If you are a music educator thinking about taking the next step and writing a book, you might be wondering where to start, how to do it, and which tools to use. Well, you have arrived at the right place! In this article, we explore the journey of Georgina Leach, a violinist, teacher, and author of the book Dynamite Strings. Supported by the European String Teachers Association (ESTA), her book has sold over 670 copies.
Georgina's story is inspiring. Trained at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK, she started her career in classical music before embracing improvisation and diverse musical styles. Frustrated with the lack of culturally diverse beginner repertoire for violin, Georgina created Dynamite Strings, a book designed to make learning violin fun and inspiring. Flat has been integral to Georgina's journey, helping her create colorful and engaging scores. She has shared her positive experience with other teachers, demonstrating how the right music notation software can transform educational content.
Through Georgina's use case, we have gathered a set of key points to consider when choosing your music notation software to create effective educational materials. Additionally, we share some practical advice for anyone considering writing a music education book.
Key Considerations Before Starting Your Music Education Book
Based on Georgina's experience, we identified key considerations to make your music education book impactful and effective.
1. Understand Your Motivation
Reflecting on why you are writing your book is essential. Be honest with yourself and consistent with your unique experience. Consider what you think music education is lacking, what you would have liked to be available when you were studying music, and what you want to achieve with this book.
Georgina's motivation stemmed from her frustration with existing materials and her desire to offer something better to her students.
I've always loved teaching strings, but was a little frustrated with the beginner repertoire that was available; I felt it didn’t reflect the cultural diversity or musical taste of the children I was teaching. I wanted to show my students that whatever style of music they enjoyed listening to, they could play it on the violin! There were also some technical things I wanted my beginners to drill, but I wanted make the experience fun and inspiring.
Be aware of your motivation and keep it in mind at every step of the process to ensure you stay motivated and clear on why you are doing what you are doing.
- Know Your Audience
Understanding who you are writing your book for is vital. It helps you choose the right language, style, and presentation. It also lets you review similar books for reference, giving you a better idea of how to approach your own, especially if it's your first time.
In her case, Georgina targeted complete beginners, particularly young children.
It is very colourful and has plenty of illustrations so whilst it’s designed to appeal to primary age children, I often go through it with 11-12-year-old beginners as it is so efficient at explaining notation and getting them playing quickly.
By identifying the specific needs and preferences of your ideal readers, you can tailor your content to be a perfect fit for them.
3. Define Your Unique Offer
Be clear about what you are offering to your readers. Everyone has a unique experience, so take some time to reflect on yours. What do you think you have learned over the years of your practice that would be useful for others? Who has inspired you over the years and why? How are you going to help other teachers and students improve with your book?
Georgina was surely inspired by her own experience to create her amazing book!
In 2014/15 I trained as a classroom music teacher and spent several years teaching in inner-city London schools from reception (4yrs) to GCSE (16yrs). I got to learn from some exceptional music teachers who had a really broad range of musical backgrounds.
Her background helped shape the unique content and approach of Dynamite Strings, ensuring it addressed various educational priorities and skills.
4. Choose Your Approach
This involves considering how you will present your material. Georgina focused on making the learning experience enjoyable and motivating, so she ensured that the backing tracks available in her book were recorded by professional musicians to provide high-quality, aspirational examples for her students.
Additionally, she designed her own system to present the scores called ColourTab. This system was created to provide students and teachers with options for notation, as many beginner musicians find reading staff notation difficult.
Reading pitch is especially tricky for string players... however, reading rhythm is a much more logical and easy to grasp. In Dynamite Strings, each piece is presented in both a colour-coded staff notation and also in a corresponding colour-coded tablature. The tablature also notates rhythm - minims are presented as bubble letters and quaver notes have a bracket over them. This way, students can learn about rhythm notation, but get a little more support with pitch.
Once you go over these key considerations, it is time to choose the right tool to create the scores accompanying your book! Let's check what are the most important features to take into account when choosing your music notation software.
What to Look for in Music Notation Software for Writing Your Educational Book
Based on our conversation with Georgina, we've identified essential features your music notation software must have to help you create your book. Let's take a look at them!
- Accesible Price
If it's your first time writing a book, it's important to stick to your budget and manage your resources carefully. You don't need to spend a lot of money to find competitive options in the market that allow you to create beautiful scores.
I was looking for an engraving software that didn't cost the earth, but was also able to produce coloured note-heads and I found flat.io. It was amazingly difficult to find something that satisfied both these criteria! - Georgina Leach, Dynamite Strings author
At Flat, we focus not only on offering the most intuitive music notation platform available but also on maintaining affordable prices because we believe that access to music should be possible for everyone.
- Easy Access
As a teacher, you likely move between different places during the week, so it's convenient to access your scores easily from anywhere. This is important because you might need to make urgent edits, get inspired unexpectedly, or find some time to work on your book between classes. Seizing these moments is crucial!
It has been invaluable to be able to access the editor and all my scores online. I can jump on a computer in the staffroom at school and jot down an idea, or quickly edit and print an arrangement for band without having to bring in a laptop/send files all over the place/queue for the one computer that has music engraving software... -Georgina Leach, Dynamite Strings author
With Flat, you can access your scores anytime and anywhere on any device, including your smartphone or tablet. What's more, we have mobile apps available for both Android and iOS!
📲 You can get the mobile app in your App Store or Play Store.
This is not all! Our editor saves every single change you make to your scores. This means you can restore previous versions or even create a copy of a previous version of a score as a new score. Learn all about this feature in our dedicated guide below.
- Layout Control
Ensure you have options to adjust and personalize the layout and noteheads of your scores. Having your scores in the right dimensions and design requirements to match your book will save you TONS of time!
The coloured staff notation was much less of a problem as it is already a standardised notation and the engraving in flat.io is great! -Georgina Leach, Dynamite Strings author
Also, make sure these options are as intuitive as possible to use. For example, in Georgina's case, where she used colored note heads, the Boomwhackers available in Flat were key. What's more, you can personalize the colors of the Boomwhackers. Can you imagine how much time that could save you?
💡 With our music editor, once you have your scores ready, you just need to export them in image format to be inserted into your book!
- Instant Playback
Ensure your music notation software has instant playback. This way, every change you make, whether it's adding a new note or altering dynamics, can be instantly heard. This feature is incredibly useful since it helps you get a good sense of what your final score will sound like, which is essential for fine-tuning your piece and crafting the exact educational resource you want to create.
Flat.io has been great as I can create a score with all the parts in and have a listen to them together to check how they sound. -Georgina Leach, Dynamite Strings author
- Customer service
Last but not least, we recommend choosing a platform with responsive and caring customer support. There's nothing like the human touch when you encounter problems or need specific assistance.
Flat.io customer service and tech team is also fantastic. I have been in touch several times with questions and really appreciate that someone always gets back to me personally. - Georgina Leach, Dynamite Strings author
💡 Remember you can reach out to us at hello@flat.io!
Expert Tips for Music Educators Writing Educational Books
In addition to the information we've already shared from Georgina, there are other useful tips she has generously provided. Let's take a look at them.
- Research Thoroughly!
Georgina stressed the importance of researching both your content and the intricacies of publishing and distribution.
💡 Familiarize yourself with the various self-publishing options available, such as print-on-demand services like KDP and IngramSpark. Investigate how each platform handles distribution, their fees, and profit margins.
The music publishing industry has changed so much, and it took me a long time to really understand how everything works... It's important to understand how distribution functions and also all the costs and margins that some of these companies take.
This knowledge is vital for planning your budget and pricing your book. Also, explore marketing strategies to reach your target audience through social media, online communities, and professional networks.
- Find Support but Keep It Honest
Georgina emphasized the importance of finding support but always staying true to your vision.
It's been a very interesting journey releasing and promoting a music tutor book without the help of an established publisher.
Early on, a major music publisher showed interest, but they wanted to change some fundamental aspects of her book, including her unique notation system. Georgina decided not to compromise on her original vision, believing that string teachers and students needed her approach. This authenticity resonated with people, as they could tell the book was born out of genuine teaching experience.
And remember, there are always people who will share and appreciate your vision. For Georgina, the European String Teachers Association (ESTA) was instrumental in helping Dynamite Strings gain traction. ESTA gave her book a glowing review and invited her to write several articles. Their endorsement opened doors to other writing opportunities and conference presentations.
- Be Patient
Georgina also advised being patient when building a profile as an author of music education books. Making Dynamite Strings took nearly two years, but the experience was incredibly rewarding.
Building a profile as an author of music tutor books is a slow and steady process.
Teachers can be cautious about being sold new materials, so Georgina relied on organic word-of-mouth recommendations from one teacher to another. Despite the slow process, the positive response has been fruitful.
"I've been absolutely blown away by the positive response though - I've had so many lovely messages, reviews, and sometimes people even send me clips of their students playing one of my tunes which makes me so happy to see!"
- Back Yourself!
Another key piece of advice from Georgina is to believe in yourself and remember what made you want to write your book in the first place.
Of course, it's important to think about the risks or difficulties of taking on a big project - and especially when you're perhaps taking steps outside of what is 'conventional', but if you never try, you'll never know.
At the heart of Georgina's project is her desire to inspire more young people to get enthusiastic about playing music. She believes that with the gradual squeezing out of Music and the Arts from our schools, children's mental health is deteriorating.
"More than ever, young people need the opportunity to be creative!"
This drive to make a difference is what kept her motivated throughout the challenging process of writing her book.
That's all for now! I hope you feel inspired and ready to take the leap into writing your own book. A huge thank you to Georgina for her incredible generosity in sharing her insights and experiences. We eagerly await her next book and the continued impact she'll have on music education!
Best,