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Instrumental

An electronic music community in your school?

While looking online for information on MAX/MSP patches I came across an online electronic music community. We don’t often hear about computers being used as instruments to perform in public schools and when it comes to electronic instruments we are usually referring to electric guitars, basses and keyboards. One of the topics I find myself returning to in this blog is the use of technology to go beyond what we have traditionally done in public school music programs. When I… Read More »An electronic music community in your school?

Building instruments & music technology…..

Have you ever seen some of the interesting projects students work on in their technology (once known as “shop” ) classes and wished you could collaborate with those teachers to come up with a project that would combine music, technology and a little electrical engineering? Some students who like to work with electronics might want to try a little circuit bending. Other students might want to make their own electric guitar out of say, an IKEA table or construct high… Read More »Building instruments & music technology…..

Video Game Controller Instrument?

I don’t own a Wii and it is likely that the average music educator doesn’t either, however some of our students probably do. I have a feeling students would enjoy merging their video game finger dexterity with music mixing skills. Is this a look at a new possibility for integrating technology in the music classroom? Yann Seznec aka The Amazing Rolo has made the software available on his blog. You can insert your own audio files to replace his. Students… Read More »Video Game Controller Instrument?

Beatboxing flutists in your school?

There’s a good chance that your students have seen the beatboxing flutist on youtube. Have any of them tried this out? If not why not have them give it a try? Perhaps this could be an entry point to explore many different kinds of extended techniques which could lead to some interesting additions to the types of playing happening in your school!  

Does anyone play the laptop in your school?

The topic of composing and performing with a laptop will be a theme running through this blog I’m sure for a long time. Over at newmusicbox Marc Weidenbaum recently wrote an interesting article tracing the history of musciains using the laptop, focusing on some recent composers/performers making use of it in their own work. After getting a lot of feedback he wrote a short follow up with information that gives a fascinating insight into the possibilties that laptops allow musicians.… Read More »Does anyone play the laptop in your school?