Violinist.com - so much more then a discussion board.

As I haven't been to the website violinist.com in many months, I thought I would post the link in hopes of remembering it more often in the future for reference as it is a good gathering place of sorts for many people I know to keep in touch and share stories, thoughts, and information. It has grown quite a bit since the beginning days when the people who started the site actually acknowledged me in a post (awww http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20043/1134/) to this huge amazing site with links, promotions, and advertising for teachers and luthiers, etc.

http://www.violinist.com/index.cfm

Someone emailed this link to me from the site which prompted my visit this evening - they were teasing me of course, about my happening to play the violin and the viola ....
http://www.violinist.com/blog/stringsbyhope/20074/6821/


Enjoy!

Some interesting observations

Creating my webpage has been quite an adventure (?!) perhaps that is one way to put it. Previous experience with creating web based materials has been limited to changing color backgrounds on the blog - ooooooo yay. Seriously, most people, especially now, grew up with internet, computers, other such electronic devices (television, video games, computers, etc) I did not. So although I have a computer now and use the internet frequently (for checking email and uploading photographs to share with friends) I do not actually spend hours browsing the web for leisure, wandering around myspace, or browsing on youtube. I could probably count the amount of times I have actually ventured onto the youtube website on one hand. It isn't that I have a dislike for use of the internet, because yes, I have used it for ordering violin strings and last minute history class listening test studying...but I have no time, nor do I enjoy spending massive amounts of time glued to my laptop. Perhaps I grew up in a rare age or place where books and violin dominated anything and everything I do, which has seemed to form my habits, reservations, and internet fluidity at this moment. Right now I am attempting to upload and create my website in the form of a simple "visual resume" with information directly pertinent to a potential employer, rather for an exciting web experience full of visual stimulation and a form of entertainment. The purpose of the "visual resume" is to convey and contain information which would be found on a resume in a slightly more improved way which will support the various learning modalities. If a potential employer is more comfortable learning in a visual, kinesthetic, or auditory way those behaviors will carry over into the way that that person also wishes to obtain information. My website is designed to have the necessary information needed and present it in several different ways via a resume, photographs, biography, and sound bits directly relative to my work done in the field of music, violin, and music education. I was going to include some of the work I did on flash this semester, which both did and did not have anything to do with a "visual resume" theme, I decided to not include any of that work on my pages for a simple reason. Although many public businesses and large corporations have fantastically quick internet, the field of music education - especially the district within which I work has incredibly slow internet. In order to better facilitate the needs of possible employers within the demographic, location, and constraints of which I wish to communicate and promote my website is better serving my needs and my abilities as a web designer as being simple yet complex and straight to the point.

Pearls before Breakfast - ignorance or bliss...

Pearls Before Breakfast
Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.
By Gene Weingarten
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 8, 2007; Page W10

HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

Click below for the remainder of the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

Makes me rather curious how many musicians I have passed without regard or listening for one brief second...

Thoughts about flash...

Flash as a tool for music education can provide excellent online tutorials or organization for students in classrooms – easily adding materials to a website to help students document homework, keep recitals and performance dates accessible, and recordings to support home or rehearsal practices. As far as the web authoring aspect of developing web materials that support music education, both in the classroom and in private studio situations, having the knowledge of flash, dreamweaver, etc will enhance the learning experience. Online resources will benefit active parents as well, be able to create a jukebox or by adding sound files to a well developed studio website for the private teacher, will allow parents to listen to and download recordings from recent recitals.