moving forward with music.

I just wanted to let my happy blog visitors to know that the book is a go! Between comments I received via email, blog comments, Facebook, Twitter, publisher inquiries, and just the constant traffic that my blog receives for music appreciation material, I know this is the right thing to do.

I’m moving along very briskly (I’ve got a lot of material to draw from) and I’m looking to have the book out in both print and Kindle formats before December 2012 - just in time for those second semester Music Appreciation classes!

To make sure that you get updated on when the book comes out, signup for the email list. I promise I won’t sell your information or even harass you about anything else. I’ll just make you aware when the book is available.

Click here to signup for the email list!

Also, I’ve started to offer my services as a consultant to teachers and schools who are looking to design progressive music curricula for their school. I’ll write more about it as it takes more shape, but if you’re looking for some assistance, contact me here. 

If you like some of my ideas and want to help support me as I continue to write, think, and refine, then… you should consider getting the book when it comes out! 

Unless you have been frozen in some sort of cryogenic chamber since July of 2010, you’ve heard Katy Perry’s song, “Teenage Dream.” Whether you wanted to or not… it’s been blasted into your ears dozens of times.

Like you, I have not escaped its grasp. Personally, I think it’s a fun song, full of energy and a very catchy, beltable hook (and that “second chorus” for lack of a better term is really fun, too!). If history is any indication, somebody will want to take this opportunity to talk to comment on the appropriateness of the song for impressionable youth (it happened during my defense of “Glee”, you know… before it was “bad awful,” rather than the “fun awful” it had been before). This post is about the recording of the song and the deliberate decisions the producers made.

While I was listening to my Spotify “Party Mix”, I noticed something I had not heard before. Considering the number of times I’ve heard the song, I was surprised when I discovered something completely new.

Listen to the first two measures (headphones definitely help):

Did you notice it? That opening guitar part isn’t perfectly in time! Listen to the first couple of 8th notes and the couple of beats starting on beat two of the second measure. In case you are having a hard time hearing it, I’ve looped the first two measures a couple of times:

If you prefer visuals, here ya go. The line indicates the attack from the guitar in the left ear. Notice the placement of the attacks in the right ear. (Click to enlarge)

Why do I find this interesting?

(Read below the break for the exciting conclusion!)

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Update (9/11/12):

After receiving a lot of feedback from a variety of places, I have already started writing the book. My goal is to have it available in paperback and Kindle versions by December 2012, just in time for those spring semester Music Appreciation courses! To get notified via email when the book is available, click HERE. (I promise I won’t spam you or anything crazy.)

Question:

If I wrote a book providing ideas and resources to teach a Music Appreciation course, would anybody care/plunk down $10-$20 bucks for it?

Let’s go back in time a little:

Two years ago:

I wrote a post with the title, “What Should We Teaching in a Music Appreciation Class?” It’s not a particularly well-written post, it’s long and short of specifics, but I think my passion for the topic comes through. 

Today:

That little post has EASILY become my most read article and the blog has been visited more this month than at any point in the previous two years (which is crazy to me since I’m way behind on updates). In fact, the Appreciation post has been accessed more times than my Identity post, my cartoon, or the front page of my blog! Additionally, I consistently receive emails from people who are looking for more specifics about some of the ideas I outlined in the post. 

Also, through my blog and my presentations, I have been approached by a major music education publisher about writing a book or two. That, of course, is very flattering!

So, after finishing my Master’s degree and having some time on my hands, here’s the question: 

If I wrote a book providing ideas and resources to teach a Music Appreciation course, would anybody care/plunk down $10-$20 bucks for it?

I’ve got a LOT to share, describe, and discuss in a book - ideas I haven’t written about on the blog. I feel that it would be a product that would be really useful and I’d love to share it, but time is always difficult to come by, right? (Even though I have more than maybe I’d like right now.) 

Additionally, in our current economic climate, many teachers find themselves looking for that other class they can teach that will engage their students. I believe that a modernized music appreciation course would be the way to go. 

Anyway, I’m throwing it out there. If you’d be interested (or know somebody who would be), just drop me a quick comment that says, “I would be interested!” If you have any more words of encouragement for me, I’ll gladly accept those as well.

(Click HERE and scroll down to the comments if you are seeing this on the main page.)

(I PROMISE PROMISE I have some fun posts coming up. I just need to get over my need to make “THE PERFECT POST”.)

As the school year is starting and teachers get their school calendars in order, I wanted to remind Illinois high school teachers that a perfect early year unit might center on the remix. 

And, if you’re going to have students create remixes, then why don’t you have them use digital files (“stems”) from platinum-selling recording artist, Moby?

AND, if you’re going to use the Moby tracks, then you should definitely enter your finished projects into the IMEA Remix Contest! 

Like all of our composition contest categories, all entries will receive written feedback. Moby himself will be involved in the final selection of the winners for the remixes.

All of the information on how to get the tracks and what the contest is like can be found here.

Of course, the composition contest isn’t just about remixes. We have categories for arranging, vocal, popular, instrumental, electronic, and keyboard works. If ANY student in your high school is doing something cool with composition, they are eligible to enter. 

Click HERE for additional information and the entry form! The deadline for entry is November 1.

——

I’ve got several neat things in the works and I look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned!

Imagine having some video games that allowed you to teach musical concepts to students on real musical instruments. Also, imagine that you were then able to watch their progress over time and track their development?

Well, the future is now!*

(*Kinda.)

Recently, along with Matthew Thibeault and Ben Smith, I had the pleasure to present at GLS 8.0 in Madison, WI. For those that don’t know, “GLS 8.0″ stands for “the 8th Annual Games, Learning, and Society Conference.” This is my second time coming to the conference and it is truly an inspiring event. (As an aside, it also has the distinction of being one of the most well-run conferences I have ever been to. Any conference that has a free ice cream bar case open for almost the entire day is fine by me!)

The presentation centered around some music games that we prototyped at the University of Illinois and tested with undergraduate music education students. Rather than your traditional Guitar Hero gameplay, these games used an instrument or voice to control what is happening on the screen. They’re very fun and have some real applications in the world of music education. You can read the conference paper here.

You can also download the games here! (Sorry. Mac only… for now!) The games are very simple, but fun! There’s a long jump game where you can work on long tones, a maze where you change your pitch to navigate a maze, and much more! There’s a “Read Me” file included in the file to answer your questions. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Hello!

Yes! I remembered I had a blog. (I didn’t really forget.)

I will get to my stack of 30+ blog article drafts eventually, but I just wanted to use this space to publicize the new IMEA remix category for our 2012 Composition Contest! I’m very pleased to announce that ANY Illinois high school student (not just those in ensembles) have the opportunity to use source files from the platinum-selling artist, Moby, as the basis for their compositions.

Additionally (and this is not included in our state journal), Moby will listen to some of the finalists himself! How cool is that!?

Anyway, please click here to get all of the details and then make sure to share this news with your students. Also, if you’ve got other teacherly friends who might be interested in having their students enter, then please share this information with them!

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!

(As promised, here’s the Soundwalk video with several examples. You’ll have to go HERE to see how it’s done!)

If you saw my presentation at the 2012 TI:ME National Conference (“A Classroom Without Walls: Connecting Students to Their Community Through Music Technology”), then this is the place to read more about what I discussed. Thanks to everybody for showing up, TI:ME for having me, and Louisville for having multiple pronunciations. 

Here are some useful links:

• Click HERE to see a post concerning a clinic I gave at the Illinois Music Education Conference back in January. This discusses both Music as Identity and Meet The Beatles - including lesson plans and examples.
• Click HERE for my initial Golden Record post.
• The Soundwalk will be published in the next issue of Leading Notes! Make sure to go check that out right now.

Click the icons on the side to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or through your RSS feed.

Also, don’t forget about Leading Notes! If you were at TI:ME, you’re either already doing awesome things OR you’re about to do awesome things. Either way, let us know! Our submission information is HERE.

Please let me know if you try any of this stuff out and how it goes! You’re probably going to improve on them… so be sure to share with me!

Make sure to look around while you’re here!

Dearest Music Teachers of the Interwebs,

I’m giving a presentation at the end of January titled, “Expanding the Musical Offerings in Our Schools: Energizing Our Students and Saving Our Jobs”. This will be the second of two talks I’ll be giving on Thursday (1/27), but I must say I need some help.

The session is designed to provide suggestions and materials for ensemble teachers who are looking for another class to add to their teaching schedule in order to help maintain a fulltime course load and, of course, to reach out to students who aren’t currently participating in their high school music program.

Here’s where you come in:

In the comments below, please leave a description of the general music courses you teach and the resources you use. If you’ve got a website or a blog with any information, please link to it. I’ll use the information in my talk and also provide your links to conference attendees. 

If you think you teach something more traditional, still leave your thoughts! If you KNOW somebody who does something interesting or unique, please let them know to come visit here. Lastly, make sure that you leave a way that I can get in touch with you. If you want to email me (rather than posting to the comments), send an email to nick at leadingnotes.org. 

You assistance would be greatly appreciated! You’ll be able to check the comments for suggestions from other music teachers AND check back at the end of January for my take on everything.

Start commenting and share with others!

(If you’re reading off of the main page, click “Read More” and scroll down to get to the comments.)