First-Time Readers

If you have made it this far, welcome, and thank you for visiting my blog! While there is a description already at the top of the page, I wanted to introduce myself and map out a thorough game plan for The Development Section, so that you can gauge whether or not you would like to look around.

I am a violist and music teacher, and I spend a little bit too much time trying to juice teachable moments out of the mundane. There are many starry-eyed quotes that get thrown around about how “music is life and vice versa,” or how the pursuit of knowledge draws us into the interconnection of all things. Frankly, they can get nauseating, but there is some truth to them, and sometimes I think they bear fleshing out. The title of this blog, The Development Section, comes from the sonata allegro form in music. The development is where, musically speaking, the mind wanders, and so it seemed a fitting title for my wandering writing style.

As may already be obvious, I never mastered the art of the “elevator pitch.” For any idea that one cares about, and that one wishes others to care about, one should be able to concisely explain the idea and its importance in an elevator ride with an interested-but-skeptical stranger. On some days, I might stand an outside chance at wrapping it up by the top floor, provided the stranger and I are in the elevators of the Willis Tower. More often, though, I simply have too many words.

If I had one attempt at an elevator pitch, it would be this: I analyze music, discuss the art of performance, reaffirm the importance of quality teaching for a quality of life, and complain about the vapid content that inundates the social corners of the Internet and inhibits more quality discussion than it starts. But first, some affirmations:

Some Affirmations

1. I author a blog. That does not make me an author.
2. I will post topics in music from the angles of appreciation, technical analysis, historical interest, and current attempts to “modernize” classical music and its presentation, for better and for worse. Generally speaking, these will be written from the authority of experience, but I by no means present them as definitive or comprehensive.
3. I may occasionally criticize "think pieces," or editorials that make broad assessments of social issues with few specific stances or references to other writings on the subject, popular on websites such as Elite Daily and Thought Catalog.
4. I may also occasionally post think pieces. Here is how I justify my hypocrisy, and differentiate my fluff from the fluff shared on Top 500 websites:
   1. My unsubstantiated musings will only address personal pursuits: the process of practice in music and other forms, the creation and sharing of content, etc.
   2. If I present an opinion on a pressing social issue receiving national attention, it will be evidence-based and contain at least one controvertible thesis statement.
   3. If I post about a social issue, the post will include an organization to donate to, an e-mail address to write a representative, a person or group in specific need, or some other way for those so convinced to take measurable action.
   4. The titles of my posts will not inflate the urgency of their content.
5. Any attempt I make at a regular posting schedule is subject to change, but at the outset, I am looking to write about one post per week.
6. I welcome criticism of my writing style, tone, layout, ratio of posts in each of my target topics, approach to self-promotion, or any aspect of this blog that would positively or negatively affect the reader experience.
7. I would like to add other interested contributors, and harbor no nefarious plans to use the writings of others for my own personal gain.

Lastly, I have an idea for a gimmick that I will implement for at least a month or two, stemming from my innate teaching urges. One of my goals for The Development Section is to make it more discussion-heavy than an average personal blog. At the end of my posts, I will include two or three short-answer prompts, like a homework assignment, for comments. Feel free to answer any or none, but I will be curious to hear what you have to say, and so will others!

If all of this sounds like something you would enjoy reading and participating in, please check back from time to time for new posts! If it sounds like something you could enjoy with certain improvements or changes to my approach, let me know that, too. For now, I leave you with the maiden voyage of my blog's gimmick. -SB

Written Reflections

1. Which type of content from this blog's scope most interests you: topics in music, social awareness, or criticism of trends in Web content? In what ratio would you like to see these subjects balanced?
2. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that the type of content widely shared online has changed for the worse in recent years? What changes, for better or for worse, have you noticed since you began using social media?
3. What is your level of familiarity with this blog's subject matter: music (as a listener or as a performer)? education? Internet journalism? Does your familiarity affect your interest in these subjects?