Welcome to Hal Peterson Music Publications. We hope that you will find our publications useful in your teaching and performing endeavors, and that you will find the information contained on this site helpful in answering questions you may have about technology. Take advantage of our on-line question and answer forum about technology issues, which will be updated periodically.
This letter will also be revised periodically, to provide you with information you might not be aware about technology issues of concern to educators and opportunities to acquire hardware and software. The more you work to provide instruction and access to technology in your classrooms, the more information you will need, so I encourage you to check back here and other sites providing information on the Internet on a regular basis.
There will be a number of opportunities available
this year for acquiring technology for your music programs, but you must
look for them, and be ready to meet application deadlines and prepare a
plan that justifies what you intend to do. California's digital high school
program will continue, and another set of schools will be drawn in a lottery.
If your school is picked, get involved. It is a lengthy and time consuming
process, and some of the schools that were picked last year may have lost
out because they didn't make and resubmit all of the constant revisions
required by the state bureaucracy. (They don't just give you the computers;
I think you pay for them by the word!) Other programs like the PC Smart
Valley program offer less equipment, but are easier to write up. If you
must go the grant route to get your equipment, remember that nobody gives
you equipment without strings attached, whether it be participation in activities,
training sessions, or staff development. Many technology corporations like
Hewlitt-Packard offer grants to schools consisting of equipment and software.
Should you need written resources to assist you, many of the publications available from
this site can provide you with information about what types of hardware
and software you will need, types of instructional activities you can implement,
and curriculum models that are already successfully being used.
Another way to go, if you are in an area where there is a lot of parent
support for your program, is to enlist this support in the pursuit of technology
equipment. Most corporations donate equipment or provide small grants that
you can take advantage of to acquire a computer or purchase a synthesizer.
They usually give preference to schools where their employees' children
attend. If you have a parent's group that is good at fundraising, why not
plan a fundraising activity to raise capital for technology equipment. When
you have some money in hand, you can ask for matching funds. This is often
impressive to the corporate committee that decides who receives funding,
because matching grants show that there already is community support behind
the request.
Finally, I recommend that you plan to attend conferences and training sessions
for music educators. Look for technology sessions sponsored by national,
state, and regional affiliates of the Music Educators National Conference.
Other types of technology conferences, like the Computer Using Educators
(CUE), or MacWorld, are not arts specific, but you can find sessions
relevant to your needs, plus a lot of information just perusing the vendor
booths. Many colleges and universities have classes that you can take through
their extension progams which will provide you with training and hands-on
experience you need to build and upgrade your technology skills. Although
there are too many of these to mention here, it easy to get information
about these classes by contacting them directly or looking at their web
sites.
Best wishes,
Dr. Hal Peterson
Hal Peterson Music Publications
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