The following content was produced for the 20th anniversary of TI:ME as part of a presentation at the national conference, with contributions from Amy Burns, Jay Dorfman, John Dunphy, Richard McCready, Mike Lawson, Floyd Richmond, and Tom Rudolph. Edited by Tom Rudolph, founding President of TI:ME.

See the PDF slide show of pictures showing early days of TI:ME.  Pictures are by Karen Garrett.

Twenty years have passed since TI:ME was first conceived at Villanova University in a lunch meeting with John Dunphy (former TI:ME Exec. Director), George Pinchock, and Tom Rudolph (Exec. Committee Chair and former President). “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” TI:ME took its first step in 1995. John Dunphy recalls the first conversation about TI:ME.

It all happened over a bag lunch in my (John Dunphy’s) office at Villanova University during the summer of 1995. Tom Rudolph, on break from his Technology class, came in followed by George Pinchock, who was the Summer Program coordinator. The group only had a few minutes, but the conversation was about organizing and formalizing a group of music teachers around the idea of spreading the news about the use technology in the music classroom. After a half hour of talking, gulping, and chewing, the meeting ended and we agreed to work toward such an organization. It has always amazed me how an idea become reality, but this was one of those moments. The correct number of verbs, adverbs and nouns had all come together to shape a new project.

So the journey began. I don’t remember whether I had the ham on rye with mustard or the yogurt, but I clearly remember the moment. I can’t explain, in any certain terms, too much of “what happened next.” I do know we needed some buy-in from other like minded people in the field. We needed a next step.

With the help of the late Mike Kovins, then President of Korg USA, Tom Rudolph and I traveled to NAMM in 1996 and 1997 and presented a proposal for funding the organization (by now, our steps had turned into a “jog”). NAMM agreed to fund the organization with a grant of $200,000.00 and the first official meeting of TI:ME took place in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1997 (we moved from “jog-mode” to “full sprint” by this time).  The first TI:ME certification courses were offered in 1998 and the first TI:ME conference took place in Pennsylvania in April, 1999. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Initial Funding of TI:ME

In 1996, TI:ME applied for and received an initial grant of $200,000.00 from NAMM to fund the fledgling organization. The initial Board of Directors was established and met in October of 1997 in Valley Forge, PA, setting in motion the tasks that led to the creation of a website, the publication of a book of Strategies and the development of a Newsletter The TI:MES, the criterion for membership, and the development of a comprehensive curriculum for in-service teacher training in music technology.

The MISSION of TI:ME
The mission of TI:ME is to assist music educators in applying technology to improve teaching and learning in music. The initial goals stated in 1995 were:

1. To codify music technology into a cohesive set of standards.
2. To develop a certification process to recognize the achievement of in-service music teachers in music technology.
3. To develop an organization, national in scope and focused on the subject of teacher training in music technology.

TI:ME Leadership

The leadership of TI:ME has morphed over the years as the organization grew and developed.  Below is a list of the co-founders, Executive Directors and Presidents who have shaped the organization over the past two decades.

Co-Founders and Directors: John Dunphy, George Pinchock and Tom Rudolph: 1995-1999 

Executive Directors:
John Dunphy: 2000-2007
Kay Fitzpatrick: 2008-2010
Mike Lawson: 2011-present 

Presidents:
Tom Rudolph: 2000-2009
Amy Burns: 2010-2012
Jay Dorfman: 2012-2014
Floyd Richmond:  2014-2016
John Mlynczak: 2016-2018
Will Kuhn: 2018-present

TI:ME has grown via the generous efforts of the advisory board members, officers, and committees, past and present. The advisory board consists of representatives from a broad array of educational institutions, publishers, and music technology companies. This is one of the aspects that makes TI:ME unique among music education organizations. There are educators and members of the music industry on the board in both a consultative and working role. For more information on the current officers and Board members, consult the TI:ME website (www.ti-me.org). 

The Future of TI:ME by TI:ME past president, Floyd Richmond

In its 20 year history, TI:ME has witnessed a transformation in music education.  Students have creative opportunities that were never before available. They compose and record original songs. They master notation and other symbolic systems that are more approachable because of music technology. The perform with instruments that have never been heard and program them in new ways. Their music is more dynamic, more expressive, more diverse, more original, more personal, and more exciting.  In short, they are more creative and more musical. Even so, the job is not yet complete. Many pockets of technological literacy exist, but there are many places where these transformations have not occurred. TI:ME will continue to work until all students have the opportunity to experience this new approach to music education.

TI:ME members and leadership will continue to be early adopters and will be eager to share their insights with music teachers everywhere.TI:ME will continue to use the tools that have served it well.  These include conferences, in-service training, courses, certification, publications, newsletters, web, social media, and more.  New technologies including distance learning and webinars may expand TI:ME’s reach, but TI:ME will remain committed to it’s original mission of improving music education through the use of music technology.  

“What TI:ME Has Meant To Me” by John Dunphy

When Villanova began the Summer Music Program for In-Service Music Educators in the 1990, no one could have imagined the impact of bringing outstanding Music Education Instructors and The Music Industry together with In-Service Music Educators and where that would all lead. I think it was an idea that was right “on time”.  Teachers needed training to maintain their certification. That was a known. The big unknown was how much and to what degree the new music technology was going to be accepted. Music Technology was the next big thing that Music Teachers needed to make their teaching more effective. It was obvious from the beginning that this new and different approach to Music Education excited the imaginations of our summer students. It was clear that need for a more concentrated educational platform was needed, one that would focus on the use of computer technology in the classroom. In the next 20 plus years, more than 1000 in-service music teachers learned how to use these new tools in their classrooms. The need to know was there, the classes were available, what was needed was a duplication of this on a larger, more focused scale. TI:ME answered that need.

On a personal level, the creation of TI:ME opened a new world for me. I found myself among the most intense dreamers of dreams, teachers who saw in technology a new possibility. As “the least of the brethren”, the aggiornamento guy, with a foot on both sides of technology divide, I was constantly amazed at the depth of knowledge, the creative thinking, and the sheer determination of those who understood the possibilities of computer technology in music classrooms. It made me smile to think how smart I was to choose Music Education as a vocation.