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! 

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”.)