Youtube

    Listening to music plays a big part in learning music.  Before the internet the best ways to play musical examples to a class might have been a CD, cassette, or even vinyl record.  With these technologies the teacher would need to have a specific musical example in mind and play the audio for the class. If they didn’t own a copy they might have to buy it at a music shop or rent it from a library.  Today we have the internet where endless audio of music exists in many different forms.  Perhaps one of the greatest tools that exists in the form of a website, for teachers and students, is Youtube.
    Youtube is a resource full of information that can be used for learning and demonstrating.  This is probably true for every subject area, but in music, seeing performers from many backgrounds can create a cultural experience in the classroom for the students.  Instead of being limited to audio from a recording Youtube adds the visual element to the music, whether it be the performers themselves or a home made video that goes along with the music.  Everyone is familiar with youtube and it’s vast library of videos, but not everyone knows how to navigate it to achieve musical growth. 
    An example of demonstrating with Youtube in an orchestra class could be playing a famous orchestra’s version of the piece they plan to perform in an upcoming concert.  Seeing the emotion from the performers and audience might suggest a new approach to a specific playing style, or clear up some confusion about a difficult part.  Comparing the video to other well-known or student orchestras can engage students in an analytical thinking process as well creating room for new understandings.  There are many tutorial videos as well ranging from actual instrumental lessons to advanced techniques and specific performances of parts.  These can be used for student development at home outside of class or as a supplement to the teachings.  One of my favorite things youtube does is suggest other links at the end of a video that are similar to what you just viewed.  I have discovered many new artists, songs, and great versions of music from the suggestions that I would have never known about otherwise. 

Collaboration Canvas

Remixing a unit plan was a really interesting learning experience for me.  I wasn’t sure what subject area I might want to collaborate with so I browsed our class submissions until I stumbled upon an English unit plan that focused on poetry.  I immediately thought of a couple of directions I could take this unit and apply it into a music curriculum, so I decided to remix the canvas into my subject area.  I presented a new unit on poetry in music that mainly focused on tone poem compositions.  These composers created a new style of music that was directly inspired by popular poems, or ones specifically written for the genre.  This unit could lead into program music, a similar compositional technique where music is set to any non-musical sources like poems, landscapes, paintings, and many others.  On the analytical side of this unit we could discuss how poetry made its way into rap music as well.  On the original canvas the author used Shel Silverstein as an example of a poet to study.  Silverstein is also a musician and I made the connection of the subject areas with a video of him speak-singing a poem of his while playing guitar. The remixed version of the canvas can be seen
here.

Digital synthesizer

The digital synthesizer is a huge advancement in music technology.  It is important to understand a bit of history when considering how significant of an impact the digital synth has had on music in the last couple decades.  Before digital instruments, there were analog instruments and effects.  Both digital and analog instruments attempted to modify or imitate the sound of an acoustic instrument such as a violin or trumpet.  The difference is one uses a computer to achieve the sound (digital) an the other uses circuits and sound modification mechanics closer to an acoustical instrument (analog).  Although many musicians still prefer the analog instrument sound over digital instruments, the digital synthesizer has created a broad range of possibilities for music educators, students, musicians, producers and hobbyists. 
    As more people become consumers of digital music and electronic instruments, the competition to craft a digital synthesizer that is an all-in-one machine is progressing at a tremendous rate.  The possibilities with some of the most recent models let users choose between thousands of different sound options.  Multiple variations in style of just one musical instrument means there might be three different saxophone sounds built into the synth, or thirty depending on the make and model.  Imagine these options for every kind of instrument of the orchestra or wind symphony and boom, thousand and thousands of sound options with the toggle of a switch or even the click of a mouse.  Connecting digital synths to a computer is also a possibility where synchronizing with music software allows even more sound options and custom modifications of those sounds.
    What does this mean for educators and where are synthesizers seen in a school setting?  For band directors and general music teachers synthesizers can make their way into almost every musical setting.  In the orchestra for example, being able to demonstrate the first violin part without actually playing a violin might come in handy.  Or in the general music class, introducing different families of instruments through pictures with sounds accompanied by the synthesizer could be a fun way to utilize the technology.  There are also programs at some schools that include music industry classes into their curriculum.  In the classroom there are usually workstations for each student made up of a computer and synthesizer.  These students get very familiar with how this instrument works and how professionals might use them on a daily basis.  One more place the synthesizer might be found is the school’s auditorium especially if the regularly put on shows and musicals.  Instead of needing an entire pit orchestra to accompany the performers, the synth can replace many difficult to find parts of the band.  Even if the school doesn’t have too much room for a pit band, the synth can take on many parts of the show, or a team of synths could potentially take all the parts. 
    In so many ways this technology is changing the way classroom teachers and musicians interact with music on a daily basis.  Their affordability makes them very accessible to all schools and players as well.  It will be interesting to see how the digital synthesizer develops over the next few years and what new roles it will be able to take on.
   

Unit Plan Canvas

Creating a canvas using PLAYground has been a fun experience for me.  This website has allowed me to create a place for my future students to visit and see what material I will be covering in upcoming classes as well as discover links, videos, pictures, and other sources of information about our unit.  While I was creating my canvas I found myself researching many sources for credible information that I could use for links and videos.  In this process I was able to make connections to artists throughout history who share rejection by the majority of society to their music.  I chose to display a unit on the affect of society on musicians and composers, noting artists who were criticized for introducing a new genre or style.  My aim is to show the similarities to today’s highly criticized music and art, and how this theme has been on-going.  Some of these artists have become idols and legends in music history so their mention serves as a good model for what the future may bring for today’s music that is looked down upon.  PLAYground canvas