VETERANS MEMORIAL MUSIC REGISTRY - A Developing Concept -
Intended to grow into a unique music service
* For family, friends, and communities of veterans who want to memorialize their loved one.
* For musicians who want to assist others in their time of need.
Latest Update: February 9, 2012 VMMR Concept Paper
I. BACKGROUND: Over the years I have been asked to sing at the funerals of more than a dozen family members, friends, and others in the community. Sometimes people would ask me: "How did you sing that without crying?". I always found that in that moment, I was combining all the grief from every one present, and the weight of all that grief was heavy enough that I could add no more tears. All I could do with that grief was simply lift it in song, a tribute, a prayer, a reminder that in song our lives will go on, and so will the memory of those we honor. Even in heaven there is music for all eternity.
The more I have done this, the more I have thought that there is an opportunity for bringing musicians and communities together. While many people will first turn to their own circle of friends and family to find someone to sing in their time of loss, not everyone has the opportunity to do so. I am especially concerned for military and public service veterans, yet all bereaved can benefit from having a place to look for help with music as they memorialize their loved ones.
It is my goal to establish a unique music service to meet this need. It will be nationwide, online, and locally accessible. This service will enable the bereaved to contact musicians in their local area, either directly or through their funeral officiant to honor their loved ones in song. This page includes my concept development process. It will be updated by "progressive elaboration". As I learn more about the appropriate best practices, potential partnerships, and refined goals this concept will be more clearly stated as a formal project management plan.
II. VISION: Establish an online registry of musicians throughout the United States who will be available to perform locally at the funeral or memorial services for veterans (military or public service) and their loved ones. Provide customizable music media services for memorial events.
III. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS:
A. Key Concerns:
A.1. Determine organizational structure (non-profit; not-for-profit; for profit etc.)
A.2. Determine client base (Military Veterans, Public Service Veterans, Immediate family members etc.)
A.3. Determine musician participant requirements, audition or other approval method.
A.4. Determine referral partnership profiles (funeral director associations, benevolent associations, community groups).
A.5. Research scaleable database tools, online accessible, map search based.
A.6. Develop the marketing plan
A.6.1. Identify Primary Stakeholders (Veteran's Organizations; Funeral Homes; Community Organizations, Music Associations, Artist Management Groups, Music Educational Institutions; online musician/artist search engines such as Reverbnation, Myspace, Soundcloud, etc.)
A.6.2. Research target market.
A.6.3. Develop media products - website, pamphlets, radio advertisements, podcast.
A.6.4. Evaluate and refine.
A.7. Establish scope of project. Will this program simply link the client and the musician, or will it provide accompaniment music to the musician, written music scores, memorial slideshows, customized video tributes, other client follow up or services ?
A.8. Develop financial plan
A.9. Other
B. Determine Facts and Assumptions:
B.1. What similar services already exist? What kind of music services are already provided by the American Legion, VFW, and similar organizations. Are their music programs formalized? Would they be open to formalizing such programs through an online consortium or partnership?
B.2. Obtain actionable demographics data, including veteran population numbers by region, state, county; other pertinent data.
B.3. Other
C. Specified Goals and Criteria:
C.1. Complete initiation phase of this project by July, 2012. This phase will be complete when initial research is complete and the decision has been formally made to move ahead with the project planning phase.
C.2. Continue the planning phase throughout 2012. This phase will be complete when the initial service offerings are ready for upload and distribution, the online database is established and ready for data entry, and initial requests for information (RFI) have been sent to all initial stakeholders and at least 25% have responded. The planning phase may be repeated as required during the control phase.
C.3. Commence the development phase. This phase is characterized by selection of musician partners, growing membership within the database, establishment of best practices, building of partnerships with stakeholder organizations.
C.4. Implement control measures. Schedule quarterly online accessible "in process reviews" with key stakeholders, ensure that all intended goals are being met, and adjust as necessary. Establish project testing criteria, feedback tools to determine that our developing service is meeting the needs of our clients.
C.5. This project will be considered closed, and the service formally established when the service has successfully functioned for the first 25 funeral or memorial services. From that time forward, the service will continue perpetually, with the oversight of an executive board, established according to best practices of organizational structure and management.
D. Possible Solutions
D.1. Available web service providers
D.2. Available financial Services
D.2.1 Online Banking providers with specified services for financial transparency to financial stakeholders, donors.
D.2.2. Determine perpetual funding sources, will there be annual membership fees for musicians, referring officiants, co-funding agreements with other organizations or a small referral - administrative fee per contract?
D.3. Available database content management options
D.4. Continue to develop recording studio capabilities
D.4.1. Update, equip, maintain studio
D.4.2. Develop media deliverables
D.4.2.1. Write, produce, record and deliver memorial music
D.4.2.2. Obtain royalty free memorial music
D.4.2.3. Build library of music scores and accompaniment music,
D.4.2.4. Create customized memorial slideshows
D.4.2.5. Create customized music tribute videos
D.5. Available online meeting services for quarterly "In Process Reviews"
D.6. Other
E. Analysis and Comparison of Possible Solutions
To be determined
F. Decide on Solutions
To be determined
G. Measure Effectiveness
Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis completed Annually.
I. BACKGROUND: Over the years I have been asked to sing at the funerals of more than a dozen family members, friends, and others in the community. Sometimes people would ask me: "How did you sing that without crying?". I always found that in that moment, I was combining all the grief from every one present, and the weight of all that grief was heavy enough that I could add no more tears. All I could do with that grief was simply lift it in song, a tribute, a prayer, a reminder that in song our lives will go on, and so will the memory of those we honor. Even in heaven there is music for all eternity.
The more I have done this, the more I have thought that there is an opportunity for bringing musicians and communities together. While many people will first turn to their own circle of friends and family to find someone to sing in their time of loss, not everyone has the opportunity to do so. I am especially concerned for military and public service veterans, yet all bereaved can benefit from having a place to look for help with music as they memorialize their loved ones.
It is my goal to establish a unique music service to meet this need. It will be nationwide, online, and locally accessible. This service will enable the bereaved to contact musicians in their local area, either directly or through their funeral officiant to honor their loved ones in song. This page includes my concept development process. It will be updated by "progressive elaboration". As I learn more about the appropriate best practices, potential partnerships, and refined goals this concept will be more clearly stated as a formal project management plan.
II. VISION: Establish an online registry of musicians throughout the United States who will be available to perform locally at the funeral or memorial services for veterans (military or public service) and their loved ones. Provide customizable music media services for memorial events.
III. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS:
A. Key Concerns:
A.1. Determine organizational structure (non-profit; not-for-profit; for profit etc.)
A.2. Determine client base (Military Veterans, Public Service Veterans, Immediate family members etc.)
A.3. Determine musician participant requirements, audition or other approval method.
A.4. Determine referral partnership profiles (funeral director associations, benevolent associations, community groups).
A.5. Research scaleable database tools, online accessible, map search based.
A.6. Develop the marketing plan
A.6.1. Identify Primary Stakeholders (Veteran's Organizations; Funeral Homes; Community Organizations, Music Associations, Artist Management Groups, Music Educational Institutions; online musician/artist search engines such as Reverbnation, Myspace, Soundcloud, etc.)
A.6.2. Research target market.
A.6.3. Develop media products - website, pamphlets, radio advertisements, podcast.
A.6.4. Evaluate and refine.
A.7. Establish scope of project. Will this program simply link the client and the musician, or will it provide accompaniment music to the musician, written music scores, memorial slideshows, customized video tributes, other client follow up or services ?
A.8. Develop financial plan
A.9. Other
B. Determine Facts and Assumptions:
B.1. What similar services already exist? What kind of music services are already provided by the American Legion, VFW, and similar organizations. Are their music programs formalized? Would they be open to formalizing such programs through an online consortium or partnership?
B.2. Obtain actionable demographics data, including veteran population numbers by region, state, county; other pertinent data.
B.3. Other
C. Specified Goals and Criteria:
C.1. Complete initiation phase of this project by July, 2012. This phase will be complete when initial research is complete and the decision has been formally made to move ahead with the project planning phase.
C.2. Continue the planning phase throughout 2012. This phase will be complete when the initial service offerings are ready for upload and distribution, the online database is established and ready for data entry, and initial requests for information (RFI) have been sent to all initial stakeholders and at least 25% have responded. The planning phase may be repeated as required during the control phase.
C.3. Commence the development phase. This phase is characterized by selection of musician partners, growing membership within the database, establishment of best practices, building of partnerships with stakeholder organizations.
C.4. Implement control measures. Schedule quarterly online accessible "in process reviews" with key stakeholders, ensure that all intended goals are being met, and adjust as necessary. Establish project testing criteria, feedback tools to determine that our developing service is meeting the needs of our clients.
C.5. This project will be considered closed, and the service formally established when the service has successfully functioned for the first 25 funeral or memorial services. From that time forward, the service will continue perpetually, with the oversight of an executive board, established according to best practices of organizational structure and management.
D. Possible Solutions
D.1. Available web service providers
D.2. Available financial Services
D.2.1 Online Banking providers with specified services for financial transparency to financial stakeholders, donors.
D.2.2. Determine perpetual funding sources, will there be annual membership fees for musicians, referring officiants, co-funding agreements with other organizations or a small referral - administrative fee per contract?
D.3. Available database content management options
D.4. Continue to develop recording studio capabilities
D.4.1. Update, equip, maintain studio
D.4.2. Develop media deliverables
D.4.2.1. Write, produce, record and deliver memorial music
D.4.2.2. Obtain royalty free memorial music
D.4.2.3. Build library of music scores and accompaniment music,
D.4.2.4. Create customized memorial slideshows
D.4.2.5. Create customized music tribute videos
D.5. Available online meeting services for quarterly "In Process Reviews"
D.6. Other
E. Analysis and Comparison of Possible Solutions
To be determined
F. Decide on Solutions
To be determined
G. Measure Effectiveness
Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis completed Annually.
For Further Information / Inquiry:
Contact don@donteesdale.com