It’s TI:ME For New Jersey!

By James Frankel

The Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) is an organization whose mission is to assist music educators in applying technology to improve teaching and learning in music. With over 1,200 members, it is the largest organization aimed at music technology in the country. I have had the pleasure of sitting on the Executive Board of TI:ME for the past three years, and currently chair the State Chapters Committee, sit on the Publications Committee, and write the monthly email newsletters. Most teachers know that TI:ME is an organization that offers courses during the summer that lead to certification in all aspects of music technology. Many New Jersey music educators have taken these courses over the past ten years, and those who I speak to always have the extremely positive experiences.

TI:ME also offers many conference opportunities around the country, including a conference this past October in conjunction with Music Player Live! in New York City. This upcoming year, TI:ME will host conferences in Indianapolis, Boston, and Columbus, Ohio. For a complete listing of conferences, please visit www.ti-me.org/ conferences2007.html. These conferences feature many music technology experts as well music technology focused companies. If you’ve never been, you should check one out.

While TI:ME has been around since 1995, there have not been very many course offerings in our area (Villanova in Philadelphia, PA and Five Towns College on Long Island are the closest). Additionally, some members are not able to get the necessary release time or funding during the school year to travel to a TI:ME conference. In addition to TI:ME members in New Jersey, our Executive Director, John Dunphy, was hearing similar things from members in other states. With this in mind, he decided to pursue the formation of individual State Chapters.

TI:ME State Chapters

In January of 2006 TI:ME held their national conference in conjunction with FMEA in Tampa, FL. At this conference, a group of dedicated Florida TI:ME members got together with John Dunphy and TI:ME President Tom Rudolph to form the very first State Chapter of TI:ME. In February, Texas TI:ME members created their own State Chapter, and we here in New Jersey formed a State Chapter of TI:ME at the NJMEA In-Service Conference. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania followed in March. The mission of the TI:ME State Chapters is to assist music educators in applying technology to improve teaching and learning in music by providing resources targeted at the local level. It is the goal of the TI:ME State Chapter Committee to form chapters in all 50 states over the next few years. We believe that these State Chapters will be able to serve our members throughout the school year with web-based discussion boards and lesson plans, offering TI:ME courses during the summer, and eventually hosting conferences of their own either in conjunction with their local MEA conferences or as stand-alone events. Membership in each State Chapter is included with the annual TI:ME dues. If you are a member of TI:ME, you are automatically a member of the State Chapter as well.

TI:ME New Jersey State Chapter

On Friday, February 24, 2006 at the NJMEA State Conference a group of TI:ME members from New Jersey got together to start the new state chapter of TI:ME. The officers elected included myself as Chapter President, Ms. Jill Marshall-Work as Chapter Vice-President, and Amy Burns (who was the 2005 TI:ME Teacher of the Year) as Chapter Secretary/Treasurer. Our main goals for our State Chapter include boosting membership, creating a website, creating an online discussion group, having a presence at our State Conferences, offering TI:ME courses locally during the summer, and hosting local conferences. Believe it or not, we are well on our way to achieving all of these goals.

First, we created an online discussion group through Yahoo. The purpose of this discussion group is to post questions for other members, get advice, share your teaching ideas, or to promote technology-related events. If you are already a TI:ME member, simply visit: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/njtime/ and sign up for membership. Next we created a preliminary website for the organization located at: www.nj-time.org. The purpose of the website is to provide members with useful information including lesson plans, upcoming course and conference information, and a link to the discussion board. We will be adding content (such as member created lesson plans) to the website as our membership grows.

TI:ME New Jersey State Chapter will have a booth at the 2007 NJMEA In-Service Conference to spread the word about TI:ME and the wonderful applications of technology in the music classroom. Please plan on stopping by to say hello. There are also tentative plans to host TI:ME courses right here in New Jersey through Villanova University.

TI:ME New Jersey Technology In-Service Conference

I have always wanted to get a conference together here in New Jersey that has been specifically geared for music technology. On October 26^th 2006 we will be hosting our first Technology In-Service Conference on October 26^th at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes. Conference highlights include a Keynote Address by TI:ME President Dr. Thomas E. Rudolph. Dr. Rudolph is one the most renowned experts in the field of music technology and is the author of many books and publications, including Teaching Music With Technology. There will also be a Hands-On Technology Lab run by SoundTree where conference attendees can preview many software titles; technology sessions by NJ music educators Amy Burns, Joe Cantaffa, and myself; workshops presented by Sibelius and SoundTree; and a free lunch! As an added bonus, TI:ME is a registered professional development provider for New Jersey so that we can provide valuable hours for teachers attending our conference. The cost to register for the conference is $25.00 for Current TI:ME Members and $40.00 for Non-TI:ME Members. For more information and to register for the conference, look at our advertisement in this month’s issue of Tempo, or visit www.nj-time.org. There will be on-site registration, but a quick email to let us know that you are attending will help us to plan for lunch.

Jill, Amy & I have been hard at work getting our TI:ME NJ State Chapter off the ground. We hope to see all of you at our upcoming conference or at the NJMEA Conference in February. As always, if you have questions about this or anything technology related, please feel free to email me at jtfrankel@hotmail.com.