LeadingNotes.Org
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On Tuesday February 15th 2011, LeadingNotes.Org, an online magazine dedicated to bridging the philosophy and practice of music education was launched. Launched by Justine Dolorfino and Nick Jaworski, LeadingNotes.Org attempts to offer a variety of viewpoints to give a broad perspective of the beliefs on philosophy and practice in music education. As stated in the site’s Mission Statement, “It attempts to supplement the already well-established music education online community by providing a platform for persons associated with the field to share their thoughts about teaching music in the 21st century. Our hope is that through making this content available, discussions about important topics in music education can be better facilitated.”
The State of Music Education
The inaugural issue of LeadingNotes.Org was given the theme “The State of Music Education”. Many articles are available on the site that address this issue. They range in variety from the need for the use of Music Technology and performance practice to Advocacy. I am honored to have been asked to write an article for this first issue of LeadingNotes.Org. You can find my article, entitled The Music Education Paradox, and many other great reads right on the homepage. LeadingNotes.Org is very established in social media networks, so check them out on Twitter (@Leading_Notes), like their Facebook group, and join their group at the MusicPLN!
Andrew Ritenour is a junior Music Education major at Grove City College in Grove City, PA. He is actively involved in many performing ensembles including brass quintets, concert bands, marching bands, and choirs. Andy plays Tuba and Euphonium and is the Brass/Marching Instructor for the Somerset Area HS Marching Band. You can find him on twitter at @andrewritenour. 
Hello, Andy! This is a very impressive blog! Thanks for joining the Music Educations Bloggers Tribe page on facebook!
I am going to check out LeadingNotes.org. I had no heard of it. Also, I am going to go read your article!
Will catch up soon, and am looking forward to following your blog!
Thanks for your comment! LeadingNotes.Org is a relatively new website set up kind of like an online magazine, in the sense that they have different “issues” where the site will be updated with a number of articles about one central subject. It is a great way to get a lot of opinions about whatever the subject is from a lot of credible sources.
My specific article covered the fact that there is a huge paradox in Music Education advocacy. There is tons of information out there about the importance of music for the student that is recognized by administrators and politicians yet we still see music education programs getting cut, now more than ever! My point was that we need to start holding these people accountable. If music education is important (as proven by research), then it is their responsibility to ensure that these opportunities are offered to every student! Just one of the examples of research that I referenced in my article found here – http://www.musica.uci.edu/mrn/V7I3F00.html#tells – is an example of how far our research is coming. This study doesn’t merely show correlation, but shows that music actually causes better results. As stated by the researcher from UCLA, “music integrated into 7th and 8th grade social studies is now linked to both better subject performance and better social behaviors and attitudes”
Thanks for reading – I hope to connect with you more!