Musique Savante


	Musique Savante™
Winter 2010	News Issue No. 7
In This Issue · Hi from Musique Savante · Notes from an Inventor: Karen Koch · One More Thing · Next Issue Contact Us Phone: 513-459-0912 Email: info@musiquesavante.com We Want To Hear From You! Share a funny student story with us. We may even print it for others to read. Click on link below to submit your anecdote. Did you miss a previous newsletter? Click here to view Spring 2008 Summer 2008 Fall 2008 Winter 2009 Summer 2009 Fall 2009 Winter 2010	Hi from Musique Savante! Around here people say “Where were you during the blizzard of ’79?” Believe it or not, the school where I taught general music closed for a month because of that snowstorm. Whether or not you’re snowed in or out-and-about during this time of year, I hope this issue’s interview is as enjoyable to read as it has been for me to write. The first 6 issues of the Musique Savante Newsletter dealt with the ups and downs of music game invention. Issue no. 7 includes an interview with Karen Koch, creator of the interactive product My Own Music History. One More Thing: Thanks to Mr. Lee Galloway, past president of the Music Teachers Association of California, who recently wrote to me, “I had two students who I was really worried about losing. I bought Toss-a-Tune with them in mind. At this week’s lesson they had almost too much fun with it. It was just an immediate success.” You can read more about Lee at www.leegalloway.com. Notes from an Inventor: Karen Koch Do you assume that all music game inventors began their careers as studio or classroom teachers? No so.....Karen Koch, owner of the successful Music Educators’ Marketplace, began career as a high school language teacher and administrator of a Montessori preschool. She worked on her Master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy (while being a mom to three children!). This, combined with the experience of having her own piano students, was the spark that ignited a question: how to teach music history to her young charges. Karen based her master’s thesis on this, and the result was her product My Own Music History. Here is more of what Karen had to say: Me: So, this was your first hands-on project. Karen: Yes, it’s not a game as such, but a kit for students to complete. It includes timeline charts with color-coding and stickers and an ongoing repertoire record of their studies. I was really interested in how to teach music history to my own students more effectively. Me: Tell me more about why you saw a need to create this. Karen: Usually I’d teach history to small groups using recordings of what we were studying. During one of these classes, I played an excerpt from a Mozart composition and asked if anyone knew who the composer was. Silence. Then one little boy, Nathan, suggested “Mozart?” He said that Mozart is the only composer he had heard of. Trying to maintain my enthusiasm I then asked “Do you know in which period Mozart lived?” Silence. Then Nathan suggested “Well, I think it was sometime before Grandpa, (pausing.....squinting his eyes).....and after Jesus?” That was my motivation to make music history relevant to what my students were practicing in their own repertoire. Me: Tell me about the original game, or prototype. Karen: The first version was made on canvas fabric from Wal-Mart, 15 feet long by 18 inches tall. That create-a-timeline was later miniaturized to fit into the students’ binders with their assignment books. Actually I experimented with this for about 5 years. Since this kit includes several types of material, manufacturers or printers for each type had to be chosen. Me: Stumbling blocks. Give me an example of one of yours. Karen: Several publishers considered taking on this kit, but they all declined because the product size and multiple components were not standard. This meant that production costs would be higher because it was so different from anything they were marketing. I decided to produce and market it on my own. Me: What other aspects of your company have you had to hire others to do? Karen: When I realized that the marketing of a product is expensive and must continue for years, I organized the Music Educators’ Marketplace as a cooperative venture with other teachers who have self-published materials, so we could share promotional costs and take advantage of the reach of the internet. I barter a lot. For example, our first website was created by one of my ex-students for college money. My current webmaster has been doing it in exchange for his children’s piano lessons. I’ve had to pay for graphic design and professional accounting help. Me: What is your greatest joy in being a music “game” inventor? Karen: Hearing from teachers who say that their students have loved My Own Music History. Seeing my students begin to understand how music history fits into their lives and the general history of the world. Having the opportunity to meet and share ideas with creative teachers and clinicians from all over the country at conferences and trade shows. Me: You’ve had so many experiences as an entrepreneur. If you had to choose some pieces of advice to pass on, what would they be? Karen: Crunch the numbers before investing in a product. Know who your target market will be and how you will reach them. Know the costs and time required for accounting, shipping, data entry and ad production. Early on I was advised to set the product's retail price by increasing the initial production cost by at least 150% to cover the other necessary costs, and I didn’t believe it. I do now. Karen summed up the impetus for creating like this: “Think of the student who gives you fits, and try to identify what the problem may be. Then you will have the motivation to create a game to help that student. I appreciate so very much having had the opportunity to speak with Karen, and to get a look into her many ventures! Next Issue Look for an interview with Michiko Yurko, the author of No H in Snake: Music Theory for Children and the owner of Music Mind Games. May you enjoy these winter months! Susan Kight, M.Mus.Ed. www.musiquesavante.com ©Musique Savante, Winter 2010