How to Make Teaching Music Theory Meaningful, Accessible, and Engaging for Every Student Teaching Music theory can be a powerful for understanding how music works-but for non-majors, it’s often an intimidating or abstract requirement. These students may be passionate listeners or casual performers, but they don’t always arrive with formal training or a deep desire…

Connect For Education Online Music Lessons vs. Zoom: What’s Best for Playing Together Online? As music educators and students, one of the biggest challenges we face is this: Can we actually play music together online, in real time? The answer is: Yes-we can play music online, but with the right setup. Our team recently tested…

OnMusic Appreciation’s Newest Feature: Podcasts! Listen Your browser does not support the audio element. Connect For Education (C4E) is thrilled to introduce an innovative new way for students to engage with their online music courses- podcasts! Starting in Summer 2025, each lesson in the OnMusic Appreciation course, within OnMusic Companion (OMC), will feature a dedicated…

Checking the AI Checkers: Methods to Discourage Student’s Inappropriate Use of AI. The six (6) AI Checkers that I recommend to detect inappropriate use of AI are: experiment, policy, detection tools, focus on the process, review the sources, and communication. Keep reading to learn more about them. In 2020, I wrote an article for this…

How to help prevent asynchronous online students from learning less! Prior to discussing the five methods for preventing the delivery of absurd online classes, let us consider some contextual information. Because of my experiences as a student in as well as being a designer and teacher of asynchronous online courses, an opinion piece in Inside…

An American River College, Connect For Education, and Berklee College collaboration! American River College (ARC) Music Department is thrilled to announce to aspiring musicians, the Epic Trio, a dynamic new partnership with Berklee College of Music, one of the world’s leading institutions for contemporary music education. This collaboration will provide ARC students a direct pathway…

What can we do when there is a major disruption to online education? This article focuses on three disrupters of online education and ways to mitigate them. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person education, and online methods became the fallback measure so that teaching and learning could continue. But what can we do when there…

Facilitating Hard Copy Books into Digital Education Using physical books in online learning can be stressful for students. Imagine students registering for an online class scheduled to begin in a few days. They notice, either after enrolling or logging in when the course opens, that it requires the purchase of, or access to, print books…

Articulation agreements between academic institutions When colleges or universities agree to cooperatively recognize and accept the transfer of students’ academic credits toward specific degree programs, they have formed what is often called an Articulation Agreement. Such an agreement is a partnership that joins different institutions for specified degree programs. Articulation agreements, by definition, are between…

900% Increase in online learning since 2000 70% Students prefer online to traditional classroom 9.1% Online learning will have compound growth rate by 2026 60% Online learning increases student retention rate by 60% In today’s digital landscape, traditional textbooks often fall short in terms of convenience and affordability. However, the emergence of online music teaching…

Organize Your Music Curriculum The Ultimate Music Curriculum Design Toolkit provides music teachers with resources and tools to help them design and organize their music curriculum. It aims to help teachers get organized, prioritize their teaching goals, discover new possibilities, and help students succeed in their musical education. The toolkit includes resources on standards, essential…

How to Stay Competitive as a Music Instructor In this post, I’ll outline a list of 5 important skills that music teachers need to stay competitive in the technology age. The goal isn’t to become an expert in each skill but rather to establish a foundation upon which you can build. These skills will prove…

Enhancing Music Education through Technology Virtual instruments and music production software, such as GarageBand, Ableton Live, and FL Studio, provide students with the opportunity to explore and create music in a digital environment. These platforms offer a wide range of virtual instruments, effects, and recording tools, allowing students to compose, arrange, and produce their own…

The Cornerstone of Education Instructor-led training (ILT) has been a cornerstone of education for centuries, evolving with time and technology. Let’s explore the core elements of ILT, its advantages, and its future potential in the corporate landscape.  The Origins of ILT ILT traces its roots back to ancient Greece, where scholars like Plato and Aristotle…

Helpful Feedback from an unlikely source… Teachers want students to take and act upon their feedback. And students, generally, want feedback that is helpful and actionable for future assignments or for revising and resubmitting past assignments. So what kind of feedback will students heed and use? Articles and videos written and recorded by educators are…

Available Grants In today’s climate of budget cuts and dwindling prioritization of the arts in education, securing funding for music programs can be challenging. However, there are numerous grants available to support music education initiatives beyond what your school administration can provide. To ease your search, here is a list of ten music education grants…

The Benefits of Transitioning from Hard-Cover Textbooks to Digital Textbooks Gone are the days of driving to music lessons in the cold or dealing with rigid timetables. The rise of eLearning has revolutionized music education, offering diverse learning options that cater to individual preferences and schedules. From apps to live online sessions, here’s how online…

Discover How Online Learning Transforms Teaching Music The Ultimate Music Curriculum Design Toolkit provides music teachers with resources and tools to help them design and organize their music curriculum. It aims to help teachers get organized, prioritize their teaching goals, discover new possibilities, and help students succeed in their musical education. Cost Efficiency Traditional music…

Salary Prospects Music professors play a crucial role in academia, imparting knowledge, and shaping the next generation of musicians. Let’s explore the salary prospects for music professors in the United States.  Average Salary The median annual salary for postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers in 2023 was $100,840  Salary by Location: California: Average salary for…

Music Theory and Online Education As technology reshapes education, online learning has become increasingly prevalent, offering unprecedented access to resources and opportunities for students worldwide. Music theory lends itself well to online instruction, with a wealth of digital tools and platforms available to enhance learning. In this article, we’ll explore three great ideas for online…

Six Steps to Pursue Your Passion for Education and Music Becoming a music teacher is a fulfilling career path for those who are passionate about both music and education. Music teachers have the opportunity to inspire students, cultivate their musical talents, and foster a lifelong appreciation for music. If you’re considering a career as a…

Checking the Plagiarism Checkers What those Similarity Reports might not be telling you… Plagiarism is not a new phenomenon in education, but the widespread use of plagiarism checking tools by students, teachers, and institutions is fairly recent. It used to be up to teachers to discover plagiarism. Now, computer software and internet sites detect it…