The American Composers Forum (http://www.composersforum.org/) recently announced the release of the first in the New Band Horizons CD-ROM curriculum. This series is a publication of 15 new compositions for band by nationally acclaimed composers paired with an interdisciplinary curriculum for 2^nd and 3^rd year middle school bands. The project consists of commissioning fifteen new works and creating curriculum for those works for CD-ROM and websites. This paper will discuss the process of the planning, development, and creation of the various CD-ROMs. The central thesis is: "It Takes a Village to Raise a CD-ROM."

The project was undertaken for three primary reasons:

• To facilitate the process of learning to perform the pieces,
• To enhance students’ understanding of the music they’re performing: its basic elements, its expressive content, and its historical/cultural context, and
• To promote understanding of how the music relates to other aspects of life and learning.

A project of this scope required a large number of participants to plan and execute a project of this scope. The following section is a brief listing of the project participants. The purpose of this listing is to give example to the number of individuals who need to communicate and provide input at varying levels for the creation of the aspects listed above.

The American Composers Forum- Advisory Committee: Frank L. Battisti, Conductor Emeritus, New England Conservatory of Music; Dr. Thomas C. Duffy, Director of Bands, Yale University, School of Music; Craig Kirchhoff, Professor of Conducting/Director of Bands - University of MN; Dr. Claire McCoy, Professor of Music Education - University of Minnesota; Michael Hiatt, Minnesota Center for Arts Education; Elizabeth Jackson, Eden Prairie High School; John Paulson, President - Coda Music Technology; Laura Sindberg, Director of Bands - Waukesha Central Middle School; P. Brett Smith, O.H. Anderson Elementary School, Mahtomedi, MN

Funding: National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, George Frederick Jewett Family Foundation, and The Oswald Family Foundation.

Composers: Thomas Duffy- Yale University; Libby Larsen-MN; Chen Yi- Kansas; Bobby McFerrin-MN, Byard Lancaster-PA; Michael Daughtery-MI; Tania Léon- NY; Michael Colgrass-Toronto, ON; John Cacavas-CA; Steven Paulus-M; Brent Michael Davids-MN; Adolphus Hailstork-VA; and Judith Zaimont- MN.

Teachers/Education Partners: Minnesota, New York, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Ontario, California, and Virginia

Curriculum Team: Dr. Claire W. McCoy, Editor, Professor of Music Education, University of Minnesota; Joanna Cortright, Music Education Consultant; Herbert J. Dick, Jr., Director of Bands, Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, MN; Dr. Kevin Dobbe, University Center Rochester, Music Department and Digital Arts Coordinator, Rochester, MN; and Dr. Janet Revell Barrett, Music Education Coordinator, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Multimedia Production Team: Graphics Team- Foley Sackett, Minneapolis, MN- (3), Audio Production- University of MN, and URC (1), Video Production- Locations and UCR (16), CD-ROM Producer- UCR (2), including Animation, Scripting, Layout, and Interactivity, and Web Site Design and Creation- UCR (1), and a Beta Testing Team consisting of 16 Schools in the following States: Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and Florida

Marketing/Distribution: Hal Leonard Publishing Company

As evident from the scope of the list above, there are indeed a significant number of individuals involved in planning and creating an interactive CD-ROM. The approach to the project can be described in four main phases; (1) Concept, (2) Conceiving Idea, (3) Planning and Prototyping, and (4) Testing and Production.

The concept of the project began at the abstract level with members from the American Composers Forum. From the "vision" part of this phase, an action statement or project description was created. This vision was presented to many individuals and institutions and an advisory board was created.

The "Conceiving Idea" phase began after the board decided upon two main areas: (1) the selection of the composers, team teachers, and states for the creation of the works and (2) the assembly of the curriculum component.

The "Planning and Prototyping" phase was started after identifying the needed participants (listed above). Meetings were held to discuss "what" could be done, and how these goals might be accomplished. This phase was intense and required a great deal of time, communication, and experimentation. It is during this phase that the media designers communicate and share ideas. Content is created and the mechanism for the CD-ROM is created and refined. After the appropriate content medium is implemented, the next phase is begun.

The "Testing and Production" phase requires feedback between the potential users (teachers and students) and the content creators. It is at this point that many finer details are adjusted as feedback dictates. It is also at this point that the technical considerations are tested (i.e., computer/software compatibility issues, etc.).