Online Music Lessons

Earlier this month, in the education section, the New York Times briefly profiled online music lessons available through Connexions.

The profile focused on Catherine 'Kitty' Schmidt-Jones who at the time had 7 of the top 20 modules on music on the Connexions web site.

In her modules, Ms. Schmidt-Jones explains in spare, dry prose nearly every corner of music, from theory to gamelans to guitar technique to what a parent should know about playing in school bands to the best way to practice.

...

“I just kind of write about whatever I’m interested in,” Ms. Schmidt-Jones says in an interview. She studied the French horn in high school and at Rice, where she received a degree in music and in chemistry. She teaches music in Champaign, Ill., where her husband is a professor at the University of Illinois.

She lives right next door apparently! (Champaign is the city where the mayor goes to Tea Party rallies and questions the President's citizenship; I proudly live in Urbana.)

I have several started-but-never-finished music theory books on my shelf (right next to numerous started-but-never-finished books on playing guitar). I look forward to starting Ms. Schmidt-Jones' series of online lessons soon!