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Blog: Catalysts & Connections

Open scores and music students: An invitation to compose from Jason Freeman

The New York Times has a fantastic section called “The Score,” which features composers discussing their music, process, and various issues related to composition. Jason Freeman, a composer and assistant professor at the Center for Music Technology at Georgia Tech, recently wrote about the use of open scores as a springboard for creating music. In his post he mentions the small percentage of adults who continue playing music and speculates that even less compose music. When viewed through the prism… Read More »Open scores and music students: An invitation to compose from Jason Freeman

The [fill in the blank] ensemble reinvented?

The New York Times has an interesting article, titled “The String Quartet Reinvented,” about David Harrington’s (violinist and founder of the Kronos Quartet) role in broadening the stylistic oeuvre of string quartets and reinventing this type of ensemble. In addition to reminding me that some of my favorite groups are chamber groups and small ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, Ethel, SO Percussion, and the many configurations of Bang on a Can, the article provoked a resurfacing of a question… Read More »The [fill in the blank] ensemble reinvented?

Music-focused Television Shows

MENC has the results of an informal poll on music-focused television scripted and reality shows. It seems, based on the additional comments, that many people take the shows at face value when considering their use to (or problems for) music education. I was surprised that few responses discuss the use of these shows in the classroom or the role that music educators can play in recontextualizing them or re-mediating the meanings that students make from their engagement with these shows.… Read More »Music-focused Television Shows

Music to Benefit the People of Haiti…

I’m sure there are many efforts similar to the following, but this just arrived in my email box and I’ll post it below: Online Contemporary Classical, Experimental Electronic, Improvisational and Sound Artists release New Music Haitian Relief CD to Benefit Food For The Poor’s Haitian Relief Efforts Sanibel, Fla., January 17, 2010 – Nineteen composers, improvisers and sound artists from diverse online experimental and contemporary classical communities have teamed up to release a compilation CD targeting all the proceeds to… Read More »Music to Benefit the People of Haiti…

Thank you Ben Folds & Shawn Stockman! "The Sing Off" and music education…

I became intrigued with the new reality show “The Sing Off” after hearing about the A Capella focused show on NPR’s Here & Now. However you feel about the groups on the show or the contemporary A Capella scene in general, this show offers tremendous potential for creative music educators and our students. In particular Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman, two of the three “judges” on the show, proved tonight that intelligent, specific, articulate, and insightful feedback can work on… Read More »Thank you Ben Folds & Shawn Stockman! "The Sing Off" and music education…