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The Potential of StyleSwaps in Music Education

While looking up some info on Post Malone’s Better Now I came across Simon De Witt’s (AKA Blanks) 80s Version of Better Now. Here are both versions:


StyleSwap(s) and Music Education

De Witt (Banks) refers to his 80s vision of Better Now as a StyleSwap. In fact, Banks has a YouTube Channel of StyleSwaps I’ll post below. Whether you think of a StyleSwap as an arrangement, stylistic transformation, or creative cover or some other concept, from my perspective it has a lot of potential as a form of musical engagement for students in music programs.

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Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology

Does Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” copy Princess Nokia’s “Mine” ? I’m a proponent of music programs inviting students to engage in public forensic musicology or as “musical detectives” as a form of musical engagement and learning. Here’s a recent example of an artist accusing another artist of copying their music. In this case, Princess Nokia is accusing Ariana Grande of copying Nokia’s Mine with Grande’s 7 Rings. Some people are also suggesting that 7 Rings also mimics aspects of flow… Read More »Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology

Updating Music Programs Panel at SXSW 2019

Let’s get people talking about music education at the 2019 SXSW Festival! Please vote for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation’s SXSW panel: Remixing and Reimagining Music Education. As a panel member (with your help) I’ll share current thinking and great things happening across music education. We’ll discuss collaboration, contemporary musicianship, and technology. We’ll also consider how the music industry can help music teachers update and expand access to music programs. So, let’s make sure music education is represented at SXSW 2019!  Therefore,… Read More »Updating Music Programs Panel at SXSW 2019

Making Positive Impact Through Music

Making Positive Impact Through Music Music educators have a role in facilitating responses, music learning and teaching in relation to hate and bigotry occurring throughout contemporary society.  Valerie Strauss suggests that “The first thing teachers should do when school starts is talk about hatred in America” and provides numerous resources for doing so. Music plays an important role in helping people make sense of, meaning, of, and respond to the world. Music programs can play an important role in supporting young… Read More »Making Positive Impact Through Music

Considering orchestration and arrangements with Laura Mvula’s Sing to the Moon

I often enjoy listening to multiple examples of the same song by the same artist. In addition to being enjoyable in and of itself, having multiple recordings of the same music can be a nice way to have learners listen to and discuss the decisions that musicians make when orchestrating or arranging music. Check out some of these recordings of Laura Mvula’s Sing to the Moon and maybe have students/learners listen and chat about the similarities and differences among the… Read More »Considering orchestration and arrangements with Laura Mvula’s Sing to the Moon