Songbook Grand Opening - Win a $50 iTunes Gift Card!

I've been working hard on a new project for the past couple of months, and now I'm ready to announce the new interactive online Monty Harper Songbook!

I'm celebrating this "Grand Opening" with a $50 iTunes giveaway!

My songbook features lyrics to 145+ songs that I have written or co-written, including all the songs available on my CDs and just as many that are not.

You'll also find guitar chords, videos, free MP3 downloads, and other extras such as study guides and lesson plans.

But the really cool part is that I've organized and posted my songs in a bulletin board format. This means that anyone who feels so inclined can add their own content.

I've already posted several fan-made videos, podcasts that feature my songs, lesson plans sent to me by teachers who used my songs, and other related items that I've collected over the years.

As a Monty Harper fan, I hope you'll be excited to explore the songbook, see what other people are saying, and post a comment here and there. You might post a related YouTube video, piece of artwork, lesson plan, or just a story about how a particular song drove you nuts all the way to California and back.

The drawing will be held on September 29, 2009 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time. That's not much time, so enter now before you forget!

How to win the $50 iTunes gift card:

1. Go to http://montysongs.freeforums.org/

2. Register as a member of the forum. It's quick and easy. You won't get any unwanted email as a result. I promise.

3. Find your favorite Monty Harper song and click the title, then click "Post Reply."

4. Type a sentence or two about why the song is your favorite, how you've used it with kids, or what it means to your family. (Optional: You may attach a relevant file, such as artwork, a photo, video, etc.)

5. Click "Submit."

A few details, for those who want to know:

I reserve the right to disqualify an entry that I deem inappropriate. Things NOT to post include ads or self-promotion, anything a child shouldn't see or read, and anything devoid of meaningful content related to a song. Such posts will not appear in the songbook.

Yes, you can post more than once, and yes, each post gives you an extra chance at winning.

You must still be a registered member of this songbook forum on the day of the drawing in order to win.

Your chances of winning are likely to be excellent, compared to your chances of winning the lottery.

The $50 gift card can be used to purchase anything on iTunes. It can also be "gifted" to a friend.

Registering is quick, easy, and safe. You won't receive spam email as a result. I won't share your email with anyone else. When you register you agree not to post material that is copyrighted, and not to hold me legally responsible for anything that happens to the material you post - i.e. only post what you're willing to share with the world.

That's it - have fun!

Retreat

Last weekend Lisa and I took a little retreat to one of the Cedar Falls Cabins near Davis, OK to get some planning done for the year. We worked hard and had a great time just getting away for a day.

Breakfast on the back porch:

There was a beautiful creek out back, with little waterfalls making little waterfall music:

Looking back up at the cabin from the creek:

Our work area - see, we did do some work! We came home with new focus, goals, strategies, schedules - all pumped up to have a great year!