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Blog: Catalysts & Connections

Orchestra websites as a resource in the classroom?

[Links updated 7/24/18] Drew McManus over at Adaptistration has been evaluating orchestra websites based on a list of criteria that includes education as a sub-category. Starting with the post on Sept. 18th there are several very informative entries related to these evaluations. Some orchestra websites can serve as great resources in the classroom. Many of my students, for example, enjoyed working with the San Francisco Symphony’s Fun With Music website in class last year due to it’s very interactive design.… Read More »Orchestra websites as a resource in the classroom?

Pitch Shifting Pop Songs….

Both digital and analog pitch shifting have been used for years by musicians to alter the sound of original musical material. Be it Ross Bagdasarian’s recordings of “The Chipmunks” , DJs using pitch shifting on a turntable to speed up or slow down a record in order to make it sync up with another record, or someone composing on a computer using digital pitch shifting software, the technique is widely used across musical genres. One recent application of pitch shifting… Read More »Pitch Shifting Pop Songs….

Online instrumental mentors?

The potential for collaborating with others is one of the most exciting and powerful aspects of the internet. Initiatives such as collective music education blogs, the Vermont Midi Project, The Mayday discussion forums are some different ways of collaborating online. Recently Owen Bradley over at The Digital Music Educator posted about the potential to have students mentored online through distance learning via the internet. The Music Educators Network could easily support an initiative such as this if people are interested.… Read More »Online instrumental mentors?

Summer Transitions…

I recently returned from the Mayday Group Conference held this past weekend. There were many excellent papers presented that have interesting implications for music education. I’ll be posting sporadically throughout the summer since I will be travelling around for much of it and will start posting regularly again in September. Enjoy your summer!