Love musical theater? So do I! Announcing my new Outschool Class!

I absolutely LOVE musical theater.  Everything about it...




I've performed it.  I've watched it.  I've directed it.

...And, for me, there is nothing like the excitement of it!

As you may know, I've started a new journey teaching on the "Outschool" platform.  I decided to create a Broadway Social Club and Discussion Group for students aged 11-17 who love it as much as I do and want to dive in, dissect and learn!

It's an ongoing class...which means it meets weekly at a given time.  You subscribe to the class, and then if you want to stop, you can stop.  You can even start taking the class after the first classes have been taught.  Drop in...drop out...according to your schedule.

We will start the class by watching a clip of a musical theater performance of some sort.  After we watch the clip, we will discuss the vocal and acting approaches as well as the technical and artistic impact of the performance and how it fits into the musical overall.

I will expose the students to a variety of musicals...some well known and some not well known.  

So, if you know of a student who might be a good fit for a class like this...a student who thinks about musical theater when they wake up in the morning...This is the student that we want in this class!

Here is a link to the class- Click here.

Never signed up for Outschool before?  Get a $20 coupon to purchase classes using this link-That means the first class in this series is FREE!


https://outschool.com/?signup=true&usid=MFmxTKwy&utm_campaign=share_invite_link







Come Learn to Sight Sing with me on Outschool in January!


Ever since I found Outschool in late September, I've been obsessed.

I know when I feel that way that I am moving in the right direction!

It's the same way I felt when I started sharing my materials on TeachersPayTeachers in 2013.  I woke up thinking about it, and I couldn't wait to figure out how to do it.

I mean... I know what I love to teach...and how to teach it (and there are so many possibilities here!), but just getting the word out...Figuring that out is the challenge.

All this fall, I've been learning about the platform, reading, networking and planning.  I didn't really expect to get any learners (students) until 2023, but I started to get some bites, and I've taught some kids from all over the world already!  I even got my first review!

Here is what the parent wrote-

Nov 11, 2022
I have never seen my daughter as focused and attentive as she was during this class! Amazing. Mr. D is fun, engaging, takes the time to get to know the children, and makes the learning part super easy because it’s fun. I couldn’t believe how fast she caught on, and how much she was able to retain after the class. In her words, “It was fun! It was good! I want more. REMATCH! I will win again!!!!!” Mr. D is such a great teacher and for anyone wanting to start their kids off with a good basic foundation for musical knowledge, this is a perfect class!

I am loving this journey so far!

So far, I am focusing on teaching S-Cubed Sight Singing Program materials on the platform, and I am calling it "Sight Singing 101", but in the long term, I plan to teach a lot more (Can you say musical theater stuff???). Right now, I start by offering "The Game". It's a 20 minute intro class that I hope will "hook" the learner to want to learn more sight singing with me! Between now and 12/31, I am offering coupon codes so that the "hook" class is free. Then, I have a 4 day class that you can choose to continue the process which can be followed by another 4 day class...and so on. Or if you are more committed, you can take the 12 week/twice weekly class...and if you are fully committed to the full curriculum, I offer that from January through June, and the learners will be able to sight sing in 2 parts with skips as wide as an octave and syncopated rhythms...all a capella! I've offered them at a variety of times so that I can attract students from all over the world.

And if you know someone who just wants a quick taste, next week (week of 12/19/22...which is the first week of winter break for many), I am offering a 4 day "Winter Camp". ...20 minutes per day for four days!

I wrote this document below with lots more information. It includes tons of links to my various classes, and it also includes the coupon codes for my Outschool classes so you or someone you know can give this platform a try if you've never done it!

Please share the information via social media! That's how people found out about S-Cubed, and that's how I think they'll find out about this! TY!

-----

Hello to all of the followers of Music in the Middle with Mr. D…in Atlanta and beyond!


As most of you know, I retired from teaching public school after 30 years of teaching.


And since May of 2022, I have reFIRED!


I am writing to you to request your help to spread the word to people within our community and beyond about how students aged 10-14 who would like to learn to sight sing can learn with me starting as soon as next week during the start of winter break and/or in January 2023 and beyond with longer term classes.  I have many various packages of the classes available so you can find something that fits your life and your child’s goals.  If your child has “aged out” (time flies!), I would greatly appreciate it if you would forward this email to a parent of a child who has a child that is age 10-14 and/or share it on social media!  Thank you in advance!  Scroll to the bottom to find direct links to make it easy for you to share this information on social media.


If you follow this Facebook group, you know that I thoroughly enjoy teaching sight singing to beginners.  In 2013, I created a curriculum called “S-Cubed Sight Singing Program for Beginners” that included every sight singing lesson plan I used with your children.  I packaged it and shared it on TeachersPayTeachers and JW Pepper as well as other companies, and hundreds of middle school, upper elementary and high school music teachers are using it in their classrooms today.  


On which online platform is Mr. D teaching?

When can my child take a class?

How can I get a free or discounted class to try it out?


I have begun to teach S-Cubed Sight Singing Program on a platform called “Outschool”, and I am offering many sections of my program next week in a “Winter Camp” that is 4 days long.  Each class is 20 minutes…short and sweet.  The camp will give students a taste of my teaching style, and it’s a perfect way to keep students occupied and learning something fun and new during their first week off of school while learning!  Here is a coupon for $10 off of the Winter Camp that you can use at checkout for "Sight Singing 101-The Game and More! Winter Camp Music Theory" with coupon code DUNCAYC05G10 until Dec 31, 2022. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/sight-singing-101-the-game-and-more-winter-camp-music-theory-9hju5brY and enter the coupon code at checkout.


When you register with Outschool for the very first time, Outschool offers a $20 coupon that you can apply to one of my classes or to any other class of interest to your child. Once you verify your email address, they will give you access to your $20 off coupon.  Here is a link with more information on how to get that coupon so you can apply it to my first class or to a future class or to another class by another teacher for your child. https://support.outschool.com/en/articles/5578246-educator-coupons


The company has been around since 2017. They provide a platform for teachers to teach students anything from music to math to language arts to social studies to gaming to cooking to foreign languages to mental health to social skills…and on and on.  Almost everything you can imagine is there for students 18 and under who want to learn something new or to supplement what they are working on in their school setting. Learners on the platform come from all over the world. I’ll be able to teach as often as I want, when I want and from anywhere as long as I have a good internet connection, and after 30 years in the brick and mortar classroom, that sort of freedom sounds amazing, and I get to stay connected to students.

Outschool fits my life right now, and I really want to make it work and continue to teach students about sight singing and more!



Which students would be a good fit for my S-Cubed offerings on Outschool in the coming weeks and months?


Do you know a learner who is taking chorus from a teacher who doesn’t focus on teaching sight singing?

Do you know a learner who is home-schooled and would like supplemental music literacy training?

Do you know a learner who is an instrumentalist, but who wants to also learn solfege sight singing to become an even stronger reader?

Do you know a learner whose ear needs training?

Do you have a child, grandchild, niece or nephew you’d like to learn sight singing from the creator of the program because teaching your own family can be a challenge?

Do you know a learner who is ravenously hungry to learn everything possible about learning to read music but perhaps they don’t own a piano or other instrument in their home?


These are the types of students who are perfect for my classes with Outschool, so let their parents know about this opportunity. My primary age group will be from 10-14 years old, but I will make exceptions to that rule at times. Just ask!


Try a FREE class!


I am offering my first class “The Game” (Lesson 1 of S-Cubed) as a single class offering over the next several weeks at many different time slots.  It’s a 20 minute fun class in which I teach “The Game”...which is the philosophical foundation of the S-Cubed method-  ¾ cup learning + ¼ cup fun = SUCCESS!!!   Here is a coupon code that will make that class free.  Get $10 off my class "Sight Singing 101- The GAME! Music Theory" with coupon code DUNCAIFRUO10 until Jan 7, 2023. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/sight-singing-101-the-game-music-theory-LC35YyS4 and enter the coupon code at checkout.  No commitment past the first class is required!


After students take the first class called “The Game”, they will have the chance to take their first multi-day S-Cubed class as I continue the journey taking them step by step through the S-Cubed Sight Singing Program the same way I did it “live” in the classroom for 30 years. 


Starting in January, I have full curriculum courses offered as well as 12 week courses and some smaller chunks offered too.  You can even request times for me to teach the classes that work for you and your child, and I will see if I can accommodate those requests.  


Students who commit to all levels of the program will come out with the same skills my students did when I taught it “live” at Henderson for all of those years. They will be able to sing a capella, two-part sight singing with skips as wide as an octave and syncopated rhythms without any help from anyone.  




The importance of leaving Reviews!



If you are planning to share this information with others or if you have a child who decides to take my classes, please make sure to leave reviews so that I can build trust in the Outschool community who are not familiar with my work!  Thank you in advance!


Want to help spread the word?

Social Media is the best way to let people know!



Step One-

Follow and Share


Please follow my classroom and share it on social media where parents gather and/or on your personal page

Click the link below and click "follow" to follow my classroom-

https://outschool.com/teachers/Mr-D-202209?usid=MFmxTKwy&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&utm_campaign=share_leader_link

Find the share button. USE IT to share on any and all social media with your friends and fellow music teachers! Or simply share this email. Here is a shareable link to this email- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0zp7RB_0POM6MBjKXPkjYF5AIGMJIfM5C_TCTFagBo/edit?usp=sharing




Step two

Please “save” my class(es)


Here is a link to my first class offering called “The Game”. https://outschool.com/classes/3481e1f5-f019-48ef-8d56-acdf26e65978/schedule#usMFmxTKwy  

Press “save” next to the class to keep up with future time offerings. 

Taking this class is the first step on the S-Cubed journey, and everyone who is thinking about embarking on the larger S-Cubed journey must take "The Game" first. S-Cubed is cumulative. Steps cannot be skipped regardless of background. You’ll find lots of various time options that I am offering over the next few weeks. Remember…if you or someone you know takes the class, please leave a review so that I can begin building trust with the experienced users of the Outschool platform. Book the class as soon as you find the time that works for you.  



Once students have completed “The Game”, they are ready to start any of the multi-day classes I’ve offered to continue learning with me.  


Thank you for all of your years of support and for helping me to get the word out!  I am very excited to continue my teaching journey on this new platform, and I look forward to offering future musical theater classes, vocal coaching and more!




Dale Duncan

Aka Mr. D






















Want some fun S-Cubed Merch?



Stoke the competition in Forbidden Pattern between you and your students...and everyone will have the solfege hand signs on the backs of their shirts/hoodies/sweatshirts!  Need a special prize to give the class that wins the most for the year?  

There are so many reasons to purchase this fun shirt-  Get one just for you...or for the whole chorus!

If you are purchasing a large bulk order, contact me directly before you do, and I will work with you to offer a discount depending on the size of the order!  Email- inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com   In the subject line, write "Bulk Merch Order", and I'll get back to you!

We have a variety of sizes and colors available on Spring (Formally Teespring).

Here is the link to my Spring shop.

                                              https://music-in-the-middle-with-mr-d.creator-spring.com




Over and over again, after people learn that I taught middle school for 30 years, they gasped in horror.
"On purpose?  They are HORRIBLE"...or something like that.

If you teach middle school, and you love it, you have super powers!
We, who teach and love this age group, can do almost anything we decide to do!  We have learned to love, accept, engage and laugh with this very special age group!
Are you a leader in your middle school?  How about some coffee mugs for the staff!
Need to get everyone excited for the coming school year?  
Everyone would smile and bond if shirts with this logo were given to each teacher at the start of the school year...because if you teach middle school students...you understand each other in ways that only WE can!
Get one for yourself!  Or give it as a gift to a friend!
In the Spring shop, we have a variety of clothing and merch items with the "I Teach Middle School...I got this!" logo on it!
If you are considering buying a bulk order, reach out to me directly, and I'll work with you on a bulk discount!  Email me- inthemiddlewithmrd@gmail.com.  In the subject line, write "Bulk Merch Order".

Here is the link to my Spring shop.

                                              https://music-in-the-middle-with-mr-d.creator-spring.com