Special Reps
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Home  Special Reps Technology Music and Technology Representative
John Wilson
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Firstly, I would like to thank the CMEA readers for their great response to and support of my first article. It seems that we all have the same concerns and needs for our students when dealing with technology in the classroom.
The biggest concern so far is the loss of human interaction in a lab setting. If we were playing/practicing with an orchestra, we would be playing next to, and with, another person. We would be creating a sound together. In the music tech lab environment, however, we are doing our own exercise,
sitting next to a person without interacting with them in a personal way. There is only one headphone jack on the computer, and once our students put on the headphones we lose their attention.
How do we get around these issues? In Fall 2007 I experimented with trying to break the barrier of the single user at the computer. I proposed a group and an individual project for the lab midterm and lab final in Music Tech 1. The group project consisted of 2-10 students per group, playing roles used in the recording industry that are involved in making a record (playing an instrument, producing, recording,
engineering, promoting etc). The computer was used by all the members of the group and had studio speakers attached to it so many people could listen to one unit. The group listening/recording unit was placed in a room outside the lab environment. Each group was given a three-hour block of time per week to use the studio space to record and work on ideas together like a band would. The end result was wonderful and surprising.
The group projects were more diverse and musically interesting than the individual projects, which lacked focus and direction at times. The exercise also gave students the opportunity to network with each other. As a final consequence to the project, many students are still working together in groups outside of class with people they met in the Music Tech 1 class.
I encourage your e-mails and would like to post some of your comments, questions, and concerns. Together we might be able to help each other in a field that is changing daily.
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Music Technology and accompaniment have been liked since the 14th century with the invention of a mechanical instrument similar to the music box. The 1800’s were an amazing time for mechanical music technology and accompaniment. The Orchestron, the original mechanical band in a box, was made of mechanized orchestral instruments and was actually in a large hand-carved wooden box. The player piano was also used for accompaniment. The Mellowtron of the 1960’s and 70’s was a piano made up of tape loops with live samples on them. This allowed you to create songs at the touch of a key.
The flutes at the beginning of the Beatles’ Strawbery Fields are not real but Paul playing the Mellowtron. Many organs from the 1950’s to the present have an accompaniment feature on them. Does anyone remember the 1970’s-80’s rhythm teacher called Tap Master?
Two programs featured in the winter conference that are part of this evolution are Band In A Box and Smart Music.
Band in a Box
“RealDrums - these are audio drum styles that replace the MIDI drum track with actual recordings of top studio Jazz/Rock/Country drummers! These are not “samples” of single drum hits; they are full recordings, lasting from 1 to 8 bars.
Audio Chord Wizard - the Wizard takes an audio file and instantly figures out the chords to the song. Whether it’s an MP3, WMA, or WAV file the Wizard will analyze and display the chords for use within the program!
Other great new features include the Soundtrack feature, the “Reharmonist” feature, save as MP3, batch MP3/WAV/WMA generation, TranzPort® wireless controller support, Auto-memo generation, Chord Breaks, Melodist/Soloist/Notation enhancements... and much more.”
Smart Music
SmartMusic is an interactive, computer-based practice tool for musicians. Challenging exercises, instant feedback tools, and more than 30,000 accompaniments make SmartMusic an essential part of your practice sessions
SmartMusic accompanies you while you practice. Your performance improves faster because practicing is more productive and fun.
Kent State University study shows that playing with accompaniment leads to significant improvement in the ability to perform solo repertoire. And the transition to playing with an accompanist is a lot easier from SmartMusic than from practicing alone.
Our exclusive Intelligent Accompaniment® actually follows your spontaneous tempo changes like a good human accompanist, so you’re free to express yourself. Or, if you’re learning a piece, you can turn off Intelligent Accompaniment and follow the music’s original tempo or the tempo of your choice.
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First off , I’d like to thank CMEA for
giving us a forum that represents
music technology in education. I am
happy to be representing music technology
this year, and I look forward to using CMEA
as a valuable resource in my new position as
director of the music technology program at
Chabot College.
One question I am asking myself in these
first stages of developing the program is:
since technology in music has tended to
promote individualism in the musician (i.e.
single-user interface, system controls, and
programs) in contrast to the generally grouporiented
leanings of music as a whole over
history, how does one teach this individual
art form in a classroom setting; moreover,
how does one incorporate a certain level of
group-oriented musicianship into the world
of music technology?
Throughout history, technological
advancements have generally promoted and
encouraged the individual, and rarely the
group, to be at the computer, technological
instrument, or control surface. Most schools’
Jazz, Rock, and chamber ensembles have
historically focused on the group to make one
sound, promoted teamwork, and encouraged
a group dynamic. Why can’t this be true of
Music Technology and educational programs
teaching it?
Demystifying the software interfaces and
taking the pressure off of the technology to
do our creative tasks for us is the fi rst step in
changing the stigma of the single user music
technology interface. Th e second is to soften
the role of the individual and promote the
role of the group in this practice. Anyone
can learn a program at any age now, but how
often do you get a chance to work as a team
to create music in the technological realm,
outside of band rehearsal?
To be continued…
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