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popular culture

Institute of Popular Music – Music Educator Workshop 2014

I’m looking forward to presenting at the upcoming University of Rochester Institute of Popular Music (IPM) 2014 Music Educator Workshop. If you live in or around New York, consider being a part of the learning community! This is a fantastic opportunity for music educators. A full day of workshops related to popular music and culture pedagogy for only $20. The workshop takes place on July 14 2014 and includes the following presenters: Matt Warren – Popular music-based composition starters for… Read More »Institute of Popular Music – Music Educator Workshop 2014

Getting inspired by the Creativity Circulation, and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age conference

Conference calls for papers and presentation lineups can often be inspiring and catalyze discussion or action in music education. The Creativity, Circulation and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age taking place at Cambridge University looks to be like one of those conferences! The issues under discussion are close to my research and teaching, particularly in the Digital and Participatory Culture in Music Education course I facilitate at ASU so I am definitely looking forward to when these… Read More »Getting inspired by the Creativity Circulation, and Copyright: Sonic and Visual Media in the Digital Age conference

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… Read More »Eric Whitacre, participatory culture, and remixing the virtual choir

Multimedia, Intermedia, Music, Media Arts, and evolving curricula: Robert Black’s Possessed Project

Throughout the years I’ve found Bang on A Can to be an inspiration for music education. Whether their flexible ensemble structures, their hyphenated musicianship in terms of many members being both composers and performers, their people’s commissioning fund and a broad range of other initiatives, music educators could learn a lot from Bang on a Can’s forward thinking. Most recently the Bang on a Can All-Stars founding member and bassist Robert Black is launching a project entitled Possessed that combines… Read More »Multimedia, Intermedia, Music, Media Arts, and evolving curricula: Robert Black’s Possessed Project

Music, Expression, Responding to Current Events, Trayvon Martin, & National Music Standards

Music plays numerous important functions in society and as part of the human experience. Merriam (1964), for instance, outlines 10 functions of music. Several functions of music apply to the role that music can play in responding to current events, such as the death of Trayvon Martin, recent acquittal of George Zimmerman and related issues. The following four functions of music hold particular relevance in this context: Emotional expression (including the opportunity to provide people with a variety of emotional… Read More »Music, Expression, Responding to Current Events, Trayvon Martin, & National Music Standards