How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?

Mary Aquino

I’m a musician. Born into a family of musicians. Dad was a talented tenor, composer, conductor, and music professor. Mom was his accompanist and a soprano when she wasn’t playing the piano (and sometimes when she was…). My earliest memories include so much singing and playing and attending of concerts. I honestly grew up knowing I would play some sort of instrument or sing … or both.

Something I took away from that upbringing is that practice is the key to improvement. Especially true for concerts or auditions – or anything having to do with your career.


Maybe you’ve heard the old joke where a tourist in New York City stops a New Yorker on the street and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” and the New Yorker replies, “Practice!” It may be a corny joke, but think about it – how do you increase your skills? Yes – practice.

Up to now, if you wanted to gain fundamental Financial Edge NXT skills, your path was to take Blackbaud University’s instructor-led courses. These are still a great option, but for those of you wishing to learn the basics at your own pace (and when you have time), Blackbaud University is introducing eLearning courses – with Practice!

In these courses, you’ll be able to digest the content at a pace that best suits your learning and allows you to click through practice sessions for the most common tasks, such as adding a new record or creating a report parameter.

Upon completing the courses, you can take the Fundamentals Certification exam which is your gateway to further instructor-led courses. Or you can continue your eLearning path with our Basics playlist.

Interested in seeing how eLearning with Practice courses can take you from novice user to Carnegie-Hall-level expert? Check out the Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT curriculum datasheet for more information and links to launch each course!

These new eLearning with Practice courses are included in your Learn More and Learn Everything training subscription. Not a Learn® subscriber? Chat with us now to find out how to become one!

Jessica Moya

That is pretty cool.