Communication Has Really Changed

In my job as a Minister of Music, I communicate with a lot of people. Right now, for instance, I'm completing a music schedule for the next two months. With almost 100 people involved in our Choir, Orchestra, ensembles, soloists and instrumentalists, I have a lot of communicating to do before the final schedule comes out. In this particular schedule I am trying to schedule some of our students who will be participating in a national Fine Arts Festival in August. 

Here are all the communication methods I have used: for some Choir members, I need to send a postcard. For everyone else in the Choir and Orchestra, I can send an email. If I need a quick answer, I can make a voice call, or send a text message. For students, most of them do not check their emails anymore, so I use their Facebook account. I just set up a Twitter account, because many of the people I need to communicate with use Twitter. I'm still trying to figure out how to send Xbox 360 messages. It has been an interesting process to observe the difference that people from each age group adapt to new technology. While it is rare, anymore, to hear derogatory comments about computers, we still have a few seniors who will never adapt to this technology. On the young end of the spectrum, computers are too clunky, too large, too slow, etc. Once phone technology embraces everything a computer can do, that will be the end of the computer for most students who use a computer as a communication device. While I have just started my sixth decade, I notice that I am sending far more texts than using my cell phone for voice calls. I have even mastered the technique of using both hands on my Smart phone keyboard. I can "flat fly" for an old geezer.

I love new technology, even though sometimes it is hard to keep up. Students have such an advantage because they start working with computers, as normal tools, from the beginning of their school careers. I was already established in my career, and burning up my IBM Selectric typewriter, when personal computers were first introduced. I've been catching up ever since. Well, I have a few more people to connect with, I'm off to send a Tweet.