It has been an eventful year at DLP. I hope you enjoy this look back at some of the years most memorable blog posts!

Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places - Part 1 January 6 
One never knows where or when inspiration will strike, but if you keep your eyes, ears, mind, and heart open as you slog through every day life, you may just find inspiration in the most unusual of places...in this case, sports radio.

Finding Inspiration in Unlikely Places - Part 2 January 20
Between the Folds is a documentary about origami artists.  This film inspired me to be better at explaining my thoughts and ideas as I teach and play music. 

The Future of Music Education?  BRIGHT! - February 17
This was one of the most read, most commented on, and most linked-to blog of the year. The optimistic outlook of our profession struck quite a chord on twitter too, and the blog was re-posted on many music education websites.

Magic Johnson's Instrument of Choice?  Bass. - March 19
How awesome is it to live in this digital age where we have a chance to virtually 'sit-in' on live interviews and webinars? This live chat with Magic Johnson was promoted by Inc. Magazine on twitter and we were there!

Meet DLP User Patrick Kohalmi - April 20
The greatest thing about music is the people you meet through it. Patrick Oliver Kohalmi is a personal trainer, web- entrepreneur, and budding soprano sax player from Hune, Nordjyllan, Denmark. He is also a DLP user! 

Be Well, Feel Good, and Make MUSIC! - July 11
Another person we met this year (via twitter) was Kat Fulton. She's a music therapist, drum circle facilitator, and a wonderful promoter of her profession.  How could we not contact her?

Music Education + Business = Win Win - November 14
This one took the prize as our most read post. It was featured in many 'daily bests' from the #musiced twitter-verse and was reprinted on several sites including Entrepreneur the Arts. This post was prompted by our conversation with Marty Albertson the former CEO and current Chairman of Guitar Center.  

Digital Learning is Here to Stay - December 5
I watched a regional TED Talk featuring Tom Vander Ark author of Getting Smart: How Digital Learning is Changing the World. I was intrigued enough to write Tom and share with him what we're doing at DLP. Lo and behold he wrote back with 'two thumbs up' and a promise to feature us on the Getting Smart website...we'll keep ya posted!

If music is truly a universal language then we as music educators have an amazing opportunity to reach learners of all levels according to these 2011 statistics. This graph shows percentages of internet usage per population in various areas of the world. 

With 488 million users in the America's alone, it's no wonder why folks like Tom Vander Ark are keen about investing in Digital Learning programs. Tom's Getting Smart is a site focused on innovations in learning with primary emphasis at the K-12 learner, but they also explore informal, early, and adult learning as well.  

From the Getting Smart site: "We are optimistic about the potential of connecting more young people to the idea economy through personal digital learning. Getting Smart is a community of people passionate about learning and helping others learn."

Music ed. programs take note. Our future music teachers need more training in non-traditional classroom teaching/learning with a special emphasis on digital technologies.  Reaching this huge and growing market can provide far-reaching support for musical arts organizations, music retailers, performers, and yes, even in-school music programs. The global educational landscape is changing and we need to be proactive about the future of our profession. This is an opportunity that needs to be seized. Let's not be the last profession to the dance!