Thinking Back to Music Technology

            After posting about the EAMIR project, I couldn’t help but think back to my experience in Music Technology class.  Almost all of the teaching apps available through EAMIR were created using a program known as Max/MSP/Jitter (which are the three programming languages).  We spent a majority of the second half of the semester focusing on Max.  I found the program and its capabilities to be captivating.  It is rather user friendly and relies heavily on MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data.  For my final project, I chose to work with Max to develop an interactive begin trumpet method book.

            The early pages of the book cover the basics of holding the instrument and producing sound.  One of the fundamental aspect of producing sound on the trumpet is setting up your embouchure (the muscles around your mouth).  In order to demonstrate this, I made a patch that corresponded to a page in the book about the way your lips should look before playing the trumpet.  This consisted of a series of (rather silly) pictures of me demonstrating the wrong and right ways to accomplish this next to a live webcam stream of the student so that they can compare.  The second patch I made is called “Instant Accompaniment.”  As the name suggests, it provides the student with a basic accompaniment to practice along with.  The accompaniment is limit to drum tracks but student have the options of Latin, Rock, or Hip Hop in three different tempos.  It was fun and rewarding to use Max to create a resource I can utilize in the future.

EAMIR

            One of the most interesting and fun applications of innovative technology to music education is definitely the EAMIR project created by V.J. Manzo.  Manzo taught at Montclair State University when I took the course Music and Computer Technology in 2011 and it was an enlightening and enjoyable experience.  EAMIR stands for “Electro-acoustic Musically Interactive Room,” which is what Manzo referred to his classroom as when he taught K-12 music.  The project was born from two main obstacles: the diverse levels of musicianship among students and the ability to address the needs of students with disabilities.  Looking to technology as a resource, he developed a series of adaptive instruments to use in his classroom to facilitate learning goals.  Each of these instruments (primarily software instruments) were uploaded and available for students and their parents to download to use at home.  This developed into the project it is today.  EAMIR is now described as “an open-source music technology project involving alternate controllers, sensors, and adaptive instruments to facilitate music composition, performance, and instruction through a collection of interactive music systems. The EAMIR software apps have been implemented in classrooms, including special needs and disabilities populations, research projects, and composition/performance environments.”

            The apps use a variety of interfaces to work, each designed with the students in mind.  Many patches simply require a computer and a mouse, while others utilize touch screen computers, ipads, webcams and smart boards.  Some apps even feature the use of popular videogame controllers including Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution.

            To learn more, visit the EAMIR website at: http://www.eamir.org/

Interactivity #5

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As_udrC-Q8endEdTajJTYV9xZmt5WWxnZEw5dHFDSGc&usp=sharing

            For this interactivity I had the opportunity to interview a high school music teacher from a district in North Jersey (he requested that the district not be disclosed).  Although the district has not implemented the NETS, he is somewhat familiar with what they are.  Early on in our interview, he began to explain that the NETS or any similar standards pose a major obstacle to his discipline.  As an instrumental music teacher, he directs the school’s bands and smaller ensembles and finds that the instrumental music classroom or rehearsal space is a difficult environment to incorporate technology-centered standards.  This seemed discouraging at first; but as I introduced the example Student Profiles for grades 9-12, we both began to discover some of the ways an ensemble already fulfills these standards.  For example, he immediately remarked that performing in any ensemble requires every member to take part in problem solving in authentic (performance) situations.  That said, this process generally occurs without the use of innovative technology.  I then asked if he ever has students do listening assignments that required them to write about a performance or recording they listened to.  He said that they certainly did and we simultaneously realized that those assignments also tie into the NETS (3.Select digital tools or resources to use for a real-world task and justify the selection based on their efficiency and effectiveness. (3,6)).  Once again, however, this standards can only be achieved if students are conducting their research on the internet.

            At this point, the teacher explained that another of the obstacles that would hold back the implementation of a system like this is money.  His district, like many, constantly struggles with financial issues and shrinking budgets that he believes would hold the school back from purchasing the necessary equipment and software to effectively use the NETS.  At this point, the tools at his student’s disposal include computers with internet access, cd players and projectors.  This lead me to my next question, “Are there any other programs throughout the school that may already be using NETS strategies although they have not officially been implemented?”  After a moment of thought, he excitedly realized that the school’s sign language classes actually use a system of webcams to broadcast the class to another high school in a neighboring district.

            This lead to a brief brainstorming session between the teacher and me about other means of implementing the strategies involved in NETS.  One of the ideas we collectively designed was to broadcast a performance live to another band (similar to the sign language class) for them to provide feedback and vice versa.  Another idea was to take listening assignments a step further to incorporate “2.Create and publish an online art gallery with examples and commentary that demonstrate an understanding of different historical periods, cultures, and countries. (1,2)”

            As I mentioned, I was rather surprised at first by how unfamiliar the teacher was with the NETS and that the district had not implemented them or even a similar program.  I am unaware of the number of districts in the area that have began to incorporate the NETS, but I had imagined that most had some system in place.  As a future educator, I would introduce the ideas of the NETS to other in my school by first pointing out the elements of it that are already being fulfilled; such as those discovered during the interview.  I believe this would be a good way to ease the transition into a full implementation of the strategies.  These standards (or a similar set) are essential for the times we live in.  Luckily, the NETS are still a relatively “young” program.  As time goes on, I imagine they will gain wide spread appeal.

Interactivity # 4

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As_udrC-Q8endEdTajJTYV9xZmt5WWxnZEw5dHFDSGc&usp=sharing

            I chose this particular lesson for a number of reasons.  At first, I was attracted to the lesson’s rather obvious use of technology.  The lesson relies heavily on technology and it is necessary for student to use it in multiple ways.  From that starting point, I was drawn in by the way students would be engaged in research, analysis of information as well as production.  The production element of the lesson crosses disciplines as the students must first complete a writing task before performing and recording for their final product.  Upon basic analysis of the lesson (as per the assignment), I gained even more confidence in my decision based on the great deal of student-centered strategies.  Throughout the lesson, students must think critically and make decisions regarding their final project.  I also particularly like that the final product is something that could easily be shared with peers and family members as well as the teacher.

            If there are any gaps between the goals, strategies and technologies used, they are very minor.  The class must individually research a musician of their choice using a computer with an internet connection.  Then they must write a report based on what they learned using a word processor.  The final stages of the project require the students to use multi-track audio software to record themselves reciting their reports and mix that with excerpts of recordings of their chosen artists.  One of the potential gaps is the fact that, based on previous lessons, students may not have the necessary skills to generate the final product using a program such as Garage Band.  That said, I imagine that issue is easily avoidable by planning appropriately.  The technologies references above and basically essential to achieving the curriculum goals.

Interactivity #3: Generating a State of the Art Inventory

            The group process for this interactivity was rather collaborative.  The seven of us were able to effectively and efficiently generate our inventory as a team without ever physically meeting in person.  We began with a group Facebook message to share our ideas, ask questions and organize the way we would handle the task.  We then virtually “met” as a group on our Google Docs spreadsheet to fill in what we had decided to include.  This activity was definitely authentically collaborative as we were able to discuss new ideas and obstacles together (via Facebook) while producing our final product.  Occasionally, the Google Docs environment proved to be challenging.  For example, if two users were simultaneously working in the same cell, one could accidentally overwrite the other’s entry.  Luckily, the collaborative process made those sorts of challenges easy to overcome.

            I believe the final inventory that we generated could be a useful reference for any music educator.  It is organized in an easy-to-use manner and features links for almost every technology listed (with the exception of general technological interfaces such as MIDI).  The vast range of technologies featured in our inventory is also worth noting.  In one spreadsheet, one can find technology as simple as a conductor’s baton or rhythm sticks and as advanced as protocols.  Through this engaging collaborative experience, I think we certainly created a worthwhile resource.

Thoughts About the Impact of the Radio

            After viewing the visual timeline of educational technology, I would have to say that the radio is the technology that influenced music education the most from 1900-1990.  The video mentions the WHA broadcasts starting in 1917 as the first medium used to widely broadcast music education programs; but the impact of the radio certainly expanded further than that.  As far as simply listening to music and exposure to new music go, one’s options were rather limited in the early 20^th century.  Recording technology was ever-improving and commercial production of records opened up new worlds for music listening to those who could afford them as well as a record player.  With a radio, however, after that initial purchase, exposure to new music was seemingly endless.  Music education relies on a number of basic aspects including: student interest, listening and performing/producing.  Before a teacher has the opportunity to foster students’ interest in music, an external catalyst must light that spark.  Although I did not experience the revolution of the radio firsthand, I imagine it played an integral role in that process.  There is also the self-explanatory listening aspect that the radio expanded upon.

            Upon reading both chapter two of “Rethinking Technology in Schools” and the article “A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools,” I maintain that radio technology had the greatest impact on formalized music education between 1820 and 1990 for better and worse.  It is arguable that the television had the greatest technological impact on formalized education; but much of the reasoning for that argument can also be said for the radio (although decades earlier).  The radio set up the foundation for nearly every broadcasting technology that followed and is still a valuable resource to this day.  As I mentioned above, the radio creates listening and learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom.  Not only was this a new technology to broadcast music, it also provided news about current events, dialogue on interesting subjects, and also changed the way advertisement worked.  Unfortunately, with such a breakthrough in technology come certain sacrifices as well as setbacks.

            First, it was not long before many “serious music” elitists began to criticize radio stations and their listeners for their lack of broadcasting “serious music.”  To a certain extent, these critics were correct; but that is not the case anymore.  As time went on, public and private radio stations began that featured (sometimes exclusively) what these critics refer to as “serious music” (which is better described as Western Art Music).  Otherwise, the major issue created by the radio and later perpetuated by the television is the listener/viewer’s lack of control.  The standardization and plugging of popular music on the radio is one of the issues musicologist Theodore Adorno frequently wrote about in the 1940s.  He explains that radio stations choose what music they play most frequently and listeners function under the assumption that the music they enjoy is what the radio will play.  Therefore, radio stations dictate what music the listeners will like.  Although this perspective unrealistically assumes that all listeners abandon their freedom, it is definitely based in truth.  Unfortunately, the music industry did and still does have a lot of control over listeners’ preferences.  That being said, listeners do have the power to change the station or walk away.  Therefore I believe that the positive impacts made by the radio far outweigh the perceived negatives.

Interactivity #2: The History of Technology in Schools

The radio changed the way students experienced music in the 20^th century: for better and worse.