Apparently three publishers have sued Boundless, an “open-education textbook start-up,” for copyright infringement (see Nick DeSantis’ article in Wired Campus). As I understand it, Boundless’ model is based on producing textbooks that include the same information, organized in the same way, as the copyrighted textbooks, specifically so that students can use their books in the place of required course texts. … Continue reading
I’ve taught private and group music lessons for many years. Perhaps other teachers are having a different experience, but it seems to me that getting to a weekly lesson is more of a challenge for families now than it was two decades ago. Typically, the students in the U.S. who take private music lessons are also in some combination of … Continue reading
I get this question often. Sometimes it reflects frustration – why did the composer choose such a difficult key? – and sometimes just curiosity – why is this in F sharp minor? Does it matter? The choice between major and minor keys is definitely a choice between two very different melodic and harmonic landscapes, which will strongly affect the sound … Continue reading
In an earlier post, I worried that modern media discourage the average person from enjoying music as an active participant, because they present polished “perfect” performances with passive-consumer audiences as a norm. While I enjoy a fine recording as much as the next person, I worry that there may be too little cultural space and social acceptance for a more … Continue reading
A reader recently commented that in-person teaching includes important human elements – for example, the teacher’s infectious enthusiasm for the subject – that are missing from text-based online teaching, and suggested that adding some video to my online lessons might help to add that element. It’s a good suggestion that deserves serious consideration, and I must admit that I have … Continue reading
I really like the idea of music theory as something that you can look up easily on the Internet. Music theory as a classroom course always seemed to me to be too cut off from the actual practice of music. Typically the students in a class had very different musical interests, and it was usually up to them to figure … Continue reading
I recently conducted a survey of the people who were looking at music education modules in Connexions. Among other things, I wanted to know who is using the modules and why. I hoped that if I had a clearer idea of what visitors want and need, that would help me decide how best to expand and improve the materials. I’m … Continue reading
When I first began publishing music education materials on the Internet, I stuck closely to very familiar subjects: the aspects of sound (acoustics), music theory, and musical practices and traditions that are most relevant to someone who teaches and plays music in the U.S. As I continued expanding the materials, though, I began to venture into areas that were a … Continue reading
One of the really interesting things that Internet publication has done is to take the accreditation step out of publication. Back when publishing was an expensive (and therefore risky) proposition, most people could not afford to self-publish. With a good manuscript and bit of luck, a fiction writer might get a publisher’s attention, but writers of nonfiction usually had to … Continue reading
In an earlier post, I suggested that when you can look up facts easily at almost any time, it might make less sense for schools to focus on memorizing facts. For example, if you can, at almost any time, look up the place and date of a historical event, and the names of the people involved, why is that what … Continue reading