I had the great fortune to visit Iowa and attend the most recent Iowa Bandmasters Association gathering in Des Moines. There are a lot of great things they are doing in Iowa to promote and advocate on behalf of music and arts education. While in Iowa, I ran into Ray Cramer, emeritus professor of Indiana [...]
Our unique field of education benefits from the support of a large number of organizations and the largest one, MENC – The National Association for Music Education, is now celebrating the historic event of their 100th anniversary. This extraordinary milestone places a marker on the side of the mountain that we continue to climb in [...]
Technology is supposed to make it easier and faster to accomplish tasks. And, in theory, music software applications can be worth their weight in gold. But there is an important issue to consider: the learning curve. This may challenge even the experienced among us. To counteract this, consider using suite applications. This allows different software [...]
Technology is re-shaping life in the modern world, and the realm of music education is no different.
The latest buzz in the business world was the recent sale of YouTube to Google for the princely sum of 1.65 billion dollars. This is quite an outlay for a company that has yet to turn a profit and which may have looming legal consequences. For those of you who are not familiar with YouTube, [...]
In the teaching profession, sometimes it’s difficult to keep necessity purchases to a minimum – particularly when the music education budget is slashed year after year. When there’s no money for incidentals and last-minute or “emergency” needs, where does that money come from? The music teacher’s own pocket. According to a recent SBO survey of [...]
The recent Midwest Band Clinic, held at the Chicago Hilton, was a typically action-packed affair, with numerous student performances, clinic sessions, award ceremonies, and lectures – not to mention plenty of opportunities to eat, drink, and socialize with colleagues and mentors. The exhibit halls were well trafficked and most organizations that we spoke with reported [...]
SBOSurvey: Fundraising All music educators want the best for their program and their students, but very few are lucky enough to easily achieve all their goals without augmenting the “official” school budget. To incorporate more ambitious elements, such as travel, into an overall curriculum – as well as addressing the more fundamental needs of music [...]
As more and more students, parents, and teachers become interested in recording School Bands, using computer-aided learning tools, sequencing, and so on, “music technology” is fast becoming a vital component of a comprehensive music education. One thing that we’ve learned through speaking with music directors about music-making software and related equipment is that many choose [...]
SBO Internet SitingsLONDON CALLING-VIA THE WEB Spotlight on the Fannin County BandsURL: www.fannincountyband.org The most recent Web site to grab our attention here at School Band and Orchestra magazine is a family effort brought to us by husband and wife band directors Elden and Wanda Moates and their daughter Amy, the Webmaster. Elden directs the [...]
