Palen Music Center Quick Note Monday, February 25, 2008   The PMC Quick Note is a weekly service provided to all area directors.  It is part of our mission to support the lives of band directors across the Midwest.  The weekly Quick Note contains helpful tips and suggestions from area directors, spotlights on area college and university band programs, calendars of upcoming events, advocacy articles promoting music education, links to helpful web resources, and much more.  Comments, suggestions, ideas, and articles are always welcome.   Looking for help on a particular topic? Be sure to check out our Quick Note Catalog of back issues.

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Wonderful Music Listening Site
If you are not familiar with Pandora.com, you should be. This is a great way to listen to music...for free...online. The feed is very high quality, and free of audio commercials. There are small ads on the main screen, but you can move Pandora to the background or minimize your browser to enjoy uninterrupted music of your choice.

First, go to www.pandora.com and create an account by entering your email address and password.

Second, type in the name of your favorite artist, or your favorite song. Pandora will match other similar artists (or songs) to your listening list. As you listen, you can give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the music it selects. Your choices will customize your settings and the computer will "learn" what type of music you enjoy. You can even create multiple "stations" and then set up a QuickMix to shuffle between artists.

Since most of your students have computers with Internet access, this is a great tool for exposing them to new music. It is perfect for jazz directors! Open your students' ears to the world of jazz icons like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Count Basie, legends like Phil Woods and Maynard Ferguson, or contemporary artists like Pat Metheny. All of this at no cost to them. The site has pre-set genre stations for classical, country, or even metal hair bands!

Although you cannot rewind or save the music you are enjoying, Pandora will link you to Amazon and iTunes for purchases. Check it out!

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Contact Your Local Palen Music Center

Can we assist you with anything?  Please contact your local Palen Music Center school road representative for all of your music education needs.