, then you're in luck! There is more information than you could possibly imagine over on Leading Notes - an introduction to the soundwalk, philosophical rationale, a video with several examples, and a lengthy "how-to" PDF that you can download once you're ready to give it a try! Click HERE to get all of the info! (I'll include the video examples at the bottom of this post.)

A couple of articles from the latest issue (with great visuals and sound):

How a mandatory ukulele class for eighth graders became cool: Caitlin McGovern has a GREAT piece with GREAT pictures and a GREAT audio example on her experiences as a band teacher who begins teaching a music elective focused on ukulele and songwriting. 

Zombies in the Orchestra Room: The Student-Directed Silent Film: Daniel Henderson explains how, by encouraging his students to create their own zombie film, he was able to capture their interest and energy to create memorable experiences. Includes the awesome student film!

Anyway, if you've read this far, then go check the issue out! Also, if you're doing something awesome, then contact me and let me know! I REALLY enjoy the process of working with our authors to create content that is exciting and educational for the field. Contact me: nick (at) leadingnotes.org.

What are you waiting for?! Go over to Leading Notes now!

You can stream the podcast new Leading Notes podcast (where I interview James Jordan) directly from this site.

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I'm going to use this space to share my first endeavor into podcasting!

As part of the book club for the June edition of Leading Notes, I was able to interview the author of The Musician's Soul,  James Jordan. We spoke for over an hour and, I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! We talked about his books, his experiences, his outlook on music education. Through no effort or skill of my own, I think that the podcast is an engaging 50 minutes. If you're reading my blog, then you should definitely check it out. If not for the words of James Jordan, then for my sweet theme song (kidding!).

There are a variety of ways to listen:

1. If you've got an Apple computer...

You should be able to click THIS LINK to download the podcast into iTunes. This will allow you to receive future podcasts without thinking about it. This might work for PC users, I'm just not sure.

2. You can stream the podcast directly from this site. 

Unfortunately, Tumblr seems to want to keep me from being able to stream directly from here (grrr). So, you'll have to go to the other site and stream directly. It's simple, I promise.

3. You can download the podcast by right-clicking here.

Of course, you always visit www.leadingnotes.org for the latest information regarding podcasts and all sorts of fun things!

In other Leading Notes news...

We've announced the themes for the next TWO issues of Leading Notes! AND, I need your help!

Our overall theme is "Educating the New Musician".

Our first issue, titled "Rethinking the Concert", will focus on new ways to consider performance as an important part of music education offerings. 

Our second issue, titled "Encouraging Creativity", will focus on creating more opportunities for composition, improvisation, and individual artistic expression within music programs.

The deadlines are always fast approaching so PLEASE let me know if you've got an idea to contribute. We'd love to hear from more public school teachers who are engaging with these ideas in their day-to-day teaching. Click HERE to more about submission requirements. 

So, enjoy the podcast and please consider becoming a contributor for Leading Notes.

Yeah, I'm more than a little behind on this. BUT, I'm VERY pleased to announce that the Summer 2011 issue of Leading Notes is out. We worked very hard to get this one together and, I must say, I'm VERY proud of how it turned out. 

The issue covers five different areas:

Connecting Through Curriculum

Making Expressions Through Creative Teaching

Reflections on the Teacher/Student Relationship

Connecting Through Social Media

New Connections in Pedagogy

While I do think that all 12 articles have some GREAT information (and you should DEFINITELY check them out), I do want to take a second to point out a few individual articles:

If you're looking for something new from me, I've got a true story titled, "Love, Loss, and the Bb Concert Scale."

My Mommy(!), Barbara Grant Jaworski, contributed a beautiful true story (with accompanying collage), titled "Sparkle Net, Light Blue". It's about an individual moment that a teacher shares with her student that literally changes the direction of that student's life. Seriously, this is great.

Ariel Alexander discusses her time teaching community college in South Central Los Angeles and how she allowed her students to teach her in an article titled, "Getting Schooled in South Central". 

Don't Just Stand There and Watch Her Burn: Using (Not Ignoring) Music to Educate About Violence Against Women

Of particular importance to me is an article by Colleen Norton that discusses how music teachers might use popular music (she uses Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie") to address the very serious issue of violence against women. Colleen, who has a Masters in Social Work and spends her time talking to teens about domestic abuse, has written a very compelling story that speaks directly to music teachers. Here is an issue of real importance! It requires no stretches of the imagination to understand that a lesson like the one she proposes could literally save lives. Violence against women is more common than many think: one in four women will be touched by it in their lifetime. I hope that you take the opportunity to read through what she has written and to SHARE it with others! If this isn't the type of issue that music educators would tackle, then I honestly don't know what is.

Our other contributors for this issue are Anthony Denaro, Keith Ozsvath, Lisa Hatfield, James Jordan, Lindsay Morelli, Andrei Strizek, Andy Zweibel, Ben Collins, and my co-editor, Justine Dolorfino.

And, two more matters of business:

The LEADING NOTES BOOK CLUB!

We've been working very hard to organize a book club this summer. The book is The Musician's Soul by James Jordan and we're very excited to announce that the author will be joining us as we read through it! PLEASE go check out the Book Club page now and see if you'd like to join us! (Want a sneak peak at what's inside the book? Read an excerpt here.)

You wanna support Leading Notes?

The reality is:

If Leading Notes is going to have any impact on music education, people need to read it.

Alright, gang. Here's the truth: There is some terrific stuff on Leading Notes. We're only two issues in, but I couldn't ask for me. We want to spread the word through advertising. We also want to make sure that we have funds for additional issue artwork and other basic needs. If you like what I've been up to for the last year, consider contributing to Leading Notes.  Want more info? Go HERE!

What's next?

Well, I've got some stuff coming up concerning some new projects you could do in your classroom. I'm very excited about these, which is why it's taking me so long to write them... I don't wanna mess it up! Stay tuned, though! I'll get on the ball this weekend.

While things have been busy on my end, I am excited to say that I've got a new blog post going up in the next few days. I think, in the long run, I need to not worry so much about what I write - it just slows me down. 

Until then why don't you take a second and consider how you could get involved with the Summer 2011 issue Leading Notes! Justine and I couldn't be happier with the response - our first issue has received over 4,000 hits - and we hope we can keep the momentum going. Unlike the last issue (where we did recruitment behind the scenes), we're now publicizing the themes early and soliciting fellow teachers, students, academics, and enthusiasts to help contribute.

Our theme?

Connections See? The Connect-the-dots picture was related. (Hint: The picture above is an animal you'd see at the zoo.)

Connections will focus on the multiple ways in which music education connects to our students, our culture, our schools, and ourselves. The goal is to create a space that will allow us to understand the power of teaching music while also developing other ways in which to implement and understand new forms of connectivity.

Please, dearest blog reader, take a second to think about how YOU might share your own ideas, thoughts, and stories with the profession. If you're interested in getting your students involved, let me know! 

Click HERE to see the online version over at Leading Notes or check below the break for the full "Call for Submissions". Also, if you haven't seen our "State of the Profession" issue, go see what everybody has been talking about (and by "everybody," I mean some people online.)

I'll see you back here by Monday and I hope to hear from you before then!

Call for submissions:   We need to hear from you!   After the successful launch of our "State of the Profession" issue, we are excited to announce the theme for our Summer 2011 issue:   CONNECTIONS   For our Summer 2011 issue, we are looking to investigate the multiple levels of connections that can be made through music education. This can be an investigation into how music programs can connect to their communities, how the music we teach connects to our culture, how your lesson plans connect to larger curricular goals, an investigation into the unique ways that music teachers connect with their students, or anything in between. In an era of budget cuts, it is important that we find ways to document the connections we make and to investigate how those connections come about. It is our hope that this issue of Leading Notes can give you some new ideas and also help you see your own teaching in a new light.   As will always be the case in Leading Notes, submissions can come in any format: from a strictly academic paper to a personal story, or from an illustrated narrative to a haiku. Multimedia submissions are strongly encouraged. Authors are encouraged to experiment with the theme. Please include references where appropriate. Submissions are due by 5/31/11. Please be creative with the concept. Also, before you start working on your article, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] to share your idea. Why you should consider publishing in Leading Notes:

New ideas, new media: Our first issue has been accessed thousands of times. We believe that providing this content online, without being hidden behind a traditional paywall (like more “traditional” academic journals) is the best way to have an impact on our profession.

Web traffic: By affiliating your work with Leading Notes, you are in a position to direct readers to your other interets. You can include links, email, Twitter feeds, documents, or whatever else you can think of to engage readers with your ideas.

Support from Leading Notes staff: We feel very strongly about getting the word out. When you publish in Leading Notes, we will tweet, blog, post on Facebook, and email your efforts to anybody who will listen.

Join the chorus and be a part of something new: Leading Notes was founded on the idea that people from all parts of our profession have important things to say. By adding your voice to an issue of Leading Notes, you are helping to provide a broad perspective on the field of music education - an invaluable contribution to our profession.

I apologize for things being rather quiet over here in Tumblr-land. Things have been busy for me.

I DO have an announcement, however.

In collaboration with Justine Dolorfino, I am pleased to announce the launch of a new online music education magazine, Leading Notes! Please read below, visit the site, and share with anybody who is interested in music education (via email, Facebook, Twitter...)

Justine and I first discussed the idea for Leading Notes after she was kind enough to read through my MENC/Glee post and make suggestions. (By the way, if you didn't notice, MENC responded to my post with a lengthy comment. Please visit that article for updates!) Through our conversations, we found that we were both interested in providing a space that would help bridge the gap between the ideas that people discussed online and the pedagogy required to enact those ideas in the classroom. In the end, we decided to create a quarterly magazine that would assemble the ideas of a wide variety of practitioners and participants in music education. We're particularly excited about the flexibility that Leading Notes allows and we hope to continue to come up with articles and concepts that will encourage exciting conversation.

For our first issue, we asked thinkers, practitioners, and participants in the field of music education to tell us their thoughts about the state of our profession. Our contributors include pre-service music education students, prominent authors, current teachers, professional musicians, department chairs, and college professors.

The diversity in topics and opinions is exciting. Our hope is that by providing a space to discuss these ideas, we can start a dialogue about where our profession currently resides.

Thank you to all of the contributors! They took time to write some very thoughtful pieces and I hope you take the time to check out their work.

(Click "Read More" to see our contributors, how to stay informed, and an excerpt!)

Our contributors are:

Paul Beaudry, Ben Collins, Dr. Richard Colwell, Dr. Rick Dammers, Justine Dolorfino, Ed Lisk, Lindsay Morelli, Dr. Joe Pisano, Andrew Ritenour, Dr. Matthew Thibeault, and Andrew Zweibel.

Additionally, we have a joint paper written by the Executive Committee from ASTA, The American String Teachers Association.

We also took short statements through Twitter and posted some of those reactions.

And, a piece from me - a pseudo-"State of the Union" piece titled, "An Unsolicited Address to the Music Educators of America".

After writing this, I'm a little surprised there is THIS much in our first issue.

Click HERE to get started!

Ways to get updates:

Subscribe to our Facebook group

Follow us on Twitter

Subscribe to our RSS feed

Join our MusicPLN group

As an example of one of the ideas presented in our first issue, here's a quote from a piece by Dr. Rick Dammers, from Rowan University:

Past decades have consistently shown that a certain percentage of students want to (or are able to) perform. Instead of trying to reach the other students with the same offerings (which hasn’t worked in the last forty years), we now need to add new and different classes to reach the other students. In other words, if we were Coca-Cola, we would need to look beyond trying to get everyone to drink cola. We would need to offer other types of drinks as well.  This diversification strengthens the whole company without hurting the original brands. For example, when Coca-Cola sells Dasani bottled water, it doesn’t reduce the number of people drinking Coke, but the company benefits from making a sale to people who wanted water instead of soda.  Similarly, new secondary music offerings won’t reduce our performance ensembles; instead, they strengthen our music departments by reaching new students (and there are plenty!).   Expanding our market share strengthens our overall venture. The corollary of If music is important, it is important for everyone is The more students that study music, the more important music is in that school. It is intuitive to state that a music department which reaches 60% of a school will be a more central component of a school than one that reaches only 20%. By expanding our offerings and reaching more students, music educators can have a greater impact in shaping the musical culture of our country, which should be one of our core objectives.

Awesome, right?

Please check out the issue and feel free to engage with the content by leaving comments. ALSO, we have a group for more lengthy discussions over at MusicPLN.org. A free membership is required, but if you haven't already joined that site, you definitely should. Think Facebook for music educators. You can get all kinds of information from music teachers all over the world! It's pretty cool. Thank you to Joe Pisano for being supportive of our endeavor!

Future plans

Justine and I have some modest plans for the future. Among those include facilitating a book club for every issue. We'll start our discussion over at the MusicPLN. If you have any suggestions, please leave them there!

Also, if you feel like financially supporting Leading Notes, there is a way to do that on the site. The site is a labor of love and we have paid out of pocket for domain hosting, the issue artwork, and some Facebook ads. In the future, we would like to have some funds that will allow us to provide the highest quality product possible.

PHEW! There's a lot. If you made it this far, I would be very appreciative if you could head over to Leading Notes and get engaged in the conversation. You will probably need to make several trips back to read all of it.

Our first issue is available right now, for free, at www.leadingnotes.org!