Barton
Polot
is Professor of Music and head of music technology at Schoolcraft College
Michigan
Music Technology Conference 2002
Thursday 17 January
8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Washtenaw Intermediate
School District
Ann Arbor
Saturday
4 May
8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Forest Park H.S.
Crystal Falls
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 BARTON
POLOT
  n
2000, Governor John Engler and the Michigan State Legislature established
the Michigan Teacher Technology Initiative,
a bold and visionary $110 million appropriation for the one-time purchase
of personal computers, software, remote Internet access and Web-based
professional development for the state's K-12 teachers. In 2001, the state
provided new computers — desktops and laptops, PCs and Macs —
to more than 90,000 Michigan teachers, including the majority of its music
teachers.
The theme of the 2002 Michigan Music Technology Conference is "Tools
for Teaching Music" — how you can use your windfall computer
to make music teaching more effective, more efficient, and more creative.
 This
year's keynote speaker is an individual who understands the personal computer
and its vast and varied music education toolset. He is Floyd Richmond
of West Chester (PA) University, and, perhaps as well as anyone in the
field, he conveys the potential of those tools in a way that stimulates
excitement among music teachers.
To maximize Dr. Richmond's role in the conference, the conference center
computer lab will be used this year for breakout sessions, allowing participants
to engage in hands-on instructional activity.
We are quite pleased to continue our collaboration with Lentine's
Music of Akron, OH. Lentine's maintains a powerful commitment to music
education technology. Not only will they be providing computers, synthesizers
and clinicians to the Michigan Music Technology Conference on January
17, Lentine's will also be sponsoring and maintaining MSBOA's Hands-on
Room at the 2002 Midwestern Conference January 18-19.
Yes, the conference is heading north again. Despite previous assurances
that the 2001 Crystal Falls conference was a one-time visit to the Upper
Peninsula, its success warranted staging a repeat visit in 2002. The Crystal
Falls conference will feature keynoter Floyd Richmond and our full stable
of presenters. The U.P. conference is scheduled for Saturday 4 May. Watch
this Web site for additional information, and expect an additional mailing
in the spring.
 Ann
Arbor Conference, Thursday 17 January
The Washtenaw
Intermediate School District will again serve as host and co-sponsor
in Ann Arbor. Previous attendees know these facilities to be an ideal
setting for this high-tech event. Its conference rooms are versatile and
are wired for audio, video, distance learning and connectivity. Its computer
laboratory maintains 12 Pentium PCs and 12 Power Macintoshes
for instruction and hands-on exploration. Parking is ample, on-site, and
free.
Crystal Falls Conference, Saturday 4 May
Forest Park High School will
serve as host for the U.P. conference. The school will provide a large room
for the opening general session, several rooms for breakout sessions, and
a hands-on computer lab. Parking is ample and free. Crystal Falls is central
to the Upper Peninsula, approximately a four hour drive from the Macinac
Bridge.
In previous years attendance in Ann Arbor has surpassed two hundred.
In order to maintain a smooth operation for what promises to be one the
most popular conferences yet, we are limiting attendance at each conference
to two hundred participants, and will provide lunch only for pre-registrants.
You will want to pre-register.
Expect to see a conference
brochure in your mailbox shortly. In it you'll find a complete list
of events
and presenters,
directions
to both sites, and a pre-registration
form. Additional information and registration forms are available
from MSBOA and the Michigan
MusicTech Web site. Please register early and tell your colleagues
and friends. Registration, including lunch, costs just $35.
The Michigan Music Technology Conference is Thursday, January 17, 2002,
in Ann Arbor and Saturday, May 4, 2002, in Crystal Falls. Both conferences
are 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
The conference is presented by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra
Association (MSBOA), the Michigan Music
Educators Association (MMEA),
the Michigan School Vocal Music Association (MSVMA)
and the Michigan chapter of the American String Teachers Association (MASTA).
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