The ARPANET was not intended as a a message system. In the minds of its inventors, the network was intended for resource-sharing, period. That very little of its capacity was ever used for resource-sharing was a fact soon submersed in the tide of electronic mail.

Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet
Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon

Welcome back, friends, to another season of Notes, Thoughts, and Random Musings on the Online Experience. In trying to fulfill my dual roles as teacher of music and teacher of information technology, my summer readings tends to be quite a bit eclectic. In looking through the stacks of books that have littered the bedside and the coffee table, as well as the list of Favorites stretching down the screen of my browser, we could be in for an interesting year.

The comment at the top of this article is taken from an interesting book about how the Internet came to be. The stories of the people and organizations behind the creation of the Internet and the vision that frove tham as they created form from nothingness is the subject of the book. The book is filled with interesting people, stories, and minutiae abound such as why the @ sign was used for E-mail addresses; how the Bell System turned down the chance to own the Internet: and the creative programming and politicking required to create a universal medium for information exchange.

The events of the summer also relate to this topic. We of AMIS are now the proud owners of a new domain name - amis-online.org.uk It is hoped that there are some spin offs from this growth that will affect you. From now on you can reach the main AMIS web site by entering that address into your browser. Most browsers no longer require you to type the http:// or the www. Technological advancement! The new server is also faster than our previous service as it is now part of a commercial service instead of a personal service.

How will it affect you? The same festival news will still be residing in familiar locations. E-mail addresses can still be found, (and you are cordially invited to make sure that yours is correct!) New sections will be created to deal with some of the more important topics that rise to greet us. The new IB syllabus has its own online home, but we at AMIS will help you share information about the syllabus and the thinking behind it. Look for more detailed links appearing from the Latest News page for organizations of interest, topics for all grade levels, as well as the usual mad mix of news, humour, and general sanity refreshing material that you have come to rely on.

How else will it affect you? You are the author of as much content on the site as you wish to create! Do you have some great repertoire you think more people should be using? - let us know! Do you have an insight on teaching our international language? - let us know! Have you discovered a web site that answers all of the questions on the native music of the area that you are teaching in this year? - let us know! E-mail to webmaster@amis-online.org.uk and you will get a response...and credit when your information appears online.

This year at the ECIS Conference in Nice Dr. Margaret Mertz and Jim Yarnell will be presenting the new IB Music syllabus and discussing the Project Zero thinking that is behind much of the material. There will be Band and Choir reading sessions, and yours truly will be presenting a session on how you can use the AMIS web site. Part of that talk will be the discussion of how we encourage communication and put members in touch with other members and help create a neighbourhood of music teachers. Our E-mail communication allows us to talk to our friends around the world as though they live just around the corner. Let’s resolve to take the next step and share our ideas and problems so we can utilise the centuries of experience that collectively resides in our international music community.

By using the power of the Internet to share resources, we can make all of our lives better and richer. We speak the international language and proclaim it in our headings at festivals - Music is Everybody’s Language. Let’s all share our knowledge and build the community of learners stronger and richer. E-mails can be the catalyst which enables a reaction far greater than we could individually create.