Notes, Agenda and Assignments
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Monday, July 26, 2004
Notes:
Hi and welcome to MUS 657T.
Visit these pages often during the course for more information and reference material on
topics discussed in class. After the course is over, these pages will stay online for you to use for review and further reading.
As we go through the course, we'll cover three of the seven areas of music technology that have been identified by TI:ME to be directly applicable to music instruction in support of the National Standards for Arts Education. (See the Sidebar.)
The three areas of music technology we'll discuss are Electronic Keyboards, MIDI Sequencing and Music Notation, and during the week we will cover some concepts you should know and understand as well as introduce skills you should develop in these areas.
During the week, we'll also discuss how competenices in these areas can be used to "teach to the Standards."
The text book for this course is: Technology Strategies for Music Education. Thomas E. Rudolph, Floyd Richmond, David Mash, David Williams. Technology Institute for Music Educators, 2002. It's available on campus at the Post bookstore and there will be time this morning to go and get the book.
Today's Agenda:
- Introductions, overview and class poll
- Introduction to TI:ME and TI:ME certification
- Music Technology Competencies Self-Assessment
- Introduction to Music Notation and Finale
Today's Assignments:
- Browse some of the links on our home page to get an idea of what's there.
- Read pages 1 to 7 in our course textbook, especially the sections on Electronic Keyboards, MIDI Sequencing and Music Notation in Section 2.
- Read "Notation Software: The Ultimate Tool for the Music Teacher" by Tom Rudolph in the Appendix of the course workbook. Also found online here.
- Read the MIDI section of the Desktop Musician's Handbook. You may not understand some of the terminlogy right now but the handbook should give you a good introduction to MIDI and how it works. (Remember: MIDI means "Musical Instrument Digital Interface.")
Some terms to remember: MIDI, General MIDI, Sequencer, Synthesizer
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Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Notes: Good class yesterday. I hope our look at some of the uses of Music Technology, especially those examples on the Web gave you some idea of the possibilities. (I always enjoy discussing the possibilities. It reminds me why I got involved with all this stuff.)
By the way, the musical examples we listened to in class yesterday can be found here. All are mp3 versions of sequences that were created in Sonar (the latest version of Cakewalk, the sequencer we'll use in class later in the week.) Some of the arrangements started as scores created in Finale, some were built from scratch in Sonar/Cakewalk and some started as Standard MIDI files found on the Web. Some parts were played in real-time and some were input in step-time. The meanings of these terms (and the pros and cons of these "input" methods) will be covered as we continue our work in this course.
(And yes, there are some legal issues that have to be considered. As mentioned in class, these arrangements were done for a middle school show, not for commercial purposes, and are presented here as an example of what you can do with MIDI, sequencers and music notation software. (Hey, that's what we're covering in this course!)
And speaking of musical examples, here's an mp3 version of an excerpt of the Tower of Power sequence we listened to (and watched on the big screen) yesterday. Great band, great sequence from a Standard MIDI file found on the Web. (FYI, the sequence was played in Sonar on a Triton Studio synthesizer and recorded in a digital audio recording/editing program called Sound Forge.)
Last, if you haven't already checked the results of the Music Technology Competenices Self-Assessment, take a look and see how you compare to the rest of the class.
Today's Agenda
- Quick Review of what we did yesterday (exploring the possibilities and working with Finale)
- Questions and Answers (if any... I know -- you're still exploring)
- More work with Finale
- A look at materials on the TI:ME Web site
- A discussion of last night's reading material
- If time, a short introduction to Electronic Keyboards
Today's Assignments
- Read Sections 3 and 4 of our textbook. In Section 4, focus on the uses of technology where student or teacher use electronic keyboards, sequencers/sequencing or music notation.
- Continue browsing the links on our home page.
- Continue reading the MIDI section of the Desktop Musician's Handbook.
- On the Exploring MIDI Web site, read What is MIDI, MIDI Channels and Modes, Standard MIDI Files and General MIDI.
- Read Electronic Keyboard Basics and the first few sections of What is a Synthesizer.
As you read about MIDI and Electronic Keyboards, focus on: 1) what MIDI is and how it works, 2) the number of "channels" found in MIDI, 3) what "multi-timbral" means, 4) how you can use Standard MIDI files, 5) the number of and types of instruments and sounds found in General MIDI.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Good work yesterday. I was surprised to see how so many of you kept moving ahead on your own without waiting for me to tell you what to do next. (Good examples of self-motivated learning.)
We'll continue with Finale today, look at the Korg Triton as a great example of an Electronic Keyboard and start our look at MIDI sequencing. (I know we're moving quickly through the topics, but there SO much to cover.)
Remember, keep track of what you're doing, what tools you're using, and any thoughts about how you're using them. Make sure you're keeping some notes so when you look back at your work, you have some sort of record of how you accomplished what you did. (Think of it as an in-class diary.)
Any questions, yet? Don't hesitate to ask in class or through e-mail or a Quick Message.
Today's Agenda
- Quick Review of classwork and reading material
- Questions and Answers
- A look at your final projects
- Electronic Keyboards
- More work with Finale
- Introduction to MIDI Sequencing and Cakewalk
Today's Assignments
- We'll talk about some of the assignments in class today, especially the workbook worksheets
- Continue browsing the links on our home page.
- Continue exploring the Exploring MIDI Web site
- Read MIDI Basics, Nine Suggestions for Improving Sequences and MIDI Sequencing and the National Standards in the Appendix of the workbook. (The links on the last two articles will take you to online versions of the articles, both written by Don Muro.)
- Take a look at the Summary of the MIDI Specification, General MIDI Sound Bank and Key Map of General MIDI Drums table in the Appendix of the workbook
- Think about what music you want to use for your Notation and Sequencing final projects. We'll have music for you to use if you don't have any specific pieces in mind.
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Thursday, July 29, 2004
Notes:
Work, work, work, work, work!
Today, we'll continue with all our topics -- Notation, Electronic Keyboards and Sequencing.
During the week I mentioned a student who had created a CD of original music using Sonar/Cakewalk. Here a link to some of the tracks. A thank you to Kelly, who's playing on some tracks, for the link and to Allison for the music.
Today's Agenda:
- Quick Review and Questions and Answers
- More in Finale
- Inputting in Cakewalk
- Starting your final project
Today's Assignments:
- Before you leave the lab today, submit 3 anonymous questions using Quick Message.
- Look through the Items to Submit handout to see what you have to complete.
- Continue working on the workbook worksheets.
- Continue browsing the links on our home page.
- Look through the previous days' reading assignments again. As you're learning more about our topics, you may find that you'lll better understand some of the material (and terminology) already read.
- Make sure you bring the music you want to use for your final projects tomorrow. Again, we'll have music for you to use if you don't have any specific pieces in mind.
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Last update: July 29, 2004