SmartMusic has come a long way in the last few years. Back in the “SmartMusic 7” days, it became an Internet product, in that an Internet connection was required for some aspect of the program to work. At first, this was only for product activation. Then, when you periodically returned to smartmusic.com to download additional content or updates, SmartMusic would also tell our web servers how much each piece was opened and played so we could pay royalties to the appropriate copyright holders.
As the SmartMusic library began to grow and no longer fit on a CD-ROM, a DVD, or on multiple DVDs, we made the change to provide the music à la carte. As a result, we no longer fill your hard drive with thousands of pieces you don’t need (and make you wait while we install them), but instead allow you to download only what you need – whenever you need it.
Of course among the corresponding challenges are the dangers the Internet represents to an unprotected computer. Today’s computers include all sorts of security measures to prevent bad programs from using your Internet connection, but they often prevent valid programs (like SmartMusic) from going online, too. Fortunately, students at home don’t typically have a difficult time with this. At worst, some member of the family opens a firewall program, adds SmartMusic to the list of approved programs, and they’re on their way.
On the other hand, schools sometimes have bigger hurdles, not just with SmartMusic, but with software in general. There are processes, procedures, rules, tests, schedules, and more that need to be taken into consideration by your network administration staff. To help, we’ve created a comprehensive guide for these folks that provides the information they’ll need to configure your network so that SmartMusic will work without issues. Which brings me to this week’s tip.
Should you run into any network issues, the fastest way to resolve them is to put your network administrator(s) in touch with our technical support team directly. To do so, have them click the “Submit a Support Case” button here. The first time they do this they’ll need to create a New Account, but no purchase is necessary; anyone can create an account and submit a case.
I’d also suggest having them refer to your teacher e-mail address in their case submission.
Having your network staff contact us directly will help you to save your time for teaching, and get us communicating directly with the folks who know how your school network is configured, so we can address any concerns as efficiently as possible, AND learn how to minimize them in the future.
I hope your school year is off to a smooth start. We’re here to help keep it going smoothly.