MENC Leadership Sets New National Conference Schedule

Check out the announcement on the MENC Web site "News Stand."

Tuesday Toiling

On this lovely Tuesday I am immersed in the overhaul of the MENC Web site. We are literally moving, page by page, the old Web site into a new one. Each page has to be stripped of codes and links, entered into a new template, formatted, and then have any links added back in. This is tedious but not particularly difficult. The hard part (for me at least) is keeping straight where the pages need to be placed, and to what and from what other pages they need to be linked. This gets complicated when not all the other pages have been moved yet. The other complicaton is that there are "bugs" that pop up -- images that don't show, bullets that disappear, pages that can't be saved. We're working all this out as we go.

We're racing against the clock to get this site ready for launch the week of the National Conference. I'm very excited to show our members this new, improved music education resource.

Watched the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony last night (while I was moving pages via my laptop). Parts of it were pretty strange. Instead of performing after she was inducted (and had given an endless acceptance speech), Madonna sat in the audience while Iggy Pop sang two of her hits. It was really weird. Iggy looked in pretty good shape, but he did Madonna's songs in his own punk-rock style which doesn't have much to do with her music. They are both from Detroit -- that's the only connection I could make. There has been some debate online as to whether Madonna should really be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so maybe she wanted to make the case that her music could be performed in a rock and roll style. Tom Hanks gave a somewhat over the top but ultimately moving induction speech for the Dave Clark Five. John Mellencamp and his inductor, Billy Joel, also went on and on and on. But all in all, pretty good background noise for moving Web pages.

Hope you're participating in the World's Largest Concert this Thursday! The MENC staff will join the singing at our monthly staff meeting.

Onward .... EWL

Odd Tuesday

I had four important meetings lined up for today, but a mysterious March bug has descended on the department and four people are out with various ailments. We're limping along without them but will need to reschedule meetings for when they can be present.

We released the March 2008 "Why Music?" PSAs last Friday for Music In Our Schools Month, and it is great to already hear from so many radio stations and members about using them on the air and at school events.

I had the pleasure of attending a concert by the Ahn Trio on Sunday here in Reston. These three brilliant sisters will be performing an evening concert at the MENC national conference in Milwaukee next month. I will be at the conference and hope to get the chance to listen again -- I thought they were fantastic. The program was all music that had been written for them, with some unusual jazzy inflections, at least to my ears.

We are hurtling along toward the launch of new Web site at the national conference. I must get back to work on it. 1700+ pages must be moved over to the new site, and that includes reformatting them and making sure all links are corrected. Fortunately I do not have to do this all myself. When PF, DP, and I finish this project, we are going to have to figure out how to take long vacations. Or... at least few hours off. (It's actually very exciting and I can't wait for you to see the results in April!)

Onward!
E

Tuesday Update

The day is almost gone and I have not found a moment til now to think about blogging! That's what happens when Monday is a holiday.


So, quickly, check out Sunday's 60 Minutes report on Gustavo Dudamel, the new conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I found it a fascinating profile. He is a product of "El Sistema" -- the Venezuelan innovation that takes children (a quarter of a million so far, almost all from poor neighborhoods), and teaches them how to play instruments. This has now led to hundreds of youth orchestras sprouting up all over the country.


El Sistema has been mentioned in the MENC blog before so I felt very well informed as I watched the segment!


Onward -- EWL

Surprise Visit

Last week we were pleasantly surprised to get a visit from MENC member Janette Harriott, of the University of Nebraska-Kearney, who is also chair of college/university affairs for Nebraska Music Educators Assocation.

Marketing manager BS snapped these photos of Janette with yours truly, fellow blogger RF, and executive assistant CW (aka SW). It was so nice to get the chance to chat with a member for a few minutes right here in the office!

Have been in an intensive Web writing seminar for the last three days (what, you can't tell???) so must push on to the work that is piling up.

Onward!

EWL

How I Won the Meeting

I go to a lot of meetings here at MENC. Not as many as do some other people, but still, a lot. Meetings are ok, even good, when they are productive and the participants have good attitudes. Coming out of a meeting with a lot more work to do can be a little discouraging if the goal of all the new work hasn't been made clear. A meeting where someone drones on and on, saying the same thing over and over, is the worst. (I'm probably guilty of that, so I try to be careful.)

Sometimes, however, a meeting can be quite fun. Just now, I had a very fun meeting with the Web team. Our project list is really long right now, and while we're doing everything on the list, we're also dealing with the gigantic project of overhauling the whole Web site for a spring launch. We spent a good portion of the meeting chuckling about the staff members who think they are going to bypass procedure to get their project done before any others (i.e., "cut in line"). We also discussed how great it would be to be a judge on "Iron Chef" and how a little office gossip isn't always a bad thing. We prioritized and set deadlines and had good attitudes. Fun, productive, and not too long. (Because I had another meeting to get ready for!)

I was watching a DVD of the first season of "30 Rock" recently and I liked the way Liz Lemon called for "two minute dance break" during a long brainstorming meeting. The characters instantly cranked up the boom box and started boogie-ing around the conference room. I thought this was a great thing to add to any long meetings at MENC. Of course on the show, Liz Lemon's boss showed up in the middle of the dance break and didn't seem to think it was that great of an idea! I'll have to check MENC's policy on dancing during meetings.

Last weekend's Dilbert comic strip was about how to know when you've "won a meeting" -- I thought it was hilarious!

After lunch, two more meetings. So I'll leave you with a link to the Web site of one of my all-time favorite musicians, Richard Thompson. I saw him for the manyith time last week in DC. He tours frequently, either with a four-piece electric band or solo acoustic, performing his wonderful catalog of songs dating back to the late 60s and his days with the group Fairport Convention. Last week's show, however, was his "1000 Years of Popular Music," a tongue-in-cheek performance of the best pop songs of the last millennium. Highlights included music from the Mikado, "Shenandoah," tunes from Abba, the Korgis, the Beatles, the Kinks, and Nelly Furtado (!), some Cole Porter and Ella Fitzgerald, an English madrigal, an Italian renaissance song, and much more -- all performed "shamelessly" by RT on acoustic guitar/voice, Judith Owen on keyboards/voice, and Debra Dobkin on percussion/voice. (Harry Shearer, a voice from "The Simpsons" and "This is Spinal Tap," was sitting just in front of us. He is married to Judith Owen.) Highly recommend you check "1000 Years" out on CD or DVD.

Onward -- EWL

Gray Tuesday

A little depressing today -- as I plug away at my projects, I can see out my window a construction crew clearing a formerly lovely spot of forest in which to build a new office building. Too bad.

It's already mid afternoon and I have so much to do that I must leave it at that! Back next Tuesday!

Onward -- EWL

Tuesday, Tuesday

I'm back from FMEA, where the weather was warm and sales were brisk. I probably spent about 30 minutes total outside, but they were very pleasant minutes! It was great to meet a lot of members at the conference and get a chance to talk to them about the upcoming World's Largest Concert, our plans for the overhauled MENC Web site, what's happening at the MENC National Conference in April, and the many new books MENC has recently published and that are coming up.

Coming back yesterday was a little intimidating due to the looming e-mail build up, deadlines, and meetings. But it was a productive day. I have two volunteers helping me this week with Music In Our Schools Month kit preparation. There was an interesting staff meeting about what ideas we had for making our time at the Milwaukee conference really count for our members, and another about writing assignments for new Web content plan (coming in April). Today, there is a meeting about membership promotions; there is the weekly Web meeting of course; and now, I also have a weekly production meeting -- that's our graphic designers and production assistant meeting with me to go over the project list, prioritize, and assign. So it's basically the Web meeting ... without the Web projects or the Web guys.

I was just catching up on my fellow bloggers' recent posts and I see that Harley the Tri-M Dog is getting more and more important around here. Apparently now he is hanging out on conference calls with MENC leadership and rock stars! I feel I must finally disclose that Harley has a rival ... Coda, the MusicFriends Bear.

Adorable as Harley is, he was outsold at the FMEA resource shop by Coda 4-2!! I was relieved, because I don't really like seeing my yellow friend sitting there in a sealed plastic bag.

Coda doesn't actually do as much as Harley, but he's very cute. He likes to hang out with the Web guys. Here he is helping Web assistant DP with ... something. (I probably need to find something more productive for him to do.)

If you'd like your own Coda, or your own Harley for that matter, or your very own MusicFriends t-shirt! ... you can order them from MENC!

Onward -- EWL

Tuesday Back in the Office

Happy New Year! We're off to a bustling start for 2008. I have only two days to cram everything in this week, as I depart tomorrow for the Florida Music Educators Association conference to staff the MENC resource shop. Ironically, it's about 75 sunny degrees here today, so I'm not really escaping any winter chill by going to Florida. MENC marketing manager BS, on the other hand, is leaving for Alaska tomorrow for the Alaska MEA conference. I think her bags will be quite a bit heavier than mine!

Over the weekend I checked out the All-American Bowl on NBC, hoping to see our wonderful first-ever All-American Marching Band at halftime. Alas, while I could see the students in the background performing their choreography and faintly hear the music while commentators discussed the game and the athletes, the AAMB wasn't really spotlighted by NBC. Hope that changes next year. The students got great exposure in the offical program book of the game, and I heard from MENC staffer PB that it was a fantastic experience for the band members.


I got to catch up with my nephew over the holidays. He's playing alto sax in his middle school jazz band! Here's a photo of him with his teacher, MENC member Wendy Milstead of Autry Mill Middle School in Alpharetta, GA. Warren also got a guitar for Christmas. I'm very happy he is so interested in music!
Well, our centennial year is officially over! And we've made some (semi) final updates to the MENC Centennial Web site, including photos and reports from the Keokuk symposium and the Orlando celebration. Please visit if you haven't already.

That's all for today! I'll have a report from FMEA next week.

Onward -- EWL

Tuesday Tornado ... of Work!

Things are just not slowing down at MENC this holiday season! I guess it's actually been years since I remember any kind of "holiday lull." We are really swamped with marketing, PR, and other projects, plus moving along with our Web overhhaul. Many of these projects aren't due til spring ... but that will be here before we know it, and so many unusual things will pop up between then and now, we really have to book to get stuff done as soon as we can.

After being in the same office for 6 years, an all time record for me, I have moved to another part of the building -- new yet familiar -- I was over here from 1996-1998 or so ... so it's not totally a new experience. Miss my awesome former officemates but am glad to be amongst the truly groovy Web, marketing, news, and production folks I supervise. This is my 8th office here at MENC headquarters. It is a pain to move, but a majorly great opportunity to THROW STUFF OUT.

But the incoming and ongoing projects just won't let up! So, I'll just say to one and all, Happy Holidays! Blog to you in 2008!

Onward -- EWL

Tuesday Update

It's a busy day so I'm just going to post a bit of fun news for those who are interested in this sort of thing. Back in the 80s I first heard about a band called Midnight Oil from Australia. Last week, their leader, Peter Garrett, was named Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts in the cabinet of the new prime minister of Australia. Here's a video of the band performing the song "The Dead Heart" with not-your-usual pop music instruments.

Have a great week!
E

Tuesday after Thanksgiving

And now ... More "Famous Student Stories!"

I recently received this great message from Dr. David Ashcraft, MENC Life Member, Past President of AzMEA, and Past Editor of AZ Music News. He writes:

"During my 33 years as Choral Director at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona, I was privileged to teach a number of brilliantly talented students, many having gained positive notoriety since graduating. Five former students immediately come to mind:

"Danyelle Bossardet – A singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and director throughout high school, Danyelle participated in Sahuaro musical theatre productions, playing the role of Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. A graduate of the University of Arizona Theatre Arts Department, Danielle has appeared in numerous shows in the United States and Canada, most recently charming audiences as Belle in the American national touring company production of Beauty and the Beast.








"Ben Crawford – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Ben was highly involved on stage as well as on the volleyball court. He played the role of Tevye in Sahuaro’s Fiddler on the Roof that led to other musical theatre pursuits. A graduate of the University of Arizona Theatre Arts Department, Ben has followed his dream by recently accepting the parts of Factory Foreman and understudy for Jean Valjean and Javert in the Broadway production of Les Miserables.



"Shawn James – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Shawn handled the role of Mayor Shinn in Sahuaro’s production of My Fair Lady. He also competed as a member of the school’s varsity basketball team. Shawn graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis where he sang in the Glee Club, participating in several performances including concerts at the White House. Following the completion of his career as a Naval Intelligence Officer where he served on active duty as director of intelligence for the Naval Special Warfare Development, he was appointed group vice president of maritime security and domain awareness for Lockheed-Martin prior to working for BAE Systems North America as president of Business Development for the Technology Solutions Sector.



"Steve McLaughlin – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Steve also appeared in school productions in the roles of Arab in West Side Story and Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma. A standout on the school’s football team, he went on to serve as place kicker for the University of Arizona Wildcats. Steve set several school records, received All-Pac 10 and All-American honors and helped the team to a Fiesta Bowl victory over the University of Miami. He was later named to the Lindy’s Collegiate Team of the Decade. As the top place kicker in the nation, the broadcast journalism major received the coveted Lou Groza Award and was subsequently drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. Also a kicker for the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, Steve ended his football career with the Arena Football League where he captured leading scorer honors prior to retiring. He was later inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. Off the field, Steve’s passion for music has manifested itself in his continued association with Pet the Fish, a rock band he formed in college for which he has served as lead singer and guitarist. The band enjoyed touring the Western United States and once opened for Dave Matthews. Steve said he always had a favorite tune running through his head as he envisioned the ball splitting the uprights.

"Paul Whitthorne – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir, Advanced Vocal Ensemble and varsity soccer team (where he captured a state championship) Paul had leading roles in school productions including Freddy in My Fair Lady, the title role in Snoopy and Tony in West Side Story. Continuing on to UCLA’s renowned Film and Theatre School, he subsequently received theatrical training as part of Julliard’s Group 24. Having starred in Young Riders and Critters 4, Paul appeared as Bradley in Guiding Light as well as in several other television shows and commercials. Broadway credits include The Tempest. His extensive Off-Broadway work has included the New York Shakespeare Festival at Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre where he shared the stage with Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart. "

Thank you, Dr. Ashcraft! If you have a "Famous Student Story" to share, please email it to ElizabethL@menc.org.

It's another busy week here at MENC, so that's it from me today. Onward! -- EWL

Tuesday News

Last week's media blitz coinciding with the release of the Harris Poll connecting music education with advanced studies and higher education is still reverberating! If you haven't already, check out MENC"s "social media" site with photos and video from the November 12 event at the National Press Club. We've had print, radio, and TV mentions galore in the last week, and lots of Web sites are picking up the story.

We had some great reaction in the blogosphere to the poll. The American Bar Association Law Journal "Law News Now" picked up the story with an article called "How Did Music Education Influence Your Life, Career?" The comments posted by lawyers are revealing and gratifying! (Thanks to former MENC staffer PK for the heads up on that article.)

I was very excited to go on Capitol Hill visits last Tuesday. MENC and Steven Van Zandt were checking in with important decision makers (Edward Kennedy, Mitch McConnell) to encourage them to consider our requests for the NCLB reauthorization and to tell them about Steven's music education foundation and curriculum plans. Steven was stopped by staffers, security guards and Senators at every turn, and it was cool to be in the halls of Congress, where I had not been since a stint as an intern many, many, many years ago.

I enjoyed spending some time with MENC member Joe Pignato, who is writing the curriculum for "Little Steven's Rock & Roll High School," and Warren Zanes, musician, educator and head of Steven's Rock & Roll Forever Foundation. Both very interesting fellows. That's Joe on the left, Warren on the right, as we made our way through a Senators' lunch gathering.

Here's a photo from our meeting with the two Senators from New Jersey. Lots of professional photogs and reporters. You can see fellow blogger CW, MENC Deputy Executive Director MB, Warren Zanes, and Joe Pignato behind NJ Senator Robert Menendez and Steven Van Zandt.

Now I'm back in the office trying meet a million deadlines before we break for Thanksgiving. I'll leave you with more music education in the media! MENC staffer LB alerted me to the following and I thought you might find it interesting. In Frank Deford's segment on NPR's Morning Edition last week, he mentioned that he had been criticized for suggesting that sport should be held in the same high regard as art. He shared some of the more restrained comments he received. We wonder if any of them were from MENC members?

Onward! -- EWL

Tuesday Whirlwind!

Hello! MENC had an exciting media event in Washington DC yesterday! The occasion was the release and dissemination of results from a brand new Harris Poll on the impact of music education on our society. The report links music education to advanced studies and higher incomes. "Little Steven" Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen band member and "The Sopranos" star) was there to lend his support to the poll release and to talk about his efforts to support music education through his Rock & Roll Forever Foundation. The release of this poll is timely, given MENC's recent efforts to improve music education's standing in the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act currently being debated by Congress.

Dr. Mahlmann was interviewed extensively by the Washington Post and other reporters. The New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR, and many others were in attendance. CNN carried the press event live on their channel that is aired in airports, etc. Great exposure for the cause of music education!

I'm off to Capitol Hill to help out with some visits to key members of Congress. Fellow blogger CW (govt relations director) and our deputy executive director MB will be joined by Steven Van Zandt for these meetings. More to come!!

Onward!! EWL

Election Day Tuesday

It's a chilly, windy, drizzly morning here in Reston, VA. (A former MENC blogger just e-mailed me to ask why it always seems to rain on election day, at least here in the East?) However, blue sky is peeking through the clouds as the morning goes on. Perfect November weather ... this is why this month is one of my favorites. Today I'm going to be working on recording and editing our next podcast, doing an annual review, having the Weekly Web Meeting, drafting a promotional letter for our national conference, analyzing the first responses from the online Web site focus group, etc. etc. etc. ... plus today is the day MENC has arranged for interested staff to get flu shots right here in the building. So let's move on straight way to another Famous Student Story!

MENC member Patti Dunham of Sea Cliff, NY writes:

"One of the things all music teachers hope for is that their students will find their dreams. We want to pass on what we’ve learned to help them pave their way. Nikki Blonsky, star of the feature film Hairspray, has fulfilled that dream for me.

"I am a singer and voice teacher from Sea Cliff. I owe everything to the public school music program. I came from private elementary school, where there was no music program. When I joined the Hicksville High School Chorus, I knew I had found a home. I was lucky enough to sing with Billy Joel, who sang bass and entertained us with his bands. He was also a great educator. He’d take us to the piano, assign notes and movie us up and down naming the chords – my first theory lesson.

"I earned a degree from Fredonia and pursued a career in music, touring with the Philip Glass Ensemble, Ensemble for Early Music, Midsummer Night’s Swing Big Band at Lincoln Center and as a chorister with the New York Philharmonic. I am now a teaching artist for the Tilles Center for the Arts School Partnership.

"Nikki Blonsky had a marvelous voice when she came to me at age 12. She always had the instrument of someone much older. We worked hard on both her pop and classical voice to maintain a healthy balance and never do any damage. A sound vocal technique is more important than ever with the difficult style young singers sometimes have to perform. Pop, Rock and Broadway demand a lot of “belting” which really has to be used judiciously.

"Nikki sang “Hero” for many firefighters after September 11. Her family always took her wherever she was needed to give comfort with her song. Dr. Levy from Great Neck South encouraged her to sing the roles of Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” and “Carmen” in their High School productions.

"Nikki is a natural actress. When I saw her up on the screen in “Hairspray”, it was a surreal experience. I was so thrilled that someone who is so talented and hard working finally got what she deserved in such a tough field. She’s now filming her third movie.

"I was inspired by another local student from the Public School Music Program who passed it onto me. Now Nikki is an inspiration to every young singer. Follow your dream, work hard, and SING!"

Want to tell blog readers about your famous student(s)? We want to hear about scientists, mathematicians, humanitarians, authors, athletes, businesspeople, etc. as well as musicians! Send info to ElizabethL@menc.org.

Tuesday Catch-Up

I'm a little behind this morning on account of not finishing some things I'd planned to tackle last night .... on account of watching four HOURS of television! The Sundance channel ran the 238-minute new Peter Bogdanovich documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When I started watching it at 7:00 p.m., I figured I'd just watch a little bit, since I already know probably more than I need to know about Tom Petty and have seen him live numerous times. But it was so enjoyable to hear so much music that I like so much that I just kept watching! The guy has really had a amazing career -- one forgets how many years he's been producing great tune after hit. I just love the sound of his records. And ... he's a pretty laid back guy for someone who has been in a band with a Beatle and Bob Dylan! The film is airing again this weekend on Sundance if you're interested.

I'm hearing from a lot of members this week as we launch an informal focus group on the topic of MENC's Web site. To be in the focus group, you just have to be an MENC member who wants to participate! Basically, the way it works is -- I send out a question via e-mail about Web site usage and wait to hear back from everyone. Not the most scientific approach, but a decent (and inexpensive) way to get input from members around the country who certainly could not travel to MENC for a real focus group.

My department has also grown this week as production department members YK, KR, and MM have been added to the communications/public relations/marketing group. So we're spending some time working out the details of that development.

I'll leave you today with another Famous Student Story!

MENC member Kate Fioravanti, Arts Director and Head Teacher at [ISAAC] Interdistrict School for Arts And Communication in New London, CT, writes:

"Cassie Ventura was among the members of our first class at our brand new charter school, the Interdistrict School for Arts And Communication (ISAAC). She was our school president and graduated as an eighth grader in 2000. I was her music teacher for 3 years, and also directed the opera in which she was a composer.

"I knew she had gone on to be an accomplished model, but was excited when I found out she had a Billboard Top 100 hit, "Me & U" (rose to #3 and was the #1 song for airtime in summer of 2006) and is being represented by Tommy Mottola. She dropped her last name and is simply known as Cassie. Her album came out last summer and she is working on her next one.

"She also came in to our school this March and spoke to the kids, giving much credit to her roots at ISAAC. Her upcoming project is a dance competition and a movie, where she is seeking other talented dancers. We are very proud!"

Want to tell blog readers about your famous student(s)? We want to hear about scientists, mathematicians, humanitarians, authors, athletes, businesspeople, etc. as well as musicians! Send info to ElizabethL@menc.org.

Onward - EWL

Tuesday News

Another busy week is underway. I have seven major meetings on the calendar. So today, I just want to do two things in my post.

First, I'd like to congratulate MENC member Linda White on being chosen for the USA Today All-USA Teacher Team. Linda happens to teach in Fairfax County, VA, where MENC is also located. You can learn more about Linda from this video clip that was shown on one of our local news channels last week.

Second, I want to introduce a new feature to "Inside MENC" -- "Famous Student Stories." In the weekly member update e-mail, we recently asked MENC members if they'd like to share stories about students they taught who went on to become famous, in music or in other fields. Here's the first one!

Ken Kemmerer, band director at Muhlenberg Elementary in Reading, PA, writes:


"My most famous student, Mark Maimone, helped develop and run the NASA mission, which sent the Mars Rover to Mars in order to further explore the surface of the red planet.

"He was a fine trumpet player and singer at our high school and continued to perform in college (Carnegie Mellon University). He also still performs in the southern California area. He is into vocal jazz and also performs in the NASA-based Jet Propulsion Labs big band known as the 'Big Band Theory.' It speaks volumes that many of the engineers at JPL are enthusiastic and quite accomplished musicians.

"When he was elected into the Hall of Fame for North Plainfield HS, North Plainfield, NJ, he invited me to attend the dinner and ceremony. I was indeed honored to find out that he felt his music teachers shaped his development as much as his science and math teachers.

"I had a feeling he would make it big in the space field after I found out that he had seen Star Wars 20 times! This was back in the day before VHS/DVDs and you actually had to go to the theater to see the movie!"


Watch for more "Famous Student Stories" on future Tuesday blogs. And if you have one to share, please e-mail ElizabethL@menc.org .

Onward! -- EWL

Tuesday To Do List

Yesterday evening before I left work I prepared a meticulous to do list for Tuesday, planning to hit it bright and early today. Silly me! My car died last night and this has complicated my work day. So I'm actually writing from the repair shop and wishing I had brought my to do list with me. At least I am able to answer e-mail from here. Amazing - there is free wifi in the customer lounge (though I guess "free" is relative to the amount I will be forking over shortly for the repair).

I do know that my To Do list included: getting back to a potential corporate member about why her company should join MENC; proofreading the MIOSM 2008 brochure so that it can get sent off to the printer; reviewing final news stories for December Teaching Music; having a meeting with my fellow MENC bloggers on the six months of "Inside MENC"; sending out an email to all K-8 members about the submission deadline extension for WLC videos; composing a message to MENC university-level members about this year's Collegiate program; having the weekly Web meeting; and following up with a Washington Post reporter with a music education question. So I will be hitting all that very soon, I hope!

I heard from my nephew last night that his first band concert of the year is tonight. His morning rehearsal is at 7:40 a.m. and the concert is at 7:00 p.m. In between, he has school of course, and then he is a volunteer roadie who will be helping with concert set up. Then, homework when he gets home. That is a long day for a 7th grader.

I'll close now and if anything interesting happens this afternoon, I'll update!

Onward - EWL

Tuesday Brief

Kind of quiet day here, though with the usual full slate of meetings. A few people are fighting colds, or have given in and have stayed home. I have a number of staff celebrating their MENC anniversaries over the past few weeks or coming right up ... which means, performance reviews! So I've been spending a good amount of time on this task.

Last week's Peter Case show was excellent -- we were able to sit very close to the front to get the full effect of his brilliant guitar playing. Great performances of his original songs with a Dylan and Procol Harum cover thrown in here and there. This coming weekend, Nerissa and Katryna Nields are back in town. Then it's a bit of dry spot until January unless something new and exciting is announced. (Or of course, if you don't count my godson's violin recitals or my nephew's jazz band performances.)

Onward ~~

Tuesday Report

We've been in some intensive meetings the last few weeks about how we're going to improve our Web site to meet the increasing needs of our members. Later today I have a conference call to hash out some of the final details before we can begin this gigantic project. I am very excited about the developments that we're going to be able to share with you over the next several months.

The meetings have made clear to me (even more clear than it already was) how fast Web technology changes and how hard it is to keep up! Technology in music education is no different. Here are two blogs published by MENC members from which I've learned a lot recently:

The Digital Music Educator -- Owen Bradley, North Port High School, FL

MUSicTECHnology.net -- Joe Pisano, Grove City College, PA



Do you have a blog you'd like other MENC members to know about? E-mail me at elizabethl@menc.org.

Nothing clears the mind for me like great live music. Last week's Marty Stuart show at the Birchmere was A+++++ spectacular. What a musician -- and what an entertainer! Really knows how to work the crowd! He and his three piece band, the Fabulous Superlatives, alternated between telecaster-heavy country (songs like "The Whiskey Ain't Working" and "Hillbilly Rock") and bluegrass with fantastic gospel harmonies ("Working on a Building"). And Marty has a wonderful regard for country music history that he shared with the audience through numerous stories. For instance, Marty was Johnny Cash's longtime next door neighbor and at the Birchmere he performed a song they'd written together just a few days before Cash's death. (It was about being a hangman, which they'd decided what the worst job anyone could have.) Later on, Barry Gibb bought the Johnny Cash house (which subsequently burned down, but he's going to rebuild) and Marty and his band thought they'd better learn a Bee Gees song for the housewarming. So we were treated to a full bluegrass treatment of "Stayin' Alive." Fabulously superlative indeed.

A show I'm looking forward to later this week is Peter Case at a small club called Jammin' Java. Peter is a great songwriter whose new album features a guest spot by one of my all time faves, Richard Thompson.

Well, better get back to Web stuff. Also, collegiate promotions, review of our forthcoming catalog of MENC specialty items, etc. etc. etc.

Onward!!! (with plenty of twang, if at all possible!)