Eric Whitacre, participatory culture, and remixing the virtual choir

Music educators can embrace participatory culture and related musical engagement right now by providing students with the opportunity to remix Eric Whitacre’s composition Fly to Paradise, the fourth virtual choir piece. To assist in the remixing process Whitacre’s team made individual tracks of the final master available. Remixes can be listened to on a dedicated Soundcloud group.

The process of remixing this music and all of the related discovery, performing, creating, responding, and connecting that occurs could be productive in most music education contexts.

It is quite helpful that the project makes explicit remixers’ creative rights and restrictions in relation to the audio content and end result of the remix. As stated on the remix project website:

By agreeing to these Term’s and Condition’s, you can (exclusively for your own personal purposes):

• Remix the audio available in the VC4 Audio Remix Pack
• Sample the audio available in the VC4 Audio Remix Pack
• Mix the audio available in the VC4 Audio Remix Pack
• Incorporate the audio available in the VC4 Audio Remix Pack into your own material for personal use
• Upload your work to VC4 Remix Project: The Community Takeover (http://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir/remix)

Restrictions. You may not:

• Release for broadcast
• Sell or give the VC4 Audio Remix Pack(s) or part(s) of it to anyone else
• Release for sale in any format (No commercial use)
• Use in advertising
• Use in Film/TV or any other media
• Infringe anyone’s copyright in making your mix

If you are interested in the potential of remixing and participatory culture in music education consider reading: Tobias, E. S. (2013). Toward convergence: Adapting music education to contemporary society and participatory culture. Music Educators Journal, 99(4), 29–36. doi:10.1177/0027432113483318

If you are interested in learning more about the notion of creative rights in relation to music education, consider reading about Matt Thibeault’s creative rights pyramid:  Thibeault, M. D. (2011). Assessing your curriculum with the creative rights pyramid. Music Educators Journal, 98, 31-32. doi: 10.1177/0027432111419620

Consider integrating Eric Whitacre’s remix opportunity in your own program! And thank you to Mr. Whitacre and all other composers who make it easy for others to interact with their music in similar ways.