Now that I am in my second semester of facilitating music courses online via Boston University's School of Distance Education, I can share a few thoughts on the topic. First, I would like to register my chagrin at my lack of popularity existence on ratemyprofessors.com. Second, I would like to share this true (if heavy-handed) statement from my teaching philosophy:

As a student, I learned best from teachers who, above all, led me on a course towards to my own personal discoveries. In my diverse experiences, I have found that we learn most successfully through conscious reasoning and trial-and-error rather than through rote performance and extensive memorization. Whether teaching in a classroom, online, or even over the telephone, I perform according to this principle. Outstanding teachers not only communicate their knowledge, but also express how they first learned it.

It's completely highfalutin, but I believe it. This semester, I am faciliating an American music history course, which is a breeze compared to the challenges of last semester's Analysis of Tonal Music. Even a good online teaching philosophy can't overcome not having a blackboard. Drawing one version, erasing and making corrections, showing the process bit-by-bit, finally arriving at a solution -- surprise! These important elements of a music analysis class need special care when morphed into an online setting. No teacher's descriptive powers and no student's listening powers can make up for a trial-and-error chalkboard experience. Some sort of videoconferencing + musical chalkboard is one solution, but this is a technical leap for only one class which seems to need it.

Meanwhile, the American music history course skips along, easily propelled by discussion forums, emails and papers. Easy! All previous philosophies apply.