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Musique
Savante™ |
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Winter
2010 |
News
Issue No. 7 |
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In This Issue · Hi from
Musique Savante · Notes from an
Inventor: Karen Koch · One More
Thing · Next Issue Contact Us Phone: 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 |
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. ©Musique Savante, Winter 2010 |
