In This Issue

• Hi from Musique Savante
• Inventing a Music Game:  or, Are You Crazy?
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Hi from Musique Savante!                         
It’s that busy time of year for teachers, trying to complete all scheduled classes and to see that our students have received the instruction that we’d planned for them.  And then, of course, is the issue of spring.  It’s hard for lots of students to concentrate in the warmer days of late spring.  As if our job isn’t challenging enough!

I hope that in your music classes “Toss-a-Tune” has been a refreshing antidote to “spring fever” in the class.  May your students always smile when playing this game.

This is the inaugural newsletter for Musique Savante.  In choosing a topic, the obvious one for me is “Inventing.”  So many teachers have approached me about the process of inventing, that in this and in some subsequent issues of the Newsletter I’ll address some very common areas of inventing a music game.  I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Inventing a Music Game: or, Are You Crazy?

Introduction
“Did you know the doo-hickey was invented by a teacher---and he made a MILLION DOLLARS!”
“I heard that the what-sit was invented by a housewife and she made A FORTUNE!”
“They say the double-whammy was invented by a homeless person and now he’s WORTH BUZZILLIONS!”

So, you’ve got a great idea for a music game and are ready to cash it in for the big bucks.  What to do?  I’ve been creating music games for a few decades and finally decided to take it to the next level—marketing and sales.  After all, everyone who has played the games loves them.  Why not?

I am an inventor. A few years ago I decided to make my games available to other music teachers, and so began my journey of learning how.
The following is a short history of what I’ve been through, in hopes that if you also want to “follow the dream,” you might have an easier time of it.

Chapter 1: The Basics
First, let’s boil it down to some common sense proverbs:

  1. Follow your dream.
  2. Keep it simple.
  3. Don’t be foolish.
1) Follow Your Dream.
  1. Everyone ought to take a chance, now and again, and try a new venture.  That    said, lots of people will try to discourage you.  Not to worry, you can take this step by step.
  2. Buy an inventor’s notebook.  This has to be a bound (no removable pages) blank page book in which either all the pages are pre-numbered, or you have numbered every one.  This provides a time-line of your process.  No one can say that you added a different page to try and claim that you were first to, for example, invent the electric light.  Write in ink, date every submission and do not add information after the fact.  Occasionally have another person sign and date it.  When you meet with potential vendors, have them sign and date it as a record of your meetings.
  3. Join an inventor’s council.  I live north of Cincinnati, OH, and we have a wonderful Inventors Council that meets monthly.  For the $60 annual fee I get to hear speakers from all aspects of the inventors/marketer’s world, and we usually chat at dinner before every meeting.  I’ve met a lady who has rheumatoid arthritis and invents gadgets to help physically impaired folks, former Proctor & Gamble engineers who have multiple patents, someone who re-invented the chess game, a bake ware inventor who sells through the Wilton Company, and another person who designs pet clothing.  A few are successful, a lot are not but keep coming back to be wiser inventors.

I read an article about the lady who was first to make and sell clothing for those concrete lawn geese of which we have a plethora, here in the mid-west.  The article said that she felt it would be a passing fad, and just wanted to make some money before it was yesterday’s news.  Now, that was a few years ago, and people STILL dress their concrete geese, but that’s not the point.  It’s okay to jump on board a passing ship if you’re okay with the fact that you might have a short-lived dream.

2) Keep it simple.

Remember that a simple game might be more attractive than a complex one, especially if it is for younger children. 

3) Don’t be foolish.

  1. Do not, under any circumstances, discuss your product with anyone, for any reason without having them sign a confidentiality agreement.  If you do, you might as well invite them to steal from you.  I’m not being cynical, just realistic.
  2. Here’s a contradiction: be passionate about your product/ don’t assume others will share that passion.  At one particular Inventors Council meeting, our guest speaker was Doug Hall, founder of Eureka! Ranch.  He was also a judge on the first season of the “America’s Next Top Inventor” television show.  He offered to review, for free, the ideas of each IC member if submitted that month.  Then something unexpected happened---he was heckled by a member of the audience.  Apparently this fellow had auditioned for the show and was rejected.  He wanted to know if Doug would just reject the idea again, and he was angry at not being chosen to go on in the competition. Of course, after the meeting I immediately went online to look up his invention and there was the unfortunate audition on YouTube.  So it’s important to take criticism with grace and be willing to re-evaluate from time to time.
  3. Read as many music game catalogs as you can and search online for games that are similar to yours.  This gives an indication of what teachers are buying, and for what price.  This kind of research helps to keep you grounded in reality.
  4. Early on, you’ll want to contact SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).  They’ll assign a free counselor to you who will tell you the steps to take in your venture. They’ll steer you to free or inexpensive classes on every aspect of this process.

Next Issue

In the next quarterly installment of the News will be Chapter 2: Can’t You Just Make It For Me?

Also, if you have a humorous story about your students and “Toss-a-Tune,” or any other funny comment or situation involving your music students, send it to me at info@musiquesavante.com and I might be able to include it in future newsletters.

Until then, I wish you success with end-of-year activities, and a refreshing summer.

Susan Kight, M.Mus.Ed.
www.musiquesavante.com
©Musique Savante, May 2008