March 16, 2005
School security nearly burns CD effort
Music House Museum School Daz promotion now available to area educators
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Sometimes a great idea takes a little tweaking.
Thinking of busy teachers and tapping high technology, members of the Music House Museum decided to make a picture compact disc to announce and promote their sixth annual School Daz 2005 program, titled "From Edison to iPod." In early February, they sent nearly 700 teachers in seven counties a CD about this educational opportunity for second- to eighth-grade students.
Then they waited for the phone to ring. And waited and waited.
With space for 1,600 kids during the two-week School Daz program, which is scheduled for late April, they grew concerned when just a few bookings came in. Turns out that most teachers were not allowed to view the information at their school computer due to security restrictions on outside material.
Sally Lewis, president of the Music House Museum, said that now teachers in the Traverse City Area Public Schools might access the information on the district's network, thanks to help from the district's media department. Teachers from other schools who received this disc could take it home to view or work with their media department for access.
"The other thing we did is it will be on our web site as of Monday," said Lewis of the non-profit organization's site www.musichouse.org
The organization tapped Miles Kaufmann, a senior at Traverse City Central High School, to put together the information into what he called a 'web site on a disc.' Kaufmann's father, Tom, an area musician and educator, is an integral part of the School Daz program and helped write the text accompanying the images on the disc.
Well versed in high technology, Miles Kaufmann has been developing web sites for a few years. Not yet sure where he wants to go to college or his course of study, though he has been accepted to the University of Michigan, Kaufmann pulled together the CD in two or three days early this winter.
"It was something that my dad had been talking about for a while and I wasn't really sure how I was going to approach it," he said. "I am a Mac user myself and I knew a lot of people viewing it would be using Windows, so that's why I gravitated to the web application because it was pretty easy to develop for both platforms."
The Music House Museum began School Daz in 1999 to share their unique collection of instruments and knowledge with area students. This year's program of "From Edison to iPod" has three components. First, students will learn how music makes sound and what technological innovations made music more accessible. They will tour the museum's extensive collection of automated instruments and make their own sounds on a range of instruments.
Next, the tour includes a round-up of recording technology and includes hands-on time with computers and electronic keyboards. Finally, students are encouraged to interview an older person on tape about memories of recordings and other automated music.
Every year during School Daz, museum curator Andy Struble enjoys watching the students relate to the old-fashioned instruments and technology.
"So many are used to the digital recording coming out of speakers, when they have the opportunity to make music themselves using actual instruments they are amazed," he said. "It's fun showing them things like records and how they used to work because most of these kids have never heard an LP not to mention an old wind-up Victrola."
The Music House Museum's School Daz runs Monday through Friday from April 18-29, except for Tuesday, April 26. The 90-minute tours are available for up to 60 students and teachers; museum personnel can pair up smaller groups when scheduling. Tour slots are scheduled for 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. Price is $4 per student with teachers and chaperones free. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Music House Museum at 938-9300.