Music Technology & Non-traditional Learning
This week, I dove into the topics of music technology and non-traditional music classes.
For my position as music director of The Salvation Army, part of my job is to serve as the sound engineer for all of our events. For many of the events, this involves the utilization of a portable sound system. In this case, 'portable' does not mean small. I am responsible for transporting, setting up, running, and tearing down the sound system. Of course, I find people to help with the heavy lifting. Over the 2.5 years I have been in this position, I have learned much about sound systems and how they work. However, I did not always have this knowledge.
Within months of beginning my work, I received instructions to purchase a sound system. Sound equipment had not been purchased for nearly 20 years, and the equipment was failing. I had next to zero knowledge, so I consulted with friends in the sound engineering business, and conducted a great deal of research. Upon purchasing and receiving this new system, I called upon those same friends to help me put everything together for the first time. Over the next year, I put it on myself to set up the system and run it every time we had an event - a baptism by fire, of sorts. I utilized online resources such as Salt University and YouTube tutorials whenever I had a question of how to do something, or how to make it better. In the beginning, I encountered a good amount of audio feedback, but over time, I have been able to gain a level of understanding to where the sound is great and clear.
I have a good understanding of how sound equipment works, and I am able to run unfamiliar sound systems without much hassle. I had to do that just this past Friday, and I had no issues. I have good a good understanding of how analog connections work, as well as how to route connections on digital boards for greater operating efficiency. I understand how frequencies work, and I am utilizing free programs such as Shure Wireless Workbench to ensure that the wireless mics are set to frequencies not already being used by neighboring TV and radio stations. All this being said, I wish I would have had access to Lynda - an online training resource - in the very beginning! This is only available to University of Florida students, but there are several tutorial videos which explain what sound is, how it works, and how sound systems operate - 2.5 hours worth of videos! I now have a much better understanding and am excited to get the sound system running again in a couple of weeks.
In weeks past, I have explored different music composition programs such as Incredibox, Noteflight, and MuseScore - all of which are free options for writing and creating music. This week, I spent time learning a free web-based program called Soundtrap. If you've ever used Garage Band or Audacity, it is very similar. Through this program, you can select pre-made loops, and you can use a wide variety of pre-made voices to record your own unique melodies, accompaniments, or rhythms. Like Garage Band, you can also record directly from an instrument such as a piano or a guitar through MIDI connections. This is a great resource for exploring with sounds and creating music in non-traditional ways. One thing I really like about this program is that there is already established integration with various content-sharing websites such as Sound Cloud, YouTube, Facebook,and Twitter, so students can use this on their own, at home, for free, and can easily share it with the world without having to go through publishers or producers. What a great way to express themselves! Here is my creation from this week, entitled Above Forces (click link below).
Soundtrap - Above Forces (Jon Heaver)
Also this week, I was able to explore the world of non-traditional music classes in the public schools. While about 80% of music students enjoy the traditional performance-based classes of band, choir, or orchestra, there are others who want to be involved in music in other ways. Technology has proven to be a great method for teaching about music in different ways. There are many non-traditional music (NTM) classes out there which utilize programs like Incredibox, Soundtrap, Garage Band, and other similar progress to get students creating music and composing, while second-handedly teaching about music and musical processes. The process of creating music and mixing music to create a unique product gets students thinking "in sound", using their ears to determine if something doesn't sound good, and likewise using their ears to fix it. This can lead to knowledge in tonality, form, blend, and balance. Most importantly, these classes are ways to get students involved in music and music-making without forcing them to be in a class they don't enjoy. The possibilities are endless, and so are the benefits.
Man, what a great week!!
For my position as music director of The Salvation Army, part of my job is to serve as the sound engineer for all of our events. For many of the events, this involves the utilization of a portable sound system. In this case, 'portable' does not mean small. I am responsible for transporting, setting up, running, and tearing down the sound system. Of course, I find people to help with the heavy lifting. Over the 2.5 years I have been in this position, I have learned much about sound systems and how they work. However, I did not always have this knowledge.
Within months of beginning my work, I received instructions to purchase a sound system. Sound equipment had not been purchased for nearly 20 years, and the equipment was failing. I had next to zero knowledge, so I consulted with friends in the sound engineering business, and conducted a great deal of research. Upon purchasing and receiving this new system, I called upon those same friends to help me put everything together for the first time. Over the next year, I put it on myself to set up the system and run it every time we had an event - a baptism by fire, of sorts. I utilized online resources such as Salt University and YouTube tutorials whenever I had a question of how to do something, or how to make it better. In the beginning, I encountered a good amount of audio feedback, but over time, I have been able to gain a level of understanding to where the sound is great and clear.
I have a good understanding of how sound equipment works, and I am able to run unfamiliar sound systems without much hassle. I had to do that just this past Friday, and I had no issues. I have good a good understanding of how analog connections work, as well as how to route connections on digital boards for greater operating efficiency. I understand how frequencies work, and I am utilizing free programs such as Shure Wireless Workbench to ensure that the wireless mics are set to frequencies not already being used by neighboring TV and radio stations. All this being said, I wish I would have had access to Lynda - an online training resource - in the very beginning! This is only available to University of Florida students, but there are several tutorial videos which explain what sound is, how it works, and how sound systems operate - 2.5 hours worth of videos! I now have a much better understanding and am excited to get the sound system running again in a couple of weeks.
In weeks past, I have explored different music composition programs such as Incredibox, Noteflight, and MuseScore - all of which are free options for writing and creating music. This week, I spent time learning a free web-based program called Soundtrap. If you've ever used Garage Band or Audacity, it is very similar. Through this program, you can select pre-made loops, and you can use a wide variety of pre-made voices to record your own unique melodies, accompaniments, or rhythms. Like Garage Band, you can also record directly from an instrument such as a piano or a guitar through MIDI connections. This is a great resource for exploring with sounds and creating music in non-traditional ways. One thing I really like about this program is that there is already established integration with various content-sharing websites such as Sound Cloud, YouTube, Facebook,and Twitter, so students can use this on their own, at home, for free, and can easily share it with the world without having to go through publishers or producers. What a great way to express themselves! Here is my creation from this week, entitled Above Forces (click link below).
Soundtrap - Above Forces (Jon Heaver)
Also this week, I was able to explore the world of non-traditional music classes in the public schools. While about 80% of music students enjoy the traditional performance-based classes of band, choir, or orchestra, there are others who want to be involved in music in other ways. Technology has proven to be a great method for teaching about music in different ways. There are many non-traditional music (NTM) classes out there which utilize programs like Incredibox, Soundtrap, Garage Band, and other similar progress to get students creating music and composing, while second-handedly teaching about music and musical processes. The process of creating music and mixing music to create a unique product gets students thinking "in sound", using their ears to determine if something doesn't sound good, and likewise using their ears to fix it. This can lead to knowledge in tonality, form, blend, and balance. Most importantly, these classes are ways to get students involved in music and music-making without forcing them to be in a class they don't enjoy. The possibilities are endless, and so are the benefits.
Man, what a great week!!
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