Music notation software has drastically changed the learning environment as well as other aspects of music making and reading. In the past couple of years I have come to really appreciate this technology for it’s convenience and how it makes notating music more accessible to musicians and beginners everywhere. From expert composers to band teachers and beginner musicians, digital notation can be a crucial part of the music making experience. Although there are many different brands of software, I have only experienced a few and their potentials.
The most common program used is probably Finale. With this notation program users can compose, arrange, and listen to their notated work using a variety of instrumental MIDI sounds for their ensembles. MIDI is the digital sound of a musical instrument, and a lot of these software programs come stock with their own instrumental sounds for many instruments. In the newer versions you can even scan pages and convert them into the software, making editing parts and scores for your band very simple. If this technology were available to composers before the invention of the computer just imagine the possibilities! Students, composers, and musicians can use this software to make their lives much easier.
A similar software called Sibelius works in the same way as Finale but may have some better instrumental playback sounds. I became familiar with this software in a music theory class where we has the option of hand writing our musical arrangements or using notation software. I chose to go the non-traditional way along with most of the class. One perk of using the software is the option to change keys with the click of a button instead of completely re-writing the music. On the downside, musicians loose the repetitive practice of re-writing parts over and over like our great predecessors once had to do. Hand writing music is a skill like many others that requires a lot of practice, and during this process it gives the composer time to revise or get new ideas for the music. Using notation software the editing process can becomes shorter, and less time might be given to individual parts. However all this saved time does present new possibilities such as freeing up time to complete more arrangements and make more music. In my class experience, making more music was definitely valued more and this software came in handy.
Creating a score from scratch is another task made possible with this software. For our final project we had to make an arrangement of our choice using a large ensemble. Being able to listen back to each part individually and hear the music all together made composing much easier than the traditional way. Before this software was around, using a piano and playing each part was most likely the only option unless you had access to musicians to sample what it sounds like. On the computer screen you can see every instrument virtually in front of you and make changes to their parts; quite a difference from the traditional way and what a pleasure it was to work with.
This software helped me learn many valuable skills about arranging music for small and large ensembles. It gave me the experience to write music for instruments I otherwise would not have access to and get a sample of what it might sound like. In the future I hope to use notation software for many more projects. I was inspired by the ease of the programs to one day write out my own music for my school’s band or arrange popular repertoire for them to play.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Technology Autobiography
Whether you like it or not communicating through technology plays a significant role in our lives. Evidence of this can be seen at the introduction of most lives where in the hospital delivery room, doctors and nurses communicate with computers to make sure our arrival is a smooth one. From there there video cameras record our all of our first big moments, cameras capture the memories of people and places, and we are introduced to television and movies revealing a very small world from inside a glass box (at least they were small glass boxes in the 1990’s). It seems technology has always been aiding our lives as a prime source of communication and education. In this blog I will explore the three biggest technological influences in my life thus far and their impact on me, for better or worse.
Coming in at number one I rank digital music. In the form of CD's and mp3s the communication and education I received through this media has shaped much of my personality. Most importantly it has introduced me to a new medium of communication. Making the discovery of how powerful digital music’s impact on people of the world was huge. Positively, digital music has given me insight into new perspectives and allowed me to understand emotions and experiences of others through their songs. The music I listened to connected me with my fellow classmates at a young age, which helped me make many great friendships. Without these friends and the convenience of digital music I may not have been inspired begin learning how to play musical instruments. Especially because it was really easy to rewind and replay parts of songs so I could learn them. I doubt it would have been as exciting if I had to stop my record player and try to drop the pin to the section I was working on, or continuously rewind my cassette player.
On the downside I was introduced to some very inappropriate music at a young age. The artists I listened to had a big impact on my understanding of society and the decisions I made as a kid. I spent a lot of times plugged into my headphones during elementary school, most notably during after school care and on camping trips with the boy scouts where I could have been connecting with nature but instead was connecting with digital sounds. There was one instance during the video “Learning to change...” with one of the kids explained how he has been using music software to write original music. I have been exposed to music software while recording with groups and for use in school projects. It really does present a whole new field for developing music with some interesting possibilities.
The next most influential technology in my life has been the T.V. For a good while this was the reason I didn’t mind waking up at 6 am to get ready for school because I got to watch my favorite cartoons while I ate my cereal. I would have to say cartoon watching has dominated my experience with T.V to this day. Some of the best shows have taught me a lot about creativity, artistic expression, and of stories with positive messages. You could also argue the countless hours I spent watching cartoons was just time I spent crafting a mold of my backside in the couch. Combined with the hours I spent playing video games with my online community of friends, that couch was the nest of my youth for a good couple years. But I did learn a few things about being with a group and interacting with new people to work towards a common goal of defeating the enemy. One student from the video we watched explains how he learned this concept of teamwork from games like I used to play, and how this relates to the school environment of working with your peers and coming together for a common goal. In many ways there is still a way to see the experience we have with T.V as a positive one. Especially because it has the ability to bring families and friends together around a couch for their viewing entertainment. Only recently I have been watching more documentaries and using T.V as a source for history and current events.
Lastly I will credit the computer for its vast education sources and social connectors. This is where I generally find information about health and nutrition, recipes, music, history, and get introduced to things I would not otherwise be looking to learn about. There is a never ending list of negative side effects from overuse of the computer that I don’t care to get deeply into because the cramps in my hand and stiff neck are starting to bother me. So I will end this post with a farewell and good night!
Coming in at number one I rank digital music. In the form of CD's and mp3s the communication and education I received through this media has shaped much of my personality. Most importantly it has introduced me to a new medium of communication. Making the discovery of how powerful digital music’s impact on people of the world was huge. Positively, digital music has given me insight into new perspectives and allowed me to understand emotions and experiences of others through their songs. The music I listened to connected me with my fellow classmates at a young age, which helped me make many great friendships. Without these friends and the convenience of digital music I may not have been inspired begin learning how to play musical instruments. Especially because it was really easy to rewind and replay parts of songs so I could learn them. I doubt it would have been as exciting if I had to stop my record player and try to drop the pin to the section I was working on, or continuously rewind my cassette player.
On the downside I was introduced to some very inappropriate music at a young age. The artists I listened to had a big impact on my understanding of society and the decisions I made as a kid. I spent a lot of times plugged into my headphones during elementary school, most notably during after school care and on camping trips with the boy scouts where I could have been connecting with nature but instead was connecting with digital sounds. There was one instance during the video “Learning to change...” with one of the kids explained how he has been using music software to write original music. I have been exposed to music software while recording with groups and for use in school projects. It really does present a whole new field for developing music with some interesting possibilities.
The next most influential technology in my life has been the T.V. For a good while this was the reason I didn’t mind waking up at 6 am to get ready for school because I got to watch my favorite cartoons while I ate my cereal. I would have to say cartoon watching has dominated my experience with T.V to this day. Some of the best shows have taught me a lot about creativity, artistic expression, and of stories with positive messages. You could also argue the countless hours I spent watching cartoons was just time I spent crafting a mold of my backside in the couch. Combined with the hours I spent playing video games with my online community of friends, that couch was the nest of my youth for a good couple years. But I did learn a few things about being with a group and interacting with new people to work towards a common goal of defeating the enemy. One student from the video we watched explains how he learned this concept of teamwork from games like I used to play, and how this relates to the school environment of working with your peers and coming together for a common goal. In many ways there is still a way to see the experience we have with T.V as a positive one. Especially because it has the ability to bring families and friends together around a couch for their viewing entertainment. Only recently I have been watching more documentaries and using T.V as a source for history and current events.
Lastly I will credit the computer for its vast education sources and social connectors. This is where I generally find information about health and nutrition, recipes, music, history, and get introduced to things I would not otherwise be looking to learn about. There is a never ending list of negative side effects from overuse of the computer that I don’t care to get deeply into because the cramps in my hand and stiff neck are starting to bother me. So I will end this post with a farewell and good night!
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