Forward Motion

Elevate Your Musical Journey Online with Forward Motion!

Belonging is fundamental to being human. In our choirs, within our institutions, and as members of the greater chorus of humanity, belonging to a community means that each member is heard, understood, seen, and valued.

The 2023 National Conference in Cincinnati welcomed many of us in person to a place where we could celebrate our diversity and affinities, eliminate barriers, and inspire each other toward collective action ensuring that everyone feels they belong to our shared journey.

For those unable to join in person, select interest sessions are available online via Forward Motion compliments of ACDA & Forward Motion.

View the courses FREE at http://www.fwdmotion.org

FORWARD MOTION: Your Premier Online Music Learning Destination

🌐 Legacy of Excellence: Emerging from 25 years of global performance and educational prowess, Forward Motion is the proud brainchild of the musicians at Manhattan Concert Productions.

🎓 Esteemed Faculty: Our instructors aren't just any professionals—they're highly sought-after guest conductors, lecturers, and many hold the pinnacle of academic achievement with Doctorates from renowned US colleges and universities.

📖 Diverse Learning Categories: Whether you're into VOCAL, INSTRUMENTAL, MUSICAL THEATER, or GENERAL MUSIC, Forward Motion courses cater to all. Our offerings include:
+Self-paced asynchronous courses
+ Interactive, limited-seat Zoom classes by MCP
+Personalized one-on-one lessons and intimate masterclasses in performance, conducting, score study, and composition.

🎵 Flexible Access Options: Choose from a la carte content purchases or our tiered monthly subscriptions—LEARNER and SCHOLAR. Educators can also seamlessly integrate Forward Motion content into their course syllabi.

🎓 Educational Credits & Professional Development: Opt for courses enhanced with text materials for GRADUATE CREDIT, courtesy of our partnership with Dominican University of California. All our content fulfills PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT requirements, recognized by every state. Complete your course and receive a Forward Motion Professional Development Certificate.

Embark on an unparalleled musical journey with Forward Motion and propel your music and musicianship to soaring heights.

Join the community of learning and steer your musical aspirations forward!

Are you struggling to get the grants you need to achieve your goals?

Writing successful grant applications can be daunting, but with the right guidance, you can ensure your organization is getting the funding it needs.

Take advantage of the Forward Motion course,
"Grant Writing for Performing Arts Organizations" with Jennifer Rupp.

Jennifer is the President & CEO of Michigan Humanities and has created this course to help you learn the skills you need to write successful grant applications.

This course is available for Forward Motion MEMBERS and is also available for graduate credit!

Join Dr. Sandra Peter for a focused look at choral music composed by women.

All conductors--whether experienced, new in the field, or students--can benefit from this presentation and information.

Women are generally underrepresented as composers in our programming. The goal is to help broaden awareness of the available literature and encourage conductors to intentionally include women consistently.
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This course is available for FREE for a limited time on the Forward Motion website and is also available as Graduate Credit coursework through Forward Motion.

http://www.fwdmotion.org

Ready for a lane change?
We know you are -- that's why we created Forward Motion graduate coursework!

Why Forward Motion?

1: "Created by educators for educators"
Just take a look at our course catalog and you'll see that this is no ordinary roster of educators.
These are the people you line up to see present at conferences.
These are the composers and arrangers you see on your sheet music.
These are the authors of the books sitting on your shelf.
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2: "Affordability"
At only $185 per credit, you could do your full BA+15 or MA+15 and, in many districts, you would earn back what you paid in the first year!
With over 25 credits available through a fully-accredited university affiliate, you'll make more and take your teaching to the next level.
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3: "Flexibility"
We offer rolling enrollment so you can start anytime that works in your schedule. Plus, you have a full 365 days to complete the course.
You're busy. We get it.
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4: "Don't take my word for it..."
Just see what Amy from Minnesota said about it:
"Finally, a worthwhile way to earn Graduate Credits post Masters! I was often frustrated taking classes that had little to do with teaching choir, however, the classes here are GEARED toward working music educators. I feel as though I am at the National Convention with these All-Star educators teaching via video. I would recommend 100%! Fabulous investment!"

Learn more at
http://www.fwdmotion.org

The repertoire is out there!

Not only is Dr. Sandra Peter asking for reflection on your own repertoire selection, but she also provides practical suggestions including repertoire lists, articles, and more.

The number of fabulous works composed by women is growing quickly, as is the collection of books, articles, databases, and other resources that can guide additional research.

Dr. Sandra Peter shares her research and own resources to prove that there are more than enough great pieces for all types of ensembles to make the call for an intentional effort toward gender representation.

Get those resources in Dr. Peter's course at http://www.fwdmotion.org

That's what Carrie from Michigan has to say about Forward Motion -- see what all the buzz is about!

http://www.fwdmotion.org

Teachers are saints!

You stock your own classrooms, give tirelessly to your students, and endure the wildest scenarios. Simply put, music teachers are a whole new level of "holy".

You do this and more while attending state and national conferences, joining community & professional ensembles to refine your craft, and dreaming up top-notch community engagement opportunities (i.e. - concerts, virtual choirs, fundraising galas).

You are most proud when your classrooms are busting at the seams. However, you often do this on your own time and on your own dime.

You have enough on your plate.

Let us help you advocate to your admin/committee to INVEST IN YOU by paying for your Forward Motion online learning.

Download the FREE Admin Toolkit to get started, and as always, let us know how we can help!

http://www.fwdmotion.org

In 2017, the Choral Journal published an article, “Most recommended choral music from 20 state music lists.”

Author Jim Watson collected lists from US states that have a vocal music association and/or those that provide an accessible choral festival list. He summarized that works are selected for such lists primarily on the basis of “aesthetic appeal, musical and practical value, pedagogical and educational value, and [their place] in the standard choral canon of important choral literature.”

The table of most recommended works [in this case, for high school mixed ensembles] included titles that appeared on a minimum of 8 of the 20 state lists.
This list totaled 208 pieces.

>>>>> Four were composed by women.

According to research by the National Education Association, when adjusted for inflation, average teacher salaries are lower today than they were ten years ago.

And while many of those factors are outside of your control, one thing that IS under your control is your ability to advance within your district's salary scale.
Simply put, in most school districts around the country, the best way to earn more is to learn more.

However, only a small percentage of graduate credit coursework available is created for music teachers.

That's why we created Forward Motion.

Check out our 50+ video courses, and Graduate Credit coursework created specifically for you!

http://www.fwdmotion.org

What music might be expected when pairing a mid-1900s Pulitzer-winning composer with styles from the Renaissance and Baroque to support a television show about the development of France’s most famous museum?

Norman Dello Joio’s "Scenes from The Louvre” is the masterwork that resulted from this unusual list of ingredients.

Join Dr. Chad R Nicholson on this tour of musical styles, score investigations, and conducting strategies that will assist conductors as they bring this beautiful work to their students.

Part of Dr. Nicholson's series, "Pro Tips for Band Directors: Exploring the Masterworks", available exclusively on Forward Motion.

http://www.fwdmotion.org
[Link in Bio]

Quote by Dr. Eugene Rogers from his Forward Motion course entitled
"Fostering Empathy and Critical Discourse in the Classroom."

Watch for FREE at
http://www.fwdmotion.org/blog
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Dr. Eugene Rogers (Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan) challenges us to consider our own implicit bias, embrace choral music as a source of activism and change, create a culture in our rehearsals that fosters empathy and embraces diversity, and impart important skills to our singers enabling them to be more thoughtful and aware human beings.

In a 1985 radio interview with composer Norman Dello Joio, he was asked if he had any advice for young composers. This was his response:

"Well, the only advice I think that I should give, whether young or old, is to try to know yourself. If you have talent, find out where the talent belongs in terms of what you do, and if you choose this as a way of life, it should be the burning desire to do as well as you can. That's the sum total of it, and if you do well, be thankful that you have the talent, and just work on it all the time!"

Join Dr. Chad R Nicholson on this tour of Norman Dello Joio's "Scenes from The Louvre", brought to you by Forward Motion. In this course, Nicholson explores musical styles, score investigations, and conducting strategies that will assist conductors as they bring this beautiful work to their students.

Learn more about this amazing composition at http://www.fwdmotion.org
[Link in Bio]

Forward Motion Course:
"PRO TIPS FOR BAND DIRECTORS: Exploring the Masterworks"
with Dr. Chad R Nicholson

By considering our own biases and reflecting on how our preconceptions have shaped our lives, we are more easily able to separate ourselves from the initial emotional response when we hear or feel something with which we deeply disagree.
One goal of this course is to provide a space to look inward -- to consider our own implicit bias in order to hopefully become more thoughtful, aware human beings.

Watch for FREE at
http://www.fwdmotion.org/blog
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"Fostering Empathy and Critical Discourse in the Classroom"
Dr. Eugene Rogers (Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan) challenges us to consider our own implicit bias, embrace choral music as a source of activism and change, create a culture in our rehearsals that fosters empathy and embraces diversity, and impart important skills to our singers enabling them to be more thoughtful and aware human beings.

"Invest time and energy into voice placement."
That's Lesson #10 from Steve Sieck's course "Out Performing."

Not sure how?

Watch Andy Last's Forward Motion course "Introduction to Voice Placement" at https://www.fwdmotion.org/alast-voice-placement

Understanding how the brain works is an important part of our work as educators. Until the pre-frontal cortex is fully formed in the mid-20s, the physiological differences in brain development mean that adult and adolescent brains are literally processing information differently.

As Bridget Sweet explains in her Forward Motion course, "Demystifying the Adolescent Music Student," if we understand the brain and where our students are within these developmental stages, we will be able to more effectively relate, understand, and, of course, educate.

View the full course and enroll for Graduate Credit coursework at
http://www.fwdmotion.org

Eugene Rogers references this concept from Brené Brown in his discussion on empathy. Learn why this is relevant to your classroom teaching by watching his course on Forward Motion.

Watch Sessions 1-5 of this ten-part course for FREE at
http://www.fwdmotion.org/blog
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"Fostering Empathy and Critical Discourse in the Classroom"
Dr. Eugene Rogers (Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan) challenges us to consider our own implicit bias, embrace choral music as a source of activism and change, create a culture in our rehearsals that fosters empathy and embraces diversity, and impart important skills to our singers enabling them to be more thoughtful and aware human beings.

"Forward Motion offers excellent courses for music directors to take alongside our work in the classroom. I can't imagine myself choosing any other platform for online music courses!"

That's what Lisa from Oregon has to say about Forward Motion.

See what all the buzz is about -- http://www.fwdmotion.org

Steve Sieck's Forward Motion course, "Out Performing," is based on his second book, "Researching the Choir".

As Steve discusses in the video course, he was inspired to do the research and write "Researching the Choir" after reading Jim Collins' book, "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't"

But why do some choirs 'make the leap and others don't' -- especially in the field of music performance and music education, where there are myriad metrics we can use to define what makes a program great? Stephen Sieck's decided to base his research on choosing choirs that had a high frequency of National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conference performances from 1995-2015.

The eight programs that appeared four or more times in that 20-year span were chosen for this research -- Iowa State University, St. Olaf College, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Penn State University, and the University of Southern California.

In some fields, there are tangible, quantifiable factors that we use to define "The Best" -- World Series championships in baseball, or Oscar nominations for the film industry, for example -- but that metric leaves out all of the teams or actors for whom that specific target is not the goal.

Similarly, there are many great choral programs around the world, many of which have varied goals and missions that do not have a goal of an ACDA performance. In no way is this course stating that these 8 programs are the only great programs -- but simply stating that these 8 programs are indeed great and that we can learn from them.

Watch the full course at http://www.fwdmotion.org

One of the key concepts in Bridget Sweet's course "Demystifying the Adolescent Music Student" is the "Invisible Audience".

The "Invisible Audience" is the feeling that they are constantly being scrutinized -- being watched and judged. In adolescence, this idea is very powerful.

We can't get rid of the invisible audience entirely, but we can encourage students to share experiences regarding music, text, voice change, social justice, etc. -- anything that provides the chance to have a voice among their peers, and to give each other a look into what other people their age are experiencing.

View the full course at http://www.fwdmotion.org

Dr. Eugene Rogers (Director of Choirs at the University of Michigan) challenges us to consider our own implicit bias, embrace choral music as a source of activism and change, create a culture in our rehearsals that fosters empathy and embraces diversity, and impart important skills to our singers enabling them to be more thoughtful and aware human beings.
Watch Sessions 1-5 of this ten-part course for FREE at
http://www.fwdmotion.org/blog

COURSE OF THE WEEK:
"Fostering Empathy and Critical Discourse in the Classroom"
with Dr. Eugene Rogers

Quote from teacher and author, Parker Palmer, excerpted from Dr. Steve Sieck's course, "Out Performing", where he discusses his research of some of the best choral conductors of our time to uncover "What, Why & How" nationally-respected choirs consistently reach the highest levels of performance.

Watch "Out Performing" today -- exclusively at http://www.fwdmotion.org

Excerpted from Dr. Bridget Sweet's course -- "Demystifying the Adolescent Music Student" -- available exclusively on Forward Motion.

Watch the full course today at http://www.fwdmotion.org

Excerpted from Dr. Steve Sieck's Forward Motion course -- "Out Performing" --where he discusses his research of some of the best choral conductors of our time to uncover "What, Why & How" nationally-respected choirs consistently reach the highest levels of performance.

Watch the course at http://www.fwdmotion.org