I’m writing this blog post from one of the most gorgeous spots in the world – Beavercreek, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. June in this ski season hot spot is quite a treat. Streets are free of the usual hustle and bustle, last minute dinner reservations are easy to come by, and the empty ski trails visible from my hotel have turned a lush green.
What brings me here so far from home is the Colorado Suzuki Institute, where my six year old will spend a week studying violin along with a few hundred other students. It’s hard not to feel inspired as I meander around the alpine village, reveling in the grandeur of the landscape, with classical music as my constant companion.
By now you may be wondering what any of this has to do with my work at Torsh. As an education software company, we focus on how Torsh TALENT, our classroom observation tool, can benefit teachers from pre-K through graduate school. One application we have not yet considered is how TALENT could benefit musicians, specifically through virtual coaching.
Here’s an example: my daughter’s violin school in Nebraska, the highly-regarded Omaha Conservatory of Music, has over five hundred students who attend weekly private lessons. Students only spend about 30 minutes to an hour with their instructor each week. The bulk of a student’s’ work is done at home, over many practice sessions. Imagine if my daughter could use an iPhone or tablet to record herself playing, upload it to the TALENT platform, and get feedback from her teacher in advance of her weekly lesson?
The applications for TALENT are many, and we are just beginning to scrape the surface. As I take a vacation from reality here in Colorado, it’s fun to dream of how our growing company might someday transform the world beyond the classroom.