This week I will be at the TI:ME National Conference be held this year in conjunction with NJMEA at the Brunswick Hilton and Towers in East Brunswick, NJ (Exit 9 on the NJTP). SoundTree will have a huge presence at this conference, sponsoring the hands-on technology lab, sponsoring over a dozen sessions, and bringing tons of software and gear to sell in the exhibit hall. There are so many fantastic presentations scheduled, and wonderful events like the presentation of the TI:ME Teacher of the Year Award, the Keynote presentation - this year given by the amazing Don Muro, the Technology Sandbox, and more.

If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, please head down to Exit 9 this Thursday for the TI:ME Pre Conference. You won’t be disappointed. I hope to see you there!

I am very pleased to report that the book that I recently wrote with Tom Rudolph titled YouTube in Music Education won the “Best Web Tool Award” at the 2010 Best Tools for Schools Awards Ceremony at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA this past January. The awards, sponsored by School Band & Orchestra Magazine, were judged by music educators at the show who were asked to fill out ballots in 13 different categories. Both Tom & I are thrilled with this honor and look forward to teachers across the country utilizing the information we laid out in the book to make best use of the incredible resources available on YouTube for educators.

As a way to celebrate this award, SoundTree has set up a special coupon that will get you 20% off the price of the book, and as always, shipping is free. Just log on to the SoundTree Online Store, and use coupon code frankel when checking out to receive the discount.

We have set up a special companion website for the book as well as a YouTube Channel, and we will both be presenting a session about the book at the upcoming TI:ME National/NJMEA Conference next week. If you’ve read the book, I’d love to know what you think of it!

You may remember that a few years back Sibelius distributed a software title for a short while here in the US called O-Generator Learning to Compose. For one reason or another it wasn’t around for very long, but I am very pleased to report that it is once again available here in the US along with a brand new exciting title called O-Generator World Music. If you’ve never heard of O-Generator you most certainly will. Made by a company from the UK called O-Music, it is an ingenious way to get students in elementary, middle, and high school composing music in a brand new way.

Check out the videos and demos on each of the software landing pages. I have had both titles for a few months now, and I have to say, it is a blast to make music with. The software employs an ingenious circular display that splits up a measure into sixteenth notes. Each sixteenth note is represented by a small circle (the strong beats have a larger circle). Within each circle students can enter a wide variety of high quality samples, including drums, bass, guitar, vocal, and keyboard loops. Once you have filled up your circle, you can move on to the next one until you have composed a complete song. Students will easily understand how the interface works, and will enjoy creating their own songs in a non-traditional way (no notation, no loop sequencing interface). Both software titles also include teaching materials, supplemental videos that help explain the various concepts in the software. The lessons are also tied to the UK music learning standards - so the programmers were really think about education when they created it. I would strongly recommend adding this title to your software offering. It works wonderfully with both a SmartBoard or digital whiteboard and in a lab setting.

At the upcoming TI:ME National Conference (held in conjunction with NJMEA), Marcel Pusey from O-Music will be making presentations on both titles. If you are coming to this fantastic event, be sure to stop by his sessions. SoundTree will have copies of both titles available for sale in our booth.

SoundTree is very proud to offer both of these titles on our web store (Mac/PC). O-Generator Learning to Compose is priced at $129, and O-Generator World Music (a very unique approach to teaching world music) is priced at $149. As always, lab pricing is available from SoundTree. Contact your local SoundTree Account Manager today to order or shop online!

Today and tomorrow I am in Charleston, SC on behalf of SoundTree to present two sessions at the South Carolina Music Educators Association Conference 2010. I love the city of Charleston, and I am looking forward to seeing the many music educators that I have met from South Carolina over the past two years. There are also a ton of great sessions being presented by some fabulous presenters, and I am looking forward to sitting in on them. As always, I have created a special landing page for the event which contains all of my session materials, and I will post podcasts of all of my sessions.

That’s right - TI:ME is giving away an iPod Touch (8GB Model) to one lucky TI:ME Member who registers for the upcoming TI:ME National Conference being held in conjunction with NJMEA in East Brunswick, NJ from February 18 - 20, 2010.

All you need to do is register for the Pre-Conference & Conference by February 5th. If you have already registered, you are entered to win. We will announce the lucky winner at the TI:ME Reception on Thursday evening, Feb. 18th. You must be present to win! To register, visit: NJMEA and submit your registration for by February 5th. A terrific conference and a terrific prize should be all the reason you need to attend.

What are you waiting for?