Audio Production, Music Composition and MIDI Across the Curriculum and the Globe

THESE ARE MY NOTES FROM KEN JOHNSON’S (EDUCATION DIRECTOR FOR M-AUDIO) PRESENTATION AT EDUCOMM 07. I GOT TO THIS PRESO LATE, SO THESE NOTES ARE INCOMPLETE. I AM NOT MAKING AN AUDIO RECORDING, BUT A STREAMING VIDEO VERSION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE LATER FROM THE EDUCOMM WEBSITE.

Reasons for audio interfaces
– we are getting more selective now about the quality of our sound, the fidelity, lack of static
– we want to produce a high quality, finished product that sounds as good as something you’d download from iTunes
– will produce clean, quality soundcards
– necessary for quality recording with a microphone
– eliminates latency problems (delays in when you play a note and then hear it, this often happens with PC laptop sound cards, Windows was never designed to be a realtime music system)

Ozonic is a firewire device that combines a midi controller with audio controller, Ozone is older but USB

Shaker Heights High School in suburban Cleveland, Ohio
– computer-based learning system
– band director wanted to get kids involved in composition
– do more than get kids just coming to band and orchestra
– wanted to expand the reach of the music program
– national average of percentage of students who attend choral and instrumental music concerns: just 10%

M-Audio keystation 49E is one of the most popular midi controller
– after Steve Jobs demoed this at MacWorld in 2003, M-Audio sold around 16,000 of those in a month
– this school purchased 30 of those keyboards, had students bring ear buds
– got speakers for the teacher
– used Garageband
– he lobbied for computer time in the lab on Thursdays and Fridays, signed up kids for Composition 101
– kids immediately get passionately into their compositions in class, at work and on task before the tardy bell!

The teacher doesn’t set up a forma curriculum. Kids come up with a problem, and then they discover the solution together as a group. Kids start learning about harmony and all other kinds of musical concepts and skills in context, at need, just in time, as they have a reason to.

Then the teacher has the students write their compositions in notation
– some are selected for showcase pieces
– at the end of the year, professional musicans

participation in another school went from 15% to 60%, bringing musical participation to an entirely different level
– letting more kids

Sibelius is MAudio’s notation product
– can change the style of music, change the “expressivo” and other factors
– THE DIFFERENCE IS AMAZING!
– Sibelius is one of the most popular notation software in the world
– student edition is less than $100

Purpose is to build composition skills, not piano technique in these classes
– mobile workstations make this possible
– small controller keyboards are about the same size as a laptop

Vermont MIDI Project
www.vtmindi.org
– mentor student-based composition project
– students post compositions on the web, then professional composers provide some reviews and responses, critiques
– Began in 1995, how would new national standards be met to teach composition
– 802-879-0065
– have reached about 7000 students each year
– number of students who have started composing as youngsters has increased over time

Now “Word of Life Academy” in Honolulu (a K-20 school) case study
– also using Macs
– Firewire 410 audio interfaces
– improved bandwidth for firewire devices is a compelling reason to choose one over a USB interface
– they have keystation 61 midi controllers
– ProTools for the older kids, GroovyMusic for the younger kids

Professor at the Univ of Alabama designed this music lab, included iSight cameras and Apple Remote Desktop in the lab so Henry (the Univ of Alabama professor) could hold class and sessions with both students and with teachers.

Are 3 versions of Groovymusic (for 5-11 year olds)
– groovy shapes: 5-7 year olds
– groovy jungle 9-11 year olds
– groovy city (early teens)

with groovy jungle, kids drag icons into a jungle scene that is like a timeline
– if melodic elements are placed higher they have higher pitch, same with lower
– can easily switch to a notation view
– there is barrier to anyone recording and creating music
– can export notation into Sebelius, Session, ProTools and possibly GarageBand
– anyone who can use a mouse can use a program like this

Last case study: Butler University in Indianapolis
– wanting audio interfaces, a control surface, and a MIDI controller
– so they bought 37 key Ozonics
– also use flat panel iMacs
– headphones for students
– selection of microphones
– use ProTools
– and AbletonLive (not made by ProTools)
– teacher takes the lab apart at the start of each term, and the kids have to put it all back together again: then they understand why every cable and connection goes
– that is crazy for 2 weeks
– but after that,technical support issues end
– reason: kids are understanding conceptually how all the connections work
– very nice lab, specialized furniture and tables, hiding drawers for keyboards, etc

They use the MicroTrack 24/96 a LOT
– like an iPod on steroids
– creates audio file recordings by just hitting this red button
– can connect pro mics
– the incuded T-mic
– in Chicago schools, 2nd graders are using these to interview community members
– Yale student brought this to the attention of the leadership, so all department heads purchased MTrack Audios

example of recording of 10 woodwind players, just placed the recorder on the floor
– good dynamics in the recording
– this is just something you can take out of your pocket and press a button to record
– is the best sounding handheld audio recorder out there
– 24 bit, 96K

an important part of playing music is listening to yourself play, and evaluating your performance

Current trends in music technology labs
– taking advantage of computer’s “critical mass”
– take another look if you’re considering buying specialized hardware
– there is probably another way, that is tied into other technology learning goals for your school
– expensive, dedicated hardware is becoming affordable peripherals
– remember: a music technology lab or program does NOT need to have a permanent place, it can be a flexible space (that permits many more programs like this to exist)
– cost effective ways of collaborating in the classroom and beyond! (videoconferencing, remote desktop, etc.)

Ken Johnson
M-Audio
toll free: 866-289-1221

Can use Session software in a Windows environment with MIDI keyboards and audio interfaces for guitars (Garageband-similar software for windows)

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On this day..

• Media Literacy Lessons from Finland – 2023
• KidBlog Update – 2015
• A Radio Spot from Sir Ken Robinson Reminding Voters About the Importance of Teachers – 2013
• Visual Notes and Narrated Art: Benefits of Student-Created Videos on YouTube – 2013
• What Makes an Effective Technology Committee in Education (v.2) – 2012
• Social networking sites (SNS), Convivial Technologies and Digital Discipline – 2011
• Limewire in the classroom and the principal’s office – 2010
• First YouTube video published directly from the iPhone GS (Irrelevant Paper) – 2009
• links for 2008-06-20 – 2008
• Podcasting facilities to be provided at NECC 2008 – 2008