By Mark Burke There is no question in my mind that those of us in the music education field can revolutionize the way we teach using modern technology. The web has the ability to connect those who have long been disconnected. Facebook is a great example of how a solution was developed to enable old […]
Archive | December, 2009
Top Holiday Activities to Unite Music and Your New Gadgets
By Mark Burke I believe every techie gadget has a small window of opportunity to either become indispensable or just a fad. During the holidays, millions of small, personal gadgets and computers will fall into the hands of wide-eyed owners, brimming with excitement and little desire to read the manuals. During the first few days […]
SmartPhonic Music
By Mark BurkeWebsters defines “instrument” as “A device used to produce music.” I’m not sure when that definition was first crafted, but it was certainly written with an eye to the future. Who knew back then how the “mobile device” would impact our lives? I believe we somehow knew mobile devices would permeate most of […]
School Band Programs Are Dying
By Mark Burke As schools cut elementary and middle school band programs, the future of high school (and college) programs is unclear. I am sad to say that even in my own backyard, I see evidence that band programs continue to shrink or at minimum, not grow. While my observations are anecdotal, it does not […]
The Trombone Slide: A Mystery Solved
By Becky Ciabattari For most wind instruments, it is easy to see the keys, buttons, or valves that are pressed to make different pitches. The Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone and Trumpet are all examples of instruments that utilize keys or valves to change pitches. Yet, there is one wind instrument that uses a slide to change […]
The Art of Music Advocacy
Finding the right way to advocate for music education is an art form in and of itself. Here have a few of the many approaches. The Texas Music Project Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation VH1: Save the Music (LG/VH1) Jack Stamp: Educator and Composer Are the approaches above good for music education? If you could […]
Top 5 Techniques for Providing Quality Instrumental Music Lessons
For the next 5 minutes, I ask all Band Directors to put down their batons. I know it can be scary, but we’ll get through this together. Just lay it on the music stand and back away slowly. You can do it. There, you did it. Conducting a band is such an amazing experience. We’ve […]
Free Online and Software Metronomes
By Mark T. Burke Traditional metronome devices are simply amazing practice aids. New versions are small and portable, feature rich and generally inexpensive. But lets face it, budgets don’t always allow for another musical purchase. Free, downloadable, computer-based metronomes can quickly put a metronome in the hands of a student. Are they all created equal? […]
Brick, Mortar and Megabytes: Uniting Brick and Mortar with Virtual Schools
By Mark Burke In 1993 the school where I taught was at the doorstep of a revolution. The school’s first WAN had been installed along with Internet access and district-wide email. School’s across the US were eagerly adopting the technology identified as a sure fire way to raise educational quality. At my school, those of […]
