Over 68% of music educators are spending more than 10 hours per week prepping and planning for class in the new normal of virtual and hybrid learning environments. 12.4% are spending more than 20 hours per week.

If this sounds like you, we know you want your time back. We also know how to give it back.

Educators who use Practicing Musician spend an average of 2 hours per week on prepping and planning for class. Why? We provide all the materials you need in a format that you can distribute via the learning management system you already use.

Now we need to quickly create increasingly advanced content so that a greater number of educators can get their time back.

MEOLP was founded based on the simple notion that everyone has to do extra work this year, so we might as well organize our efforts. By organizing efforts, each individual does less work because no one has to reinvent the wheel.

Through your collaboration with our team and the educators who have already joined forces on this project, we can quickly create a completely free student AND teacher centered space for online music learning.

The process looks like this:

This isn’t a ploy to get free labor to build out our own library. The content you create will be owned by you—the educators—and our library will be available to you free of charge. Your content will never be available on our for-profit consumer side, but the entire library of content (ours included) will be downloadable for students who do not have internet access at home.

We have already created 17 out of 24 beginning concert band and orchestra “chapters” for almost all instruments. Finishing the remaining content will take only 60 days from start to finish. To clarify, our “beginning” is essentially the same scope and sequence as a year 1 method book. By the time we’re done, every music educator and music student will have asynchronous tools for beginning flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone/euphonium, tuba, percussion, violin, viola, cello, and upright bass.

Here is how that looks:

Beginning Low Brass Launch

We will provide step-by-step instructions and training to each volunteer and assign specific tasks so no one has to reinvent the wheel. Volunteer roles include:

1 – Project Manager

2 – Flute specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

6 – Oboe specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

6 – Bassoon specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Clarinet specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Alto saxophone specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Tenor saxophone specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Trumpet specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – French horn specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Trombone specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

3 – Baritone/euphonium specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Tuba specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

6 – Percussion specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Violin specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Viola specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Cello specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

2 – Upright Bass specialists to record video tutorials that we assign

5 – Video editors to edit the tutorials

6 – Sheet music composers/arrangers to begin composing/arranging for the intermediate concert band and orchestra projects

6 – Content managers to upload the video tutorials and sheet music to Practicing Musician’s site

6 – Curriculum coordinators to organize all video tutorials and sheet music into Google Slides assignments for easy distribution via any learning management system educators already know how to use

Click HERE to learn more about each role and volunteer for the beginning low brass portion of the Music Educator Online-Learning Project.

Spread the word to your colleagues. It’s a good thing if too many people volunteer, that simply means we may be able to release the content early!

This project is being led by Practicing Musician’s founder and CEO, Jake Douglass. Feel free to reach out to him at any time by emailing [email protected] or by calling (206)854-6076. He’s here to help.