Quick Bytes: iPods in Classrooms

This article [NYTimes] talks about experimental uses of iPods as educational technology (but not in music classes). As always, there’s a sense of hope that is likely overblown, but it is still an interesting read. Here’s a quote from about halfway through that I think is likely a good assignment:

Ms. Poli scoured the music charts for songs that appealed to students, compiling an eclectic mix of tunes by Shania Twain, Barry White, U2 and the Black Eyed Peas. She downloaded their songs to the iPods and typed out the lyrics. Then she deleted all the nouns — and in turn, the verbs and adjectives — forcing the students to fill in the missing words and learn their meaning.

What’s next?

Just to give you a heads up as to what we’ll be covering in the next unit, take a look at the Garageband tutorial on the Apple website. This will give you some helpful tips on how to navigate the program, and some idea as to the possibilities and limitations that Garageband allows. Some questions to consider as we get into Garageband: Is there educational value to this program? Are there potential problems with using it in a music classroom? What types of activities should students experience with this type of software?

Quick Bytes [This is what happens]

Here’s a cryptic quote. To find out what “this” is, check this link. Please read and comment (do you think this is good or bad for consumers/artists/labels).

This is what happens when you sell twenty dollar CDs with one good track and sue your customers for [file-sharing]. This is what happens when you believe you’re ENTITLED to your business. This is what happens when music is a second-class citizen only interested in the bottom line.

Quick Bytes: video game music

Stop for a moment and consider that Halo 3 had $170,000,000 in sales during its first day of realease this week, much more than most movies…

We’ll get into video game music somewhat later in the semester, but I couldn’t let that one go by. Of course, the Halo series is known for its music (with mixtures of orchestral, techno, and gregorian chant).

Many musicians and music teachers haven’t thought much about the amazing problem that video game scoring presents, namely: how do you write a soundtrack for a film when you don’t know what will happen when or for how long? (A fight could take a minute or five, and someone might wander around for a long time before finding something, etc.) There are many ways that game composers accomplish this, and it is a fascinating space where we can invite our students to reflect on how video games use sound and music to enhance gameplay.

FYI, here’s a link to an academic researcher’s site on video game music, and here’s a “classic” viral web clip of someone playing Nintendo Super Mario Music on piano (blindfolded):

Enjoy and comment if you like…

Quick Bytes: copyright complexity (again)

Two quick stories to keep the real world relevance of understanding copyright in mind:

1. Slashdot has an article that points to one on Billboard about a new round of copyright lawsuits filed against illegal downloading. Interestingly, they aren’t issuing any letters to Harvard, likely because professors there have said that they would mount legal challenges to any letters.

2. The New York Times has an article about sales of TV series on DVD. They talk about the complexity of bringing out older shows, which were licensed before the DVD format was available and so must often re-negotiate for the rights of any included music. Here’s a quote:

“But even strong demand will not bring some shows to DVD, because of the high cost of securing music rights. Many shows were made before the DVD format was developed, and transferring the content to the newer format can require making fresh deals with the actors or musicians. The music rights on the “Happy Days” DVD, for instance, were reported to cost as much as $1 million.

For this reason, fans of the series “The Wonder Years,” which ran from 1988 to 1993, will most likely never be able to see the shows on DVD, and why fans of “WKRP in Cincinnati” sometimes express disappointment with the DVD version, which by necessity swapped out many of the original songs (substitutions that sometimes make the dialogue seem illogical).”

Quick Bytes: Walt Mossberg

As teachers and technology users, we all are consumers at some level, deciding what to purchase based on a vision for what a particular technology can provide. Reviews can be a great help in deciding.

Walt Mossberg, a technology for the Wall Street Journal, is known as the most powerful voice in technology writing, producing reviews with the average user in mind.

Fortunately for us, unlike most of the Journal (which is only available via paid subscription), all of his columns and video podcasts are available on a website:
http://walt.allthingsd.com/

Actually, my favorite posting is his ethics statement. From the presence of such an exhaustive (and wonderfully written) statement, one can deduce that many technology writers do not adhere to the same standards, which would be a serious problem in my mind.

Quick Bytes: Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau, called the “Dean of Rock Critics” has made most of his output available on the web. You can search his site for specific bands, or just browse:

http://robertchristgau.com/

Like Greil Marcus, Christgau is known for writing reviews of rock that are like the music: rich, edgy, fast and loose. I love the line he opened a review of Eminem’s Slim Shady LP with: “Anybody who believes kids are naive enough to take this record literally is right to fear them, because that’s the kind of adult teenagers hate.”

Of course, there’s also a Wikipedia entry…

Quick Bytes: Biometrics in Schools

Should schools require students to be fingerprinted? What do you think?

This is not an abstract issue, in fact a case was decided in Illinois on Monday which has made national and international news. In this case, one parent filed suit against the school district for requiring students to provide a fingerprint in order to receive lunch. The concern is how this information will be used and whether it is safe (there are other concerns, but these are the basic issues).

Online resources (please check out a few):
Electronic Frontier Foundation news release
Christian Broadcast Network article
Chicago Tribune article (login required)
Post by Kim Cameron (Microsoft Identity Architect)
Blog “Biometrics in Schools”

What do you think? Please comment before Tuesday as to whether you think the benefits outweigh the risks…

Quick Bytes: Alex Ross

Alex Ross is a music critic for the New Yorker, focusing mostly on “classical” music. His writings are interesting and thoughtful, and most of his columns are freely available (like this recent piece on regional orchestras profiling Indianapolis, Nashville, and Alabama).

His blog, The Rest is Noise, links to his articles and also has informal posts. He also has good links, including a long list of music blogs you might enjoy.

Take some time and check out this great resource. If you are a fan, he also has a book coming out in October, and has a book tour that includes two stops in Chicago (November 5 and 6).

Quick Bytes: Sasha Frere-Jones

Let’s face it—when it comes to music, there aren’t many great writers. But there are a few.

One of these writers is Sasha Frere-Jones, who writes for The New Yorker. Sasha’s current columns are always available via his blog (look on the right hand side of the page, or check out his collected columns, or jump right to one Matt loves), and nearly all of his older articles are also archived, including the one you might read for Thursday on cell phone ring tones. In fact, I came up with this assignment after I presented some of the ideas from that article to a high school class.

Over the next week, I will give you a few other recommendations for good writers whose work appears on the internet. Their work is a fantastic resource for teachers and students, and can help you stay current with popular and classical music trends.

Do you have any websites or writers whose work you admire? Feel free to comment…