Savvy SmartMusic teacher Asa Burk and MakeMusic's Dave Hawley at TBA.

The Texas Bandmasters Association Convention (TBA) is the largest annual state bandmasters' association in the country, with over 6,500 attendees and more than 600 industry-related exhibitors. MakeMusic Product Specialist Dave Hawley traveled to San Antonio last week to demonstrate SmartMusic and talk to music educators at TBA, and was kind enough to share some of his adventures with us.

Scott Yoho: How is SmartMusic received at TBA?
Dave Hawley: Texas is known for its strong band programs. I spoke to many teachers who were looking for a way to accelerate student learning, and they seemed to come in thinking SmartMusic could be the answer. There were very few people who came up and asked, “What is SmartMusic, I’ve never heard of it.” You’ll see that in some other states, but you hardly see that in Texas any more. More often we heard things like, “I understand what SmartMusic is, but how do I get started and what’s the best way to get my students started?”

SY: So Texas is different in this regard?
DH: Texas is unique, in part, because this is where we launched SmartMusic (then Vivace) in 1994, so SmartMusic isn’t something foreign and unfamiliar anymore. Some feel SmartMusic could work like an assistant, and many more educators are further along in implementing SmartMusic into their programs.

SY: What kinds of questions are teachers asking at the booth?
DH: Several educators explained that they wanted to move ahead with SmartMusic, but they had some students who had economic concerns (or dial-up Internet access), and they didn’t know how to move forward in the face of these barriers. As a result, we described how many students might use SmartMusic at home while the rest can use it in a school practice room. Real-life applications of how this works were popular topics.

SY: Were folks asking about SmartMusic 2011?
DH: Most of the people we spoke to were current SmartMusic users, who had heard about SmartMusic 2011 or had seen it on our screens and wanted to know what that was, and when they could get it. 

SY: What did you tell them?
DH: We encouraged folks to check at www.smartmusic.com/comingsoon -- you might be surprised what you find there!

I’d like to thank Dave for his time, and encourage you all to check out some additional photos from TBA on Facebook.

Share your TBA stories (or anything else SmartMusic–related) by clicking on “Comments” below.

Baseball Beth and her keyboard/composition student, Jake

My friends call me Baseball Beth. In addition to being a fervent fan of America’s greatest pastime, I’m a MakeMusic employee, a piano composition instructor, and a show director at a local music school. I’ve recently discovered a great music education resource that I’d like to share with others, and I’ve been invited to be a guest blogger on the SmartMusic blog to do so.

The resource I’m referring to is the Weekly Twitter Discussions on Music Education, or #musedchat. It is a great music education resource with a frequent emphasis on technology.

The discussion relates to curriculum ideas in the music classroom. Recent topics have included “What is your criteria for selecting great repertoire and weeding out poor repertoire?” and “How/why should high schools add a Music Technology program to the typical band/choir/orch offerings of the 20th century?” It’s a great place for music educators to get together and share ideas about what works, what doesn’t, or what they’re too afraid to try without someone else’s advice.

One of the greatest benefits of #musedchat is that it offers a place to learn from both experienced music educators AND music education students. The mix of experience is priceless. Participants frequently share links and blogs of stories, ideas, and games for the music classroom, as well as politics and other issues that affect their students’ experience.

I’ve come to depend on #musedchat to keep me current as an instructor, and I also find it beneficial in my role as a MakeMusic employee as I provide my feedback on the development of our products. I encourage all those interested in music education and technology to check it out.

Finding the chat is simple. It takes place every Monday evening at 7:00 PM CST. Once you’re logged in to Twitter, search #musedchat to find the conversation. Dr. Joseph Pisano has published an excellent “getting started” page here. If you’re not available to chat on Monday evening, you can download a transcript of the chat the next morning at http://musicedmajor.net/musedchat/.

Each week, the organizers of #musedchat post a link to a voting page where anyone can vote on what to discuss next. Jump online and vote, and maybe we’ll chat next Monday.