Introducing the All-New MusicFirst Academy
Today I am SO proud to announce the relaunch of the MusicFirst Academy. We originally created this online professional development site for music teachers about 10 years ago, and with this relaunch, we are taking a BIG step forward in how music teachers can access meaningful, practical professional development. We brought on an amazing music educator, customer success expert and experienced online learning designer, Dr. Giovanna Cruz Pifano, this past Fall, and she has been building this amazing new platform ever since. It is built on the same philosophy that drives MusicFirst - tools created by music educators for music educators. The MusicFirst Academy focuses on helping teachers improve what they do every day in the classroom, not just explore ideas in theory. There are numerous courses on the various software titles we offer through the MusicFirst Classroom, as well as a course that I authored on Generative AI. Most of our courses are FREE! Many more courses are in the works, and we hope to become the go-to online platform for all aspects of music education.
The MusicFirst Academy is designed to solve a familiar problem: finding professional development that is relevant, flexible, and immediately useful. Too often, PD is disconnected from the realities of teaching band, choir, general music, or music technology. How many times have you sat through a generic PD session at your school that has nothing to do with music? How many times have you sat through the bloodborne pathogens training?? What we’re trying to do is offer a growing library of relevant courses built specifically for music educators, across a wide range of teaching situations and experience levels. Teachers using our brand new platform can expect to learn how to integrate technology into their teaching in practical ways. That includes using notation tools, digital audio workstations, and assessment platforms that are already part of many classrooms. The course offerings are structured to support real classroom needs.
Flexibility is another key part of our redesign. Music teachers are busy, and professional development has to fit into unpredictable schedules. The MusicFirst Academy allows teachers to learn at their own pace, revisit materials when needed, and focus on topics that are most relevant to their programs. We are launching with a variety of offerings, including 7 micro-courses, 5 short courses, 1 full length course, and webinar replays. All of the courses except the full length course are FREE to enroll and some of them include a certificate of completion that will apply towards any PD requirements set by your school, district or state. The full length course, which is titled AI in Music Education: An Overview of GenAI for Music Teachers include 5.5 hours of asynchronous instruction and is available for only $99. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a PD certificate to show their administration.
All courses are structured in a similar way - complete with a step-by-step sequence, including video instruction, discussion questions, and quizzes. The courses are self-paced and you can complete small sections whenever you have time. No need to sit through all 5.5 hours in one go. You can watch a 10 minute video, complete a short assignment, and move on to other things in your day. Your progress through each course is always saved so that you can come back to it and pick up where you left off. We also have something called Learning Pathways on the site that combine various micro courses focused on a specific aspect of music teaching. For example, if you are using the Performance Bundle from MusicFirst, you can take the Learning Pathway that will get you up to speed on all of the amazing tools that are included in that bundle.
The MusicFirst Academy is not just another collection of online courses. It is a professional development hub built specifically for music educators who want to teach more effectively, make better use of the technology they use on a daily basis, and ultimately help their students become stronger musicians. Huge congrats to Giovanna and the entire team on the launch of this brand new platform. Onwards!