Today we’d like to introduce you to David Lerner.
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I had been playing drums and percussion professionally since fourteen years old and began teaching private lessons when I was sixteen. In my mid-twenties, I took a job at The Village School as an elementary percussion teacher which meant teaching a full Zimbabwe-style marimba choir to first through third-grade classes. It was a blast, but while working there I realized that elementary music education often lacks elements of play and exploration in favor of the more traditional teacher-driven classroom. I began experimenting with combining, level-appropriate sciences, history, and literature into the music lessons, and students started connecting what they were learning to the rest of their education. This led to the idea for my Music Tales app that has places for playing around and recording on different forest instruments, as well as stories that teach a simple music concept and apply it through call-and-response play.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been some rough spots in my journey. I was working to make IT and engineering recruiting a career, then the 2008 market crash swept the rug out from under those aspirations. Though, without that event, I am not sure if I would have gone into music full-time. The development and release of the Music Tales app also took a couple of years longer and a much larger budget than expected. It still needs marketing to reach its full potential audience, but I believe in it and that it brings a ton of value to the kids that play it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lerner’s Education LLC?
Lerner’s Education LLC covers all aspects of my educational content including the Music Tales app, music and drums learning YouTube channel, and articles posted on the lernerseducation.com website. My hope is that Lerner’s Education becomes known for education with immediate reinforcement built-in. Some examples would be Music Tales having stories that teach a music concept while you’re playing that concept. Lerner’s Education YouTube channel has play-along sections in almost every video to apply the skill of the lesson. For the other content, if there is not a way for the learning to be applied right away, then it needs to be fun or thought-provoking.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
My contact information is available via the lernerseducation.com website or reach out to me on Instagram or Facebook. I am always interested in collaborating or mulling ideas over with other creators and educators. As far as support goes, checking out the Music Tales app if you work with or have kids is a big one, and of course following the Lerner’s Education IG, FB, and YouTube socials helps. I try to be thoughtful and entertaining about what gets posted.
Lerner’s Education is currently seeking a few schools to pilot test the Music Tales app in the classroom as a fun educational integration of technology and learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lernerseducation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lernerseducation/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lernerseducation
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LernersEducation
- Other: https://linktr.ee/LernersEducation
Image Credits
David Lerner
