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.