Music is Not for Insects

This blog is moving- please update your feed

2008-01-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

This is my last post for this blog in blogger. And while I love the simplicity of posting text, pics, and vids to blogger, I've settled on

http://mystro2b.edublogs.org as my new home.

If you are following this in an RSS reader, please update your feed/subscription to

http://feeds.feedburner.com/MusicIsNotForInsects

Thanks for keeping up with my posts.

Photo: kenliu

Private Video music lessons from the stars

2008-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

Pay Graham Nash to teach you guitar | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone: "Pay Graham Nash to teach you guitar"

Record and Album in 29 Days

2008-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a great opportunity for your students:

Take the RPM Challenge and record an album in 29 days.

Here is a summary of the challenge and last year's contest reported at Slashdot:

"The 2008 RPM Challenge — to write and record an original album in February, just because you can — is about to begin. Hundreds of musicians from around the world have already signed up. Last year, more than 850 albums were recorded as part of the challenge, a testament to what can be done by independent musicians without a label, without the RIAA, and often without a professional studio. The efforts ranged from an album made entirely on a Nintendo Game Boy to a Speed Racer rock opera, produced by both experienced bands and novice musicians, often in continent-spanning online collaborations. Last year's challenge generated one of the largest free jukeboxes of original music available online, built to stream on-demand all 8500-plus original, artist-owned songs. Imagine if grassroots, independent systems like this foretold the future of recorded music and its distribution."

Musicians in Google Earth

2008-01-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jim Gate's TipLine blog for this one:

The gearthblog is fantastic for learning about the great work being done in Google Earth. This article talks about a project that is working to plot the birthplaces of the world's most famous musicians. It's well under way and this should be one that music teachers around the world will want to watch.

Check out the article at Google Earth Blog.

State Mandated Music Assessments- HELP!

2008-01-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here in the state of Washington, we are supposed to be implementing Classroom Based Performance Assessments in the Arts, including music.
I won't bore you with all the details, but the process involves video taping students performing various "sets" and then scoring each child's video according to a rubric that is supposed to be aligned to specific state Essential Academic Learning Requirements, or EALRS. (Click here for an overview of the music CBPA's by grade level).

Since I am leading a training on this for teachers, I could use your insight on this touchy subject...

Initial reactions to this state mandated testing from teachers in my district have ranged from indifference to hostility-

"How can we test for music? Are they nuts?"

"We barely have time to teach our students as it is...and now they want us to test?"

"No one is going to care about these scores; what difference will it make?"

"I'm not doing it!"

"I think testing is a bad way to justify the arts...."

"What difference will this make?"

This really surprised me. My initial reaction to all this was, "Finally the legislature sees enough value in the arts to have them assessed for all students."

I often joke with my colleagues that after the first round of dismal arts scores are made available I envision a press conference where the Governor says: "Look at these test scores for the Arts; it's obvious our students need more resources for arts education...I am proposing we pass a bill for increased spending in the arts for all WA State students." End dream sequence.

I think testing for the arts fundamentally says that all the arts are essential for every student's education. It says we no longer need to justify arts education based on how it supports other disciplines...Art for Arts Sake!

I am wrong about this?
What's your take on assessment for music?
Does your state have a mandated arts assessment program?

I'd be grateful for your input. Please add to this conversation by commenting below.

From My Google Reader This Morning

2008-01-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

Guitar Games Push Digital Music Sales

Free tools for music educators

2008-01-17T01:45:00.000-08:00

Check out the great free tools for music educators at PracticeSpot
(the Manuscript Genie is worth the price of admission alone....FREE!)

Here is a sample list and description of what you'll find

Music Crosswords
PracticeSpot's crossword collection - all dedicated to the subject musicians know best

Chord Wizard
Decode any chord, any time, anywhere in any key. Gb Minor Major 7th with added 13th? No problem.

Practice Spot's Manuscript Genie
Infinite supply of free manuscript paper, in a variety of sizes.

Sight Reading Chef
Randomly generated sightreading sheets, so you never know what you'll get

Scales Chef
How scales manuals should be - filled only with the scales you ask for

Rhythm Gym
Randomly generated sightreading sheets, so you never know what you'll get

PracticeSpot's Theory Sheet Center
The web's largest collection of free printable theory sheets.

Why am I doing this again?

2008-01-14T21:32:00.001-08:00

After a particularly difficult rehearsal with my choir the other day, I asked myself, my wife and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to hear me complain, “Why am I doing this again?” This was the short, sarcastic, remark to several fundamental questions I have often asked myself after a rehearsal where my students seemed uninvolved, uncommitted and uninspired by the music, and my direction.

These fundamental questions typically spiral into the following depression:

“Why am I doing this again? Do my students even care? Why should I try so hard when they don’t even care? Why do they even belong to this group when they don’t give their best? What’s my problem? Why can’t my choir sound like (insert name of respected colleague here) choir…?”

We’ve all had these days and thoughts at some time or another in our career. Typically after a refreshing beverage of choice, our perspective usually returns and we continue with our work. But lately, I have felt that my work as a choral conductor and music educator of children and adolescents is driving me to this sarcastic place more often than I remember.

Now before this post turns into an Oprah or Dr. Phil episode, and I start crying as I pour my heart out to the audience, I hope that you’ll consider with me the original question I asked; not in a sarcastic, ironic response to momentary feelings of inadequacy after a bad rehearsal, but as a real question to confirm some core beliefs about our work as choral conductors and music educators: “Why am I doing this again?” These core beliefs are usually not inline with what my young choristers are typically exposed to each day outside of my rehearsal. The influence of pop culture on our singers and audience can be the catalyst that makes our work seem unimportant or misunderstood by many.

I do believe there are some core values we share as music educators that can be expressed as a response to popular culture that influences our students and audiences in a negative way. Kenneth A. Myers, former producer and editor for Morning Edition and All Things Considered on National Public Radio, has a chart from his book All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes, contrasting popular culture with traditional and high culture:

POPULAR CULTURE VS. TRADITIONAL AND HIGH CULTURE

Focuses on the new	Focuses on the timeless
Discourages reflection	Encourages reflection
Pursued casually to "kill time"	Pursued with deliberation
Gives us what we want, tells us what we already know	Offers us what we could not have imagined
Relies on instant accessibility	Encourages impatience
Requires training	Encourages patience
Emphasizes information and trivia	Emphasizes knowledge and wisdom
Encourages quantitative concerns	Encourages qualitative concerns
Celebrates fame	Celebrates ability
Appeals to sentimentality	Appeals to appropriate, proportioned emotions
Content and form governed by requirements of the market	Content and form governed by requirements of created order
Formulas are the substance	Formulas are the tools
Relies on spectacle, tending to violence and prurience	Relies on formal dynamics and the power of symbols (including language)
Aesthetic power in reminding of something else	Aesthetic power in intrinsic attributes
Individualistic	Communal
Leaves us where it found us	Transforms sensibilities
Incapable of deep or sustained attention	Capable of repeated, careful attention
Lacks ambiguity	Allusive, suggests the transcendent
No discontinuity between life and art	Relies on "Secondary World" conventions
Reflects the desires of the self	Encourages understanding of others
Tends toward relativism	Tends toward submission to standards
Used	Received

I have found this chart to be invaluable when I ask the question “Why am I doing this again?” It forces me to remember that I hope I am teaching my choristers and students to love and appreciate music that is indicative of the characteristics listed in the right hand column. Some key thoughts on this from Myers below:

Asserting that traditional or high culture has a greater potential for establishing a sensibility that is beneficial and constructive is not to say that all aspects of traditional or high culture are superior to all aspects of popular culture… Our principal concern is with the sensibilities encouraged by popular culture versus those encouraged by high culture (as well as traditional culture). We aren’t prescribing a list of preferred cultural experiences for the sake of some crusade of cultural literacy. It is important rather that the advantage of high culture’s sensibility consists in its ability to provide some transcendent perspective, while popular culture’s liability consists in its tendency to encourage a self-centered perspective.

I believe pop-culture’s “tendency to encourage a self-centered perspective” is what I see in my young singers today. This causes me to say, “Why am I doing this again?” in a defeated way. Thankfully I’ve chosen a career for “its ability to provide some transcendent perspective” on life. This I must remember, so I can say, “That is why I am doing this…”

This is a test post

2008-01-12T18:31:00.001-08:00

I am composing this with Windows Live Writer

Music Quote of the Day: Did you know that...

2008-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

When we double or halve a frequency, we end up with a note that sounds remarkably similar to the one we started out with. This relationship, a frequency ratio of 2:1 or 1:2, is called the octave. It is so important that, in spite of the large differences that exist between musical cultures- between Indian, Balinese, European, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and so on- every culture we know of has the octave as the basis for its music, even if little else in common with other musical traditions.

p. 31 from the book This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin

Become a Music Ed Blogger...like me

2008-01-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Check out Joseph Pisano's invitation to become a Music Ed blogger:

100 Music Education Bloggers by January of 2009

Mustech.net and the DigitalMusicEducator have started a campaign to have 100 Music Educators blogging about music, education, and technology by January of 2009. We are inviting you to join our campaign and become an active blogger! This truly is the ground-floor of what IS the next wave of educational communication and thought/idea sharing for our fields (and every other one!). Read more here.

Practicing tips for parents and students: part 2

2008-01-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

When it comes to practicing an instrument, I was always told what to practice but never how. I was also told that more time spent practicing created results. This meant as a young musician, I focused more on watching the clock than practicing with purpose. This same attitude of more practice (TIME)=better musician carried over into my teaching.

It wasn't until I read The Practice Revolution by Philip Johnston I realized my approach to practicing was flawed. This book has given me the tools I need to help students understand the how of practice that is outcome based and results oriented. Geared toward parents and teachers, Johnston makes a compelling argument for quality vs. quantity when it comes to practicing; all in an easy to read, conversational style.

In his third book, Practiceopedia, Johnston has written "the world' first complete practice room reference; a comprehensive 376 page fully-illustrated A-Z of practice ideas, strategies, tips, tricks and traps - in a breezy full-color magazine-style format that is browsable, fun to read, and bursting with information. "

Here is a list of my favorite articles from Philip Johnston's web-site The Practice Spot:

The Practice Revolution (Chapter 1 from the book with the same title)

The Role of Parents

Nintendo Practice
Don't let the title fool you on this one...excellent read, especially for parents of "screenagers" a.k.a "videots" or gamers.

Practice Props

Why some students don't practice

Teaching Music with Guitar Hero?

2008-01-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over, but we are still rocking out with our new Guitar Hero III for the Wii here at home, and in our virtual stadium crowd thanks to some photoshop fun...

Several of the music-ed bloggers I subscribe to (see my blogroll) have discussed the idea of using video games to teach kids how to read music. Check out Engadet blogger Nilay Patel's post on a company that has a created a "guitar hero like" game that uses a real guitar and gaming technology to teach kids how to read music.

And, if you really can't stand playing GH with a plastic guitar controller, check out how to build your own custom full-sized Guitar Hero controller like the modified Strat in the picture below. File this under projects labeled "when-I-have-too-much-time-on-my hands..."

For Trombonists only

2008-01-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Photo Source: danny.hammontree

You have to share this post with all your trombone buddies. Check out the hilarious videos at thepetersonproject.

I wish I could embed a sample video here at the post, but they are unavailable. These are very clever short videos, films really, by Houston area freelance trombonist Steve Peterson.

WARNING: You won't understand the humor of these videos unless you were in a college band/orchestra or are good friends with a knuckle-dragging-low-brass-yahoo.

p.s. I'm a trombonist.

Digital video and web-site review: a post about posts

2008-01-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

What started off as a review post about the Flip Video quickly expanded into a larger discussion of using video in the classroom thanks to two excellent posts: One by Bob Sprankle at his bit by bit blog
and the other post (discovered in the comments on Bob's post) by Matthew Needleman at his Creating Lifelong Learners blog

Now before you go and check out these two posts, let me give you my thoughts on my use of the Flip Video. I had been looking for an inexpensive (below $200) digital video camera to use with my music students. I initially purchased an Aiptek 720P HD Camcorder for about $150 at Target. While the video was excellent, the audio was unacceptable.

I was skeptical about getting a Flip Video, but you can't beat Costco for a good deal on stuff you gotta have...I purchased a Flip Video Ultra for about $120. It records up to 30 minutes of video that is great quality in sound and sight for my purposes.

Some key bullets on having used the camera for awhile-
* I would suggest the Ultra Flip over the plain old Flip (see all the specs here) mainly because the Ultra comes with a tripod mount and looks cooler and is easier to hold.
* The zoom feature on the flip is virtually useless from more than 30 feet away IMHO.
*Mac users: the flip comes with pre-loaded software to allow you to play .avi files on your Mac OS. I could get the .avi files to play just fine in Quicktime, but was unable to import them into iMovie'08. I did get them to import into iMovie HD with no problem. (I'm still using Mac OS 10.4.11)
*This is a no-brainer camera for those of you think that digital+video=genius. It is very simple to use and the included cables for hook-up to your t.v. are a nice bonus for instant playback.
*Buy a USB extension cable before you come home with the camera. The flip out USB dongle is a nice feature, but I've found that it doesn't quite work with my laptop USB configuration or my other desktop computers.

A PLACE ON THE WEB FOR ALL THOSE VIDEOS

I know what you're thinking, "Not another YouTube like video sharing service...we already use TeacherTube."

Do check out the intro video below from 5min.com. I think it has some neat things to offer, particularly the video music lessons that can be paused and slowed down. Could have some neat teaching possibilities for your students and parents. I like the 5 minute concept for teaching mini-lessons.

Practicing tips for parents and students: part 1

2008-01-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

Photo Source: linlin (back now)

I want to call your attention to a great article I found on the internet about kids and practice. Here is the link:
Mom, I don't WANT to practice!

I strongly encourage you to read it, but I will highlight some of the key points below:

“...When a child starts to learn an instrument, the experience is often treated as the new adventure it is; but after the first few weeks or months, the novelty can wear off and the child becomes distracted by other attention-grabbers like TV shows, playing with friends, and other things that don’t require sitting for 20-30 minutes for concentrated practice.”

Hints to Survive Practicing

1) Try breaking up the practice time into two segments each day. Have your child practice for 10 minutes before school and 10 minutes after dinner.

2) Come up with an incentive such as a quarter in a jar every time they practice. At the end of two weeks, let them spend their money at a store or to treat themselves to a fast food goodie.

3) Sit with your child during practic
e time. Not only is this a great time to learn with them, but it keeps them on track.

4) Have your child give you a concert at least once a month. Nothing builds up a child's confidence and makes him or her feel like an accomplished musician like having Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa there as an audience. Plan the “concert” ahead of time and tell your child that they need to practice their lesson and then pick out four of their favorite songs to play for their big day.

5) Balance out practice time with a fun activity. Practicing DOES NOT have to be just playing your songs 3-5 times each. Integrate music flash cards, a book from the library about music, listen to some sort of classical or jazz music with your child and talk about the instruments you hear.

6) Let your child be the teacher for 10 minutes of practice time. Have them give YOU a mini lesson. You’d be surprised what you can learn from that little one!

7) DO NOT make practice time a yelling match or struggle of wills. There ARE times when kids just need a break from the daily routine, but let them know that that break is for one day only and the next day they will have to add some time on to makeup for their missed practice the day before.

8) Teaching them commitment and following through: Developing a consistent routine for practicing teaches your child that once they start something, they need to see it through even if it’s just for a given amount of time.

The BEST piece of advice I can give all parents is to stick with it. Be there to reinforce good practice habits. As teachers, we can only do so much reinforcing. It’s best to work as a team to help your child develop their talents and gifts. Praise them often even when they hit a few clinker notes.

New Book for the New Year: for teachers and parents

2008-01-01T12:52:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of questions about a child’s music development. The best book I have found is “Your Musical Child: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps” by Jessica Baron Turner.

You can start anywhere in the book and it’s written with the right amount of theory and practical information for parents with children of all ages. It answers the following questions: “What makes a child fall in love with learning to play music? How does talent develop? When is the right time to start lessons? Which instrument is the best fit? Why is practice so challenging, and what can parents do to keep kids musically motivated? Where can a parent learn about music programs, camps, books, recordings, and other important resources?”

My MusEd Predictions for 2008...sort of...

2007-12-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ok- this is not really about my predictions for music education...I am guilty of creating a provocative title for my last post of 2007 with hopes that you will read my final thoughts, resolutions, confessions and hopeful predictions about my practice as a music educator in 2008:

In 2008 I predict that I will:

*Plan ahead.
The immediacy of the internet and my own laziness has made me a lousy planner. No more last minute lessons or off-the-cuff rehearsals.

*Keep my chops in shape.
If I can't wow my students with my playing or singing, I'm just a teacher. I need to be a performer as well as a teacher. As a general music teacher, it's too easy to let my technique slide. I need to keep performing and practicing regularly.

*Only perform quality repertoire.
I'm done picking repertoire based solely on the label Editor's Choice for my students. I need to take the time to find quality music; the kind that inspired me to be a music teacher. I need to remember that excellent music may not be easily accessible at first playing or singing for my students, but the reward comes in digging deeper each time the piece is rehearsed and performed.

*Convince my students that hard work and self-denial is what it takes to get results.
I need to remind my students that time spent practicing is the only way to get better. Can I create a culture of excellence based on good practice habits?

*Teach my students how to practice.
I will no longer tell my students to practice without defining clear expectations and outcomes for each practice session...(sounds like a future blog post).

*Use technology responsibly.
I vow to create meaningful uses of technology in my practice as a music teacher. I have been guilty of creating fun moments with technology, but now I need to plan (see first point above) on connecting my use of technology to standards and learning for each of my students.

Here comes 2008...I want to be ready for a new year of better teaching.

Photo attribution: by venegas

Free tempo adjustment feature in Quicktime

2007-12-17T23:14:00.001-08:00

Today while I was rehearsing with my students, I needed to slow down one of the songs we were singing. There is a great feature in the free version of Quicktime that allows you to slow down the tempo of a song and keep the pitch the same. It's much cheaper than any tempo adjustment software you can buy and is great for slowing down those tricky sections on any piece of music; guitar hacks like me love this software for breaking down those Clapton licks- Here is what you do: (the screenshots are from my Mac but the process is the same on a PC)

1) Open up a file in Quicktime.

2) Click on Window>Show A/V Controls

3) Slide Playback Speed control to slow down or speed up

If you slow it way down, the sound gets a bit "crunchy" but the pitch remains the same. Loop those tough sections, slow 'em down, and you'll get your chops up in no time.

Frets on Fire: Shredding on our Mac Now

2007-12-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: this is a follow-up to my last post about Frets on Fire. After poking around the FOF website, we were able to find a simple hack to get the program to work on my Intel based iMac. Here is what you do:

1) Download 2 separate versions of Frets on Fire: Version 1.1.324 and Version 1.2.438

2) Follow the directions from the screencast here to make a simple change to the program.

3) Start shredding!

You will definitely want to Google your way to adding more songs to the library. There is a great post here from the FOF Fan Forum on how to use Audacity to convert mp3 files to Ogg Vorbis files so you can create your own songs.

I see a lot of potential for a fun program you could use with your students...especially the creation of new songs. Let me know if you have tried this with your students.

Frets on Fire: freeware patterned after Guitar Hero

2007-12-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

Frets on Fire according to the game 's developers "is a game of musical skill and fast fingers. The aim of the game is to play guitar with the keyboard as accurately as possible." It's basically a freeware version of Guitar Hero where your computer keyboard acts as the "guitar" controller. Check out the short video of my son giving it a test run on his Vista computer. Notice how he is holding his keyboard like a guitar- right hand pressing the enter key in time with his fingers on the left hand pressing the function keys ~~(I tried downloading the MacOSX version, but it caused my intel based iMac to crash...)~~ UPDATE: Check out my post on how we got the game to work on my iMac.

In addition to the pre-loaded songs, you can also "compose" new songs with the game's built in song editor and Ogg Vorbis files. I had a blast trying to play Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". It's surprisingly well done for a freeware program.

Book to read over Winter Break

2007-12-11T18:51:00.001-08:00

File this under: books I should have read in my college general music class but will now read knowing that it will either inspire me or make me feel like a bad teacher...

The Ways Children Children Learn Music: An Introduction and Practical Guide to Music Learning Theory (Revised Edition) by Eric Bluestine is a great introduction to the sometimes thorny field of Music Learning Theory. An alternate title could be "Gordon Music Learning Theory for Dummies"- based on the research and ideas of Edwin E. Gordon. (I hadn't heard of him either before reading this book....)

Some worthwhile quotes from Mr. Bluestine:

Music class is not simply a stop-gap during the school day during which students can relax between the "important" subjects; music is more than simply a source of entertainment, more than a means of raising the self-esteem of a relatively small segment of the student population. Music is a discipline as well as an art. And, like other disciplines, it's worthy of study for it's own sake.

We are not educating our students to become indpendendent musicians and independent musical thinkers...We music teachers should design a curriculum to help us teach better so that our students can grow musically and approach, maybe even surpass, our level of musical proficiency.

Let's teach our students to strive not for perfect imitation, but for imperfect audiation. Why imperfect? Because a musician who audiates the music she performs is never satisfied with her performance. There is always "something wrong"-audiationally, technically- with the phrasing, dynamic choices, articulation, intonation, or rhythmic accuracy. Perhaps only the musician herself is aware that there's a problem. A music student who imitates has no such problems. Her perfect imitation leads to perfect satisfaction. By contrast, the mark of any true musician, of any serious artist, is dissatisfaction-and a life of thrilling and unending artistic growth.

The Vegetable Orchestra

2007-12-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

Music may not be for insects, but it can be made using vegetables. Check out this unbelievable video from The Vegetable Orchestra:

"Not that loop again, and again...": Using Garageband responsibly to create music for your digital projects.

2007-12-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

Garageband is a great tool many of you are using to create license free music for your podcasts, slideshare presentations, and videos. Access to hundreds of loops allows easy creation of original soundtracks by literally dragging and dropping a guitar riff, bass line and back beat onto a track.

While the ease of using Garageband loops is appealing, it can also create tracks that are predictable and uninspired to listeners. Even if your aim is to create a transparent background track, careless use of loops can distract your audience or cause them to dismiss your project entirely.

Many of the loops in Garageband are so popular, they are immediately recognizable. With a bit of planing, even familiar loops can be used to create music that sounds original, not "canned". Here are some tips on using loops in Garageband responsibly:

1) Use basic musical forms such as ABA and Rondo (A,B,A,C,A)
This will give your musical project a basic structure on which to build your ideas. One loop extended in endless repetition gets old quick. Check out Pete Whitfield's wiki on structure and intensity for some great examples from pop music.

2) Vary a basic loop with a single percussion loop.
Does the phrase Needs more cowbell ring a bell? Adding a shaker or tambourine loop on top of a more substantial loop is like a dash of spice for your musical composition.

3) Change the original tempo of a loop.
The standard tempo for many of the most popular loops in Garageband is 120 bpm. By shifting the tempo at least 10 bpm more or less, you can breathe new life into some of the more redundant loops.

4) Combine loops to create new ideas.
It drives me crazy when I hear a single loop used exclusively for a single track. Maybe it's because I use Garageband every week with my students and familiarity breeds contempt...
Don't be lazy. Combine loops to create new ideas. Your fellow listeners will be grateful.

5) Watch your levels between transitions and listen before you post.
This last tip is not necessarily about creativity or structure. Many loops in Garageband have different volume levels. Be sure that the overall volume of all the parts of your project is an acceptable level for the listener. Be careful when you transition between musical vs. spoken sections. Nothing says delete me faster than a poorly mixed project where the volume between spoken and musical sections drastically changes, forcing the listener to madly scramble for their volume control. You've worked hard on your presentation; make sure it gets heard in its entirety with audio levels that are consistent throughout.

We all take time to plan our content before posting ideas on-line- take some time to plan the music that will be a part of your projects as well. Music teachers will thank you for the extra effort.

Rock Band: video game music teacher?

2007-11-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

Last night my son showed me the video review (see below) of a hot new video game called Rock Band by MTV Games. I am familiar with the video game Guitar Hero and have played it at the local electronics store (with out much success) and thought it was nothing more than a fun game and an exercise in coordination set to music.

But after watching the video of Rock Band, I was wondering if this kind of technology could really be used to teach music. There can be as many as 4 players in your band- Each player uses a controller in the shape of a guitar, microphone or drum set and has to "pluck", "sing", and "hit" in time with the music and lights that appear on the screen.

Check it out and tell me if you think this kind of technology could be used to teach an aspect of music...rhythmic accuracy perhaps? I do think the multi-player approach to "making music" is what sets this game apart.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T19:26:00.001-08:00

"...but we missed the point the whole way along...it was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or dance while music was being played."
-Alan Watts

Band nerds and video game geeks: UNITE!

2007-11-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Garageband Tip: Musical Typing

2007-11-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Hans Feldmeier and his post at etwinning e-digiskills blog for turning me onto Screencast-O-Matic so I could show you this cool tip in Garageband. The audio makes me sound like I have a lisp, and the video is a little wonky, but it's a decent on-line screencast tool in a pinch.

SmartMusic: Music 2.0 tools for Instrumental Teachers and Students

2007-11-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

I have been trying for the last few hours to get a demo video embedded into this post from the SmartMusic web-site. I really wanted you to see Wynton Marsalis describe the cool features of this software in his inimitable style.

When I first heard about this program, I thought it was a glorified digital recording program and I figured what I had available to me with Garageband would suffice. After taking a class on the various features of this program, I was convinced that SmartMusic could be a very powerful tool for encouraging my instrumental students to enjoy practicing, to maximize their skills and to provide almost immediate feedback and assessment.

The base subscription rate is $100 a year for your first computer, then $25 per each additional computer or $25 for a student subscription that gives your students access to all the features of the program at home. This is the powerful part of the program and allows kids to receive immediate feedback from the computer when they play and then have an email of their practice sent to the teacher.

Accompaniments and exercises from all the popular instrumental music methods are included in SmartMusic- over 30,000 titles and nearl 50,000 exercises. If that is not enough, you can create your own files using Finale to create your own exercises.

Intelligent Accompaniment is what really sets this program apart: imagine playing along with a pre-recorded accompaniment and as you slow down or speed up, the accompaniment will stay with you. I have tried this, and it works. Now you can turn your kids loose in a practice room with a "virtual accompanist" who will keep up with your tempo changes.

There are so many features, I encourage you to check out the web-site and watch the SmartMusic flash videos and the video endorsements from Wynton Marsalis.

Insect Band

2007-11-13T21:50:00.001-08:00

Insect Band, originally uploaded by Baggage Reclaim.

How can we keep from singing?

Your Brain on Music

2007-11-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Since today was a Veteran's Day Holiday, I heard a re-broadcast of a story on NPR about this book: This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin.

The web-site for the book has some fun interactive features including mp3s of the songs mentioned in the text.

I've just started the book, but here are some of my favorite quotes from the introduction:

Nowadays there is a great emphasis on technique and whether a musician is "good enough" to play for others. Music making has become a somewhat reserved activity in our culture, the rest of us listen.

Music listening, performance, and composition engage nearly every area of the brain that we have so far identified, and involve nearly every neural subsystem.

It's a shame that many people are intimidated by the jargon musicians, music theorists, and cognitive scientists throw around...in the case of music, music experts and scientists could do a better job of making their work accessible. That is something I tried to accomplish in this book. The unnatural gap that has grown between musical performance and music listening has been paralleled by a gap between those who love music (and love to talk about it) and those who are discovering new things about how it works.

Preach it!!

Ride the Trane

2007-11-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

I dare you to look away...Giant Steps indeed!

No Artist Left Behind

2007-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from Public Radio International's Opensourse with Christopher Lydon.

This show aired back in June, but it's implications for arts education in this era of NCLB is worth considering.

Christopher Lydon interviews the former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and Humanities teacher Abdi Alli in a fascinating look at the importance of the arts in education and our lives.

I hope this less than 5 minute excerpt will convince you to listen to the entire program:

Soundjunction: awesome Web 2.0 music site

2007-11-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo and this link from his "Teacher's Page".

Soundjunction is a great interactive music site-

"SoundJunction is the award-winning site for listening to, exploring, discovering and creating music.

Listen and explore: rock, classical, jazz, African, drum 'n' bass, pop, fusion and much more..."

Web 4.0? A nice round-up from Mashable

2007-11-06T21:27:00.000-08:00

I just finally got my head around Web 2.0 and now people are talking about Web 4.0h. Yikes!

Great summary post of this lifestreaming-micro-blogging-twittering-linking type concept over at Mashable

A great digital recorder: The Zoom H2

2007-11-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for an inexpensive digital-recorder that meets the following requirements for use with my students:

Portable

Expandable storage (media card)

Records in wav and mp3 format

Easy to Use

There were several on the list, but the Zoom H2 really can't be beat.

For $199 (less with my educator's discount at my local music merchant) the H2 has all of the above and 4 built in mics allowing you to record in a number of unique situations using a front 90 degree pattern, rear 120 degree pattern or both:

And a built in bonus is the ability to use the H2 as a USB mic and an audio interface with your favorite digital audio software (in my case, Garageband).

It's sounds great and is really easy to use out of the box.

In depth review here: O'Reilly Review Zoom H2

A Web 2.0 nightmare for singers....

2007-11-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

A fun, nightmarish Web 2.0 find perhaps for the singers out there from The Crucial Thought Blog.

Let them sing it for you should be experienced first hand...no written explanation will do it justice.

Keep Arts in Schools website

2007-11-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is a website recommendation from blogger Stephanie Sandifer at her blog Change Agency- Advocating a better education system for the 21st Century.

Keep Arts in Schools is a great arts advocacy web-site. There is also a link to a parent resource from The Center for Arts Education in New York, My Child, the Arts and Learning: A Guide for Parents Pre-K to Second Grade.

My Men's Choir in concert: first fall concert

2007-11-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video clip of The Seattle Pacific University Men's Choir in our first concert of the season last night 11/2/07. This is my college conducting debut at SPU. I'm really proud of these guys.

Are they really "learning" music...

2007-11-01T14:33:00.001-07:00

Gabcast! Music is Not for Insects #2

Links in this post: "The Technology Specialist as Teacher Leader..."

My thoughts about Web 2.0 and Music

2007-10-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Another audio post I created using Gcast from my cell phone- Click on the "Posts" circle to hear a new episode.

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About the title of my blog...

2007-10-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is an audio post I created using Gcast from my cell phone:

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