On Wednesday, we taught the first class in a three-week course that we offer twice a year through Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation. Kyle and I brought the Abbott-y Blogcast camera with us to document the experience. You can see the result above. Pardon me if I sound gushy, but I was (and am) just so excited about helping all these folks get started playing music together! Several of them hadn’t ever played with others before. It was so rewarding!
Last year, we made some big changes to the class to make it easier to teach. Now, anyone can lead a class. No musical talent or teaching experience is required; only a basic understanding of the ToneWay Music Method and a willingness to learn and use the curriculum we’ve prepared. Read Become a Jam Coach for more information.
Don first wrote us in September of 2009, asking for information on getting a jam group going in his area. He told us:
I am 63. I’ve set around and accompanied myself on the guitar for years, just strumming and singing, giving little attention to timing or meter. About twice a year, I venture into some jam sessions. I do pretty good on songs I have down well like “Faded Love” or “Red River Valley”, but will tend to break time on other songs.
If you’ve been to our web site before, you may notice some changes. For starters, we have a new name: The ToneWay Project. Our “Mountain Music for Everyone” moniker will still be used on our materials and elsewhere, but the main name was changed to reflect the ongoing nature of our work.
In addition, we have a new, short, easy-to-remember website: ToneWay.com. I’ve been working on the new site since early 2009; much of the changes are “under the hood”, but there are some significant improvements to the JamPool so I hope that makes it even more useful going forward. There are also more changes on the way; more videos, some enhancements to the song collection, perhaps… suggestions welcome!
Finally, we have the new blog. What will show up here? Who knows. Stay tuned!
