Synthesizers on Broadway

MIDI technology gives the listener the ability to have whatever acoustic instrument, among other instruments, to be imitated as closely as possible to the real live sound of the instrument.  For example: if I want the sound of a French horn, I can get the sound of a French horn by picking the proper interface for it, whether it's through the interface number, or through picking the name of the sound on an outside application, like Garageband.  It's very beneficial to have an idea of what these live instruments sound like together without having them there, but it's not always beneficial in every situation.

It's become increasingly popular in professional pit orchestras to have a MIDI synthesizer replace real acoustic instruments, such as a string section or a harp.  Due to budget limitations, it's easier to hire one person who can cover all the parts than to have the real live musicians who play the instruments.  The woodwind section already has it hard enough on broadway, because one needs to know how to play all of the instruments presented in a book in order to be hired for a gig.  A person that plays the bassoon, saxophone, oboe, flute, and clarinet will be hired over someone that just plays the flute, or whatever that book calls for.

A synthesizer is normally not used for the woodwind instruments, but they are replacing string sections and harps.  If this continues, then maybe all of the instruments will be replaced by synthesizers.  I find it fantastic that technology has advanced music into this direction, but if it potentially takes away jobs from other starving musicians, then this advancement in technology could also be harmful.  I respect any gig that is presented to me, and I do not want my opportunity to make music and make a show, whether it's in a high school auditorium or on the broadway stage, taken away by one piece of metal that is able to do it all.

Technology and Pedagogy

It was very difficult for me to reflect on a lesson plan off the internet, so I instead opted to use my own lesson plan I wrote a couple of weeks ago.  The only form of digital technology being used may be the piece being played itself, whether it's through iTunes, YouTube, Windows Media Player, a CD, or another source, but it should be made known that there was once a time where music was not accessed this easily.

My lesson plan is not perfect, but I do feel that there were no gaps that needed to be closed based on the curriculum goals, teaching strategies, and technologies given.  My goal for the lesson was to guide my students through more advanced listening of music by using a medium other than music; in this case, it was art.  Paper and crayons may be more primitive forms of technology, but they are still forms nonetheless that would get my students, despite their youth, to think critically about what they are listening to.

1.1.2.B.4 may not be stated in my lesson plan, but I have observed that students in the second and third grade learning about instrument families and the instruments within them.  This can be integrated along the way to guide the students even further while listening.  1.1.2.B.2 has the students identifying what they hear between the melodies of the contrasting instruments stated, and 1.1.2.B.1 has the students expressing themselves through discoveries they hear with the piece.  A Smartboard could further enhance guiding the students through imagery, especially with the "Beauty and the Beast" movie portrait I planned on showing, but I feel that overall, my goals are conveyed through the standards thanks to the support of technology.

Spreadsheet

GarageBand

There are several forms of software out there that can help imaginations young and old soar, but the one program that I have had experience with and would like to share about is GarageBand.  It allows the user to perform many tasks, such as create a song loop through either pre-made or original recordings, record any instruments/voice, warp music through pre-created MIDI tracks, and so much more.  The interface of the program is user friendly and easy on the eyes, moving around bubbles in different track loops that can be of different colors just to the right alignment in time.  Works of both original and pre-created loops can be combined to create exciting loops and works alike.

GarageBand is used to its full potential when utilized with a MIDI keyboard.  When the keyboard is synchronized with the program, it makes recording much easier.  One can record anything he or she desires with ease by using the keyboard to create melodies and harmonies.  The best part is the vast selection of MIDI interfaces, from percussion instruments, to brass instruments, to vocal vowel shapes, to comedic radio noises.  One can also put as many different tracks and interfaces as they would like into the file.  Also, these files can be converted into just about any audio file, such as WAV, mp3, and AIFF.

I was able to record a four-part French horn arrangement of "The Scientist" by Coldplay a couple of years ago all on my own and put it together so everything lined up correctly.  This was my final project for MUTC-101, which is Music Technology.  I used GarageBand as well as Sibelus to create and record my own arrangement of this popular Coldplay song.  I mentioned Sibelius in one of my recent blogposts, and it was a big catalyst for me to go about my project and make everything come together.  I highly recommend GarageBand for anyone who wishes to go about their musical crativity in ways they did not think was possible.

History of Technology in Music

Introduced in 1925, the radio was and still is an important aspect of music technology, because it was the first time that the public, especially the student population, was easily exposed to the kinds of music out there to facilitate education in music.

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Recording Technology

As a musician, it is essential to have in possession a recording device.  Devices, such as cameras, cell phones, and portable audio recorders, are used by the every day musician in order to hear oneself perform. It can be used in practice, for self-critique, for others to critique, and of course, to form and shape the final performance or audition.

Audio recordings are essential for the musician auditioning for orchestras, broadway pit orchestras, and other ensembles that hire musicians.  Naxos Music Library, which is available through many universities, such as Montclair State, or even public library databases, such as through Bergen County, is one of many online audio databases that helps the everyday musician out with what they need to listen to for any upcoming audition or performance.  YouTube is also a good reference to use for listening to music.  With the help of websites, such as IMSLP.org, or hornexcerpts.org, that have many audition excerpts and even whole pieces old enough to not be under copyright law, musicians can even follow along with music they listen to online in PDF form.

Phil Smith, the principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, told me that when preparing for an audition, it is important to listen to audio recordings of an excerpt over and over again to the point where one can just mimic exactly what is heard.  His advice was a big help for me when I was preparing for my summer festival audition with National Orchestral Institute at the University of Maryland, and this will also be a huge help for me in continual preparation for my senior recital next month.  Being able to listen to audio recordings has helped me grow and improve as a musician, and I am very grateful for the innovations made to recording technology and that audio databases exist for rising musicians to access at their will.

Music Notation Software

One type of technology that we have not had access to until recently is music notation software.  With programs such as Sibelius and Finale, I have the art of composing and arranging music at my fingertips, something I was never really able to do previously.   Sure, I had ideas of what I wanted to write, if anything, in terms of composing music in my head, but music notation software personifies my thoughts of composition.

I am a proud user of Sibelius.  I have access to writing and arranging whatever my hearts content.  There are many different formats, font faces, instrument arrangements, and sound effects that are possible with this program.  Because of MIDI, also known as Musical Instrument Digital Interface, sound effects are built into the software, so the person that is writing the music can get as close to a real-life preview as possible of what they composed or arranged by simply clicking the "play" button.  For example, when one writes music into the line for a French horn, the sound reproduced mimics the tone color of a French horn.

It is hard for me to believe that music used to be written by hand and by whatever amount of memory the composer/arranger had of the sound they desired to be performed.  As technology takes over how people go about their every day lives, it is also taking over how people compose, arrange, and share music.  One issue that I do have with computerized notation software is the fact that, as I stated in my previous blog, human connection is being somewhat drawn away from the music being composed or arranged.

I admire 16th and 17th century composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johannes Brahms, for putting their feathers, ink, pencils, etc. to paper and putting their passion, blood, sweat, and tears into all of their works.  There are fantastic works out there today that were composed only through music notation software, but I feel hitting control + C or P to copy and paste does not have the same effect as it does to literally write music.  Also, the composers I mentioned relied on their ear and their training with their mentors in theory and composition to make their point made.  Today's composers can hear their progress at the click of a button. This is extremely convenient and helpful; however, I am a big believer in imperfection and flaws.  A program like this is designed to play back one's arrangements and creations perfectly.  The same piece of music, performed by live musicians, will never be performed the same way every time.  Different ensembles and groups have their own interpretation and style of what is on the page.  When the music is played back through the software, it will always be played the same way over and over again.  For composers and arrangers, it is never enough to just rely on what the playback of their notation sounds like; they need real, human musicians to really capture what they have plugged into their program.

Programs, such as Sibelius and Finale, are a great asset to our world that is rapidly converting into a world run by technology.  Despite my thoughts about this program potentially ripping away the human connection of composition, it is a great tool for students to be introduced to when learning about composition, theory, different instrument timbres, and more within music.

Technology Autobiography

The most important communicative technology in my life is the laptop.  Laptops are an easy way for me to access new information with the keystrokes of a few fingers.  To me, the laptop is an all-in-one device that allows me to be capable of sharing important documents, researching information through databases that have scholarly information intertwined within them, getting my assignments finished, and more.  With that being said, a negative point I can make is that it is easy for me to get off task.  With the wonders of the internet at my fingertips, I can easily get side-tracked with my curiosity of what certain things are that I see through web videos, links, pictures, articles, etc., and my curiosity can leave me unfocused for long periods of time.  The laptop that I currently use is the new Google Chromebook.  It uses its own operating system that is set apart from Windows and Mac, and it gives me easy access to the internet, email, documents via Google Drive, calendar, and other applications.  It is also very slim, so I am able to take it with me anywhere I go with ease.

Having a cell phone is another important form of communicative technology that I am grateful to own.  In this day and age, a cell phone is commonly referred to as a smart phone; I see them as tiny laptops.  From what I have heard and witnessed, one can have the world and new information in his or her pocket and close to anything I previously stated a laptop can accomplish.  For the sake of this post, I will talk about the basic functions that have changed the world that a cell phone can do.  I am pleased with the fact that I am able to stay in touch with family, friends, colleagues, and new contacts with a device that fits so easily in my pocket.  I have also recently been able to send and receive picture messages as well.  This is coming from a person that owns a flip phone that performs only the most basic functions: texting, calling, and picture messaging.  A cell phone or smart phone can be a great device to keep in touch with people, but it could also be a distraction when in the workplace, in class, with family, etc.  I feel excited when I get a new message or call on my phone, and sometimes that excitement and curiosity distracts me and keeps my mind racing in situations where I should be focused on my task at hand.  It would probably be even worse if I had a smart phone with many more functions and applications to attempt to distract me.

Another important form of communicative technology is social media.  I feel that social media has virtually taken over with how we communicate and keep in touch with other people.  Facebook has taken the world by storm, along with Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc.  People share information, such as what they are doing at the moment via words or pictures, communicate with one or multiple people as they choose, make new connections, find out information about people, and more.  I have found social media useful for finding out about when certain events are as well as keeping connections with contacts that can help me obtain opportunities in playing my instrument, that are long-distance family members to see how they are doing, that go to school with me so we are able to collaborate to achieve a common goal, and more.  With that in mind, I feel social media can rob people of something I find so sacred: the human connection.  I feel that social media has split the personalities of people from who they are on social media to who they are in person.

In regards to the young people in the video, I do agree that technology has become a convenience for society, especially since one is able to have it in his/her pocket whenever needed.  One person said that with the absence of technology, she would not have most of the hobbies she has since they are internet-based. I agree with how rapidly the world is converting into a digital format since the world has become so dependent on the easy access to technology.  But, I also agree with the girl that states she is a human, not a computer.  I would hate to see our world become so reliant on technology that we lose the value of the human connection.