Last Second Thoughts...

A continuation of the previous entry...

About the student's works...

I really enjoyed reading Ying Ying's blog. She has posted some really interesting entries which I can definitely relate too. Among the entries I liked was "Welcome to Windows." In the "Welcome to Windows" post, Ying Ying shared with us an amazing piano piece that was composed using the Windows XP sounds. I agree with what she said about how the piece can be confusing to the listener because the sound can be coming either from your own computer or from the music. There were definitely times I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable hearing the start-up sound again and again...This work of art is definitely music technology at it's best!

Justice brought up some interesting points in her blog entries as well. In her post "Interactive arts to replace traveling to rehearsals?" she talks about how technology has evolved so that it supports interactive rehearsals and performances. It never really occurred to me either that with the technology today, it is quite possible to do rehearsals/performances over the internet by simply using a chat program with your own computers. (Skype anyone?) No more commuting back and forth for long rehearsals. It really does make you think just how advanced technology has gotten in the past few years. Imagine what Web 3.0 will bring!

One of the best features of Kai's website is his Flash animation. It's a simple animation, yet it works very well because it serves as a nice introduction to his website. The pair of eyes is a creative touch because it really makes the users want to enter and explore his site. When creating animations it is important to remember the phrase"just enough, never too much." Overusing animations can distract users and their ability to focus on the content. After all, the eye is automatically attracted to motion. Nice animation Kai!

About me...

This course has taught me how to effectively work independently and creatively. I can be self-reliant, monitor my own progress and use support effectively as appropriate. Because the majority of the work that has been assigned has been done individually, it has allowed me to understand some of the fundamental aspects that are necessary to function successfully as an individual. For example, while working on class assignments, it is easy for me to see the progress I made. Throughout the course of the semester, it is easy to see that I have made much more efficient use my time. I think using time efficiently is one of the keys to academic survival and success.

Technology continues to be an ever-increasing presence in all aspects of performing arts and music education, from providing technical support to administrative staff and box office personnel, to the creation of Web-based projects, and to the development of internet based arts and education resources for teachers and students. To further my learning and understanding of technology in performing arts/music education, I will continue to take courses here at NYU involved in technology and music and the ways in which they can be used together creatively. I would like to obtain an internship in the future which will be especially helpful in that it will offer meaningful learning opportunities and on-the-job experiences for me.

Upon graduating with a Masters in Music Technology, I would like to continue working with electronic and computer technology within music. In the future, I hope to find a job that will enable me to use the latest technology (industry-standard hardware and software), while learning both technical and creative aspects of music production and recording.

Last Minute Thoughts...

It's hard to believe, but the Spring 2007 semester is already over. And I feel like I've just started...well here are what I like to call my "last minute thoughts" in regards to this course, music education, technology and everything else. Enjoy!

About Flash...

For general web authoring, Flash is useful in that it makes the website stand out and attracts attention, with interactivity. It makes the site different from other sites. When done correctly, it makes your site just that much more professional. Flash is definitely one of the more sophisticated tools available to web sites.

For music educators and in the performing arts professions, Flash is especially useful in that it can help music educators become more effective by improving teaching and learning in music. With Flash, teachers can integrate sound and notation in ways never before possible. They can develop interactive presentations that include text, graphics, animation, sound, and videos. Audio-visuals are helpful in that they promote and encourage student participation and stimulate creative and critical thinking. Multimedia technology helps students learn to better appreciate music as an art, and become participants in the joy of music-making.

About my accomplishments...

I think that the single most important thing I felt I accomplished in the class this semester is my blog. This is the first time I've ever "blogged" so it feels quite different and it's definitely a whole new experience for me. Maintaining a weekly blog was quite challenging at times due to the fact that I am not a writer and I find it hard to express my thoughts in a logical and coherent manner. Having to come up with new and interesting blog entries every week really helped to provoke my creative and original thinking skills and improved my writing skills. Writing my weekly blog post provided for me a fresh blank canvas for self expression. As the words formed sentences on the page, I felt a sense of accomplishment. All in all, blogs are a great way to practice and hone your ability to express yourself and your thoughts in print. Kudos to blogging!

About the course...

The strongest feature of this course is the course content and design. The course is well organized into three major lessons covering such topics as blogging, Flash and web authoring (Dreamweaver). The material is relevant to many of my personal and professional goals. Multimedia technology is not only advancing rapidly, but it also plays a part in everyday life as we are immersed in a world of multimedia experiences. As a result, it's of extreme importance to keep up to date with all these software programs. Another strong feature was the interaction between the instructor and the students. I felt the instructor was easily approachable and was always willing to answer questions. And the concepts were explained on a level that students could understand and handle.

I would have to say that the weakest feature of this course would probably be that there is a large amount of material over a very broad range. There is just so much to learn in both Flash and Dreamweaver that it is difficult to cover everything in a relatively short space of time. It's definitely a lot to take in you aren't familiar with any of the programs/software.

Musicovery: Interactive WebRadio

On one of my recent posts, I highlighted a website called Pandora, the internet radio. Upon further surfing, I came across Musicovery, an interactive web radio very similar to the Pandora web radio site. Musicovery lets you choose and explore music by mood (anywhere from dark to positive and from calm to energetic), style, genres, time periods, and much more. You can mix and match filters and customize your internet radio experience to suit your tastes even if that happens to be dark energetic pop or jazz from the 80s. The major difference between Pandora and Musicovery is that in Pandora, you enter an artist or song in and it spits out songs similar in their "music genome" while in Musicovery you input a mood and dance level and it picks a trail of songs that fit, and does so in a more visual way.

Each time you change your preferences in the nav bar the music selector jumps across the screen and plays another song. Genres are color-coded and really add to the aesthetic appeal of the experience. There's a large selection of music to listen to as well, from classical to disco, hip hop, world, rock and so much more. You can even scroll around the map and choose songs manually. For users with a good internet connection there's no lag or song loading time, so you can expect smooth listening from start to finish.

Musicovery has a fantastic interface. It's definitely a brand new way to think about music. Users are presented with what looks like a remote control. In the center of the remote is a coordinate axis with four adjectives: Energetic, Positive, Calm, and Dark. There is also a blinking dot placed in the axis. At the bottom of the remote is a list of 18 genres of music. Users can first select a genre and then place the dot anywhere on the axis. Musicovery then uses an algorithm to play a composition that relates to the location on the axis. In a manner similar to the Pandora site, Musicovery plays actual tracks in their entirety - and it’s perfectly legal. The graphical interface is very slick, and there are connections to related artists and works based on your placement of the dot in the axis.

This might sound a bit confusing, so the easiest way to understand it is to check it out for yourself. The first time I visited the site I spent a great deal of time playing in the Pop genre and found the selections in relation to my placement of the dot on the axis to be very interesting. I think that the site has some pretty interesting possibilities for the classroom, especially in terms of critical listening skills, discussions about music in relation to emotions, and more.

Musicovery is a great way to find new songs and play with different styles of music. It isn't really a game, but it's got the same sense of exploration and fun as any web toy on the internet. Click!

A Video Game Symphony

During spring break, my friend installed World of Warcraft (WoW) on my new mac. For those of you who don't know, WoW is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) where players come together and battle against the world and each other. The game is set in the Warcraft Universe, an epic fantasy setting which includes orcs, trolls, elves and the undead. WoW happens to be the world's leading subscription-based MMORPG with 8.5 million players worldwide! (People must have too much time on their hands these days)...

The music of WoW along with many other popular video games has a rather impressive score. It is fantasy-like music and it contributes to the tense, mysterious, suspense-filled aura while you are playing. The music in the game coordinates with the storyline to effectively deliver the impact of the situation to the player. As you delve further into the rich and detailed game experience, the music covers you in feelings of mystery, action, and suspense! It's perfectly tuned to the atmosphere of the game.

Many video games today are performed by a full symphony
orchestra and choir, thus bringing the sounds of these games to life. It's no secret among game lovers and connoisseurs of orchestral music that some of today's most thrilling scores are coming out of the video game genre. I read online that the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra, in a series of nationwide concerts to an audience of more than 10,000, performed the music from the world's most popular video games against a backdrop of images and lights. These included sci-fi epic Halo, Tomb Raider, the Mario games, plus a medley of classic favorites like Pong, Space Invaders and Pacman.

In the early days, technology was a limiting factor in the area of game soundtracks. Today, advances in technology mean music can now drive in-game action and stir players’ emotions, much like the score of a Hollywood blockbuster. For gamers, not only does the music help set the mood of the game, but it also tells a story and reminds them of epic battles fought and love won and lost on the computer screen. Gamers see their games come to life in a whole different way as sound and music becomes a fundamental part of the gaming experience. The use of sound and music in multimedia can therefore create a more immersive entertainment experience and have a powerful effect on us.

"Pearls Before Breakfast"

A friend of mine sent me a video/news article from the Washington Post and I'd thought I'd share it with you. It's an excellent article, beautifully written, thoughtful and it captures some really deep issues of our times. Just a note though, make sure you watch the short video first BEFORE you read the article and see what you notice. Read and watch here!

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Funny my friend e-mailed me this video. A very similar situation happened to me quite recently. A few weeks ago, I was at the Astor Place metro stop getting ready to do some errands. While waiting for the metro, there was a musician (violinist) performing a Bach gavotte, which I recognized having played it myself. His playing literally stopped me in my tracks; there was such a warmth and richness in his tone I just had to stop and listen. Unfortunately, I had to stand in place because no one else was budging (and there is only so much space on the metro waiting platform). For the next few minutes or so I'm staring at this incredible musician and no one else even notices! Is it a lack of appreciation for classical music that this happens or just the place and time of day? And I wonder, what does it take to recognize talent?

Sadly, I blame both our lifestyle and the public schools for the state of our current culture which seems not void of true and genuine talent and beauty, but rather silent on the matter altogether. There is nothing really cliche about stopping to smell the roses.

Reflecting back on the article. We should acknowledge how much our admiration of people and things may be based upon fame and status - what we think other people think, rather than what we really think ourselves - and strive to become more educated and sincere.

I wonder if I would have stopped. Would I be in too much of a hurry to notice the beauty before me? It is quite possible that I would have kept going because my focus would have been where I was going and not where I was. It is a profound lesson that I am taking to heart. I am going to take that deep breath, stay conscious of what is around me, be in the moment, and if a Joshua Bell type experience comes my way, I am going to pay attention.

A Little Nightmare Music

Classical – not classic – humor

Classical music doesn't have to be serious, and it's all right to laugh in the concert hall...

Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Hyung-ki Joo, two talented classical musicians from Vienna Musikverein demonstrate this through their show, "A Little Nightmare Music." Igudesman & Joo, a violinist and pianist respectively, combine classical music talent with a warped sense of humor. Their show is about their love of music while making fun of the seriousness during concerts. Check out their video clip:


While much of the humor in Igudesman & Joo’s repertoire is about classical music, it's readily understandable even to those not familiar with Bach, Beethoven, or any of those famous composers.

From their website: "A Little Nightmare Music" is a unique show, full of virtuosity, enchanting music and zany, outrageous humour. Ideal for audiences aged 8 to 88, this show is sure to captivate you and crack you up whether you’re a classical music enthusiast or the type who runs for cover, at the mere mention of Mozart.

The show looks hilarious! Seeing their video makes me want to ask: When are these guys going on tour, and will New York City be on the tour schedule?

Can't Get It Out Of My Head!

Recently someone sent me this interesting article about "earworms" which is "a term for a song stuck in one's head, particularly an annoying one," according to Wikipedia. I had absolutely no idea that there was a term for this particularly irritating phenomenon! What struck me most about this article is that researchers were able to confirm the existence of these so-called earworms and that at least 98% of people have had songs stuck in their head! Apparently, musicians/music lovers and those with "compulsive tendencies" may be more affected than others. Not only that, this "stuck song syndrome" is more frequent and lasts even longer for musicians! One of the reasons being that they are more exposed to music and encounter more repetition during rehearsals. The areas of the brain that are involved in listening to and creating music also plays another role for musicians. Another interesting point about earworms is that women are more susceptible to earworms than men! There haven't yet been any reasons as to why this is. As for now, it'll remain a mystery...

My earworms come in various degrees of intensity and levels of aggravation. What is the absolute worst possible scenario for me is when I have a song stuck in my head and I don't know the lyrics. So what happens is that the same part keeps repeating over and over again and I can't for the life of me get that song out of my head. The song simply bores into my head, it won't let go, and even worse, there's simply no known cure. What I usually end up doing is to try talking to someone about it (and hopefully pass the song along to them) or I try humming a different song (only to find that the new song gets stuck in my head). There is a web site called "Maim That Tune" that picks a substitute earworm for you (this is like hitting yourself in the thumb with a hammer so you can forget about your backache).

Despite the fact that these tunes are just so unbearably memorable, there are surprisingly positive things that can come out of earworms. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond says those repetitive notes that won't go away have spawned some of the greatest hits of his career! I'm waiting for that day...

Here they are, the top 10 earworms!

1. Kylie Minogue, Can't Get You Out of My Head
2. James Blunt, You're Beautiful
3. Baha Men, Who Let the Dogs Out
4. Mission Impossible theme
5. Village People, YMCA
6. Happy Days theme
7. Corinne Bailey Rae, Put Your Records On
8. Suzanne Vega, Tom's Diner
9. Tight Fit, The Lion Sleeps Tonight
10. Tiffany, I Think We're Alone Now

A Different Way of Playing

I'd thought I'd share this neat clip. It showcases a person playing the piano a different kind of way. Not the traditional way of playing with two hands on the keyboard. I won't describe just how he plays, but I'll tell you it's definitely a very creative way of playing the piano. Towards the end of the clip, he starts playing really fast and it's simply amazing to watch! While playing, you can see that he truly is enjoying himself. It's nice to know that people are enjoying what they're good at doing. As I've heard people say, "enjoy what you do, and do what you enjoy." Something to keep in mind as we go about our everyday lives...

So do check out this clip when you get a chance! The guy is pretty funny, he definitely made me smile a few times! A very entertaining clip, definitely worth watching!



Quite talented if you ask me!

Pandora

Recently I came across a really neat online application. It's an internet radio called "Pandora" and it was created by the Music Genome Project, a group of musicians and music technologists. Pandora is not your average internet radio where you listen to random songs and artists. The really cool thing about Pandora is that when you create a radio station it lets you type in a song or artist you like and it instantly finds other music that might fit your taste, or what some may call "genetically similar songs." In other words, having analyzed the musical structures present in the songs you like, Pandora creates a radio station that will only play songs with similar musical traits to the song you typed in. It relies on a Music Genome that consists of 400 musical attributes covering the qualities of melody, harmony, rhythm, form, composition and lyrics.

Another neat feature of Pandora is that you can give it feedback so it can refine our station based on our likes and dislikes. You can give any song the station plays either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down, and providing this feedback instantly changes your station's playlist. The result is a progressively personalized radio station that really does play only music you want to hear. It's always nice to have a personalized playlist based on our own musical preferences!

Some of the other things you can do with Pandora: you can create up to 100 stations, share a station with a friend through an e-mail link, register for RSS feeds to find out what your friends are listening to, what the top 20 artists are, add a song to your favorites list so you can keep track of the music you like, etc. And who knows? Pandora may even help you discover new music that you'll like!

There's definitely a lot going on with the Pandora player, but it's all pretty easy to access once you get the hang of it. Do check it out when you get a chance!

A Night at the Movies

After a stressful week, I finally sat down yesterday evening and relaxed by watching the live telecast of the Academy Awards. There's just something nice about getting all my work done for the upcoming week and sitting down and watching some TV. I'm definitely a big movie fan so I (usually) try to keep up to date on the nominated movies and actors. In the past, I used to get crazy during Oscar time. I would feel a strong need to see as many of the movies on the Oscars list as possible. (Soon I found out that this was way too overwhelming so I stopped).

While critics are predicting winners of the major categories (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress) or even which film will take home the Best Picture Oscar, I think there's an often overlooked, musically oriented category that deserves our undivided attention. I'm of course talking about the "Best Original Score" category. You know, the award for the best music specifically written for film. Without music, movies would have no atmosphere. There would be no transition and the mood would be extremely difficult to establish. Thank goodness the Academy Awards honor the best score and the best song!

This year's field of Oscar-nominated musical scores are an interesting mix of styles and genres. We have music drawing from a variety of cultures (Gustavo Santaolalla's Babel), a tender and dramatic, orchestral/choral score for a dark fantasy (Javier Navarrete's Pan's Labyrinth), the light, animated, and even mischievous score for Alexandre Desplat's The Queen, the powerful, ominous, and masterfully orchestrated score for Philip Glass's Notes on a Scandal, and the classically melodramatic epic score for Thomas Newman's The Good German.

Apple has a very cool site where you can watch trailers, listen to clips/podcasts of all the nominated movies. See you next year at the 80th Annual Academy Awards! I'll leave you with a meaningful quote from the Oscar-nominated compose Alexandre Desplat.

“The main goal is to be able to write music which is dedicated to the movie but still stands by itself. I don’t want to be a machine that writes notes. When I go to a concert, I don’t like a soloist who plays notes, I want to hear a soloist who plays music. It’s about moving you, about making your emotions tremble. If I can achieve that, then I have succeeded.”
--Alexandre Desplat

Music

Music is my life. I have to admit it. If there was no such thing as music, I don’t know how I would cope with certain things in my life.

When I workout, the music that I listen to, gives me motivation to train harder and longer. If it weren’t for my iPod, I don’t think that I would have finished some of my exercises. When it comes to stress, nothing clears my head like a favorite song. Its incredible how words blended in with tunes can produce such an impact on someone. It's as if you get lost in your own world. Nothing matters and everything is better if you have that right music to relate to. For entertainment purposes, I am also a music fanatic. When I have friends over before a night out, we hang out with a good playlist on iTunes while we sit and shoot the breeze. It changes the whole atmosphere and feeling in the air.

I started playing the violin at the age of six and a half. As I learned to play more difficult and challenging pieces, my appreciation for music deepened. And now I can definitely say that...

Music is amazing to me. I wouldn’t give it up for the world. It changes every aspect of my life and is a part of me in every precise way.

Thoughts on Music Education Technology

Technology is changing the way music is taught and performed in schools throughout the country. Today, more and more schools are integrating computers and technology into music education. And they are doing this for a reason.

Technology is an extremely powerful and flexible tool for creativity. It's not all about the cool gadgets and advanced software programs, (although that is definitely a plus) but more about how it enhances the creative process. With technology we are able to do things we were unable to do prior to computer technology. For example we can now compose a piece using a computer music software then hear our composition played back immediately. We can even make changes very easily and efficiently. In the past, we had to write our compositions with pencil and paper, have musicians play it, edit it, have musicians play it again, etc. All in all it was a long and time-consuming process. With the computer, there is instant gratification. Compose, playback, edit, and —voilà! —a complete musical composition! Technology really does enhance what students are able to do.

"Music to Our Ears" is an interesting article about technology in music education. I think it's very interesting to see the changes in music education and how much it has changed since I was an elementary school student. Not to mention, it is very impressive to know that children as young as fifth-grade are already composing their own pieces! The next generation of Mozarts :)

I think using interactive media, multimedia presentations/software, and other music technologies that combine aural and visual approaches, are definitely effective ways for educators to apply technology to music education. With the advances in music technology today, not only can we create compelling interactive media content, but bring the world of music to our fingertips.

Last but not least, I stumbled upon this online metronome while browsing the web. The metronome is complete with tempo selections and the standard "A" (440 Hz) for note tuning. It's a great tool for students to use while practicing.

To See, or Not To See?

Recently I watched "The Banquet" (夜宴 - Ye Yan), the new movie starring Zhang Ziyi. It's a period-drama and a loose adaptation of Hamlet, featuring many of the supporting characters and prominent events. What is interesting about The Banquet is that there are elements from martial arts films and classic Greek theater incorporated into the movie to tell the tale. There's quite a bit of bloodshed and the use of poems and dances. It's like Hamlet with an Eastern twist!

One of the best parts of the movie is the film score, composed by Oscar- winning composer Tan Dun. The score is definitely right up there among his best works (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Hero (2002)). Tan scores the film with his usual engaging beats and rhythms. He uses strings quite a bit along with flutes and ethnic percussions. The result is an interesting fusion of Eastern and Western sound which will definitely appeal to the modern score listener. And if you understand Mandarin, the lyrics on a number of the pieces could possibly have a depressing effect on you. And if you don't, you would still be moved by the melody and music grand arrangements (at least I was)!

Overall I enjoyed the movie. The martial arts scenes were memorable, the costumes/choreography/scenery were great, (I'm always amazed at the amount of detail placed in the set and costumes) and there were some very strong performances from the two leads. Plus, it's just nice to see Chinese productions getting into American markets! I'm giving it two thumbs up!

The Sound of Nature

I came across an article on nytimes.com about the composer/conductor Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero) and how he uses sounds in nature to create musical compositions. For example, he'll use elements of the natural world, i.e. the sounds of the swishing water, crumbled paper and rocks and incorporate them into his music. This is what he calls "organic music" and currently, he is exploring a number of compositions based on the sounds from nature. Dun even has plans to form an orchestra to play such organic music. This will be very interesting indeed!

I also found out that back in 1998, Dun wrote the Water Concerto, in which he used the sounds of splashing, running and shaken water as solo instruments. Later in 2001, some of his invented instruments were used for the music in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which he won an Oscar for! What is even more interesting is that in Tan's Crouching Tiger Concerto, he utilizes technological elements, in this case video, to accompany and enhance the concert listening experience. Organic Music itself is very interesting, and Tan Dun's website has a gallery of images from his concerts that show it in action.
A quote from his site:

"I have conducted orchestras around the world, but my favorite instruments are still the ones you find in nature — water, stone, ceramics. I like using instruments from nature. We use so many electronic things that, sometimes, we lose our connection to natural sounds."

Last but not least, I was excited to learn that Tan Dun's studio happens to be in Chelsea, which isn't too far from me! Maybe one day I will be able to meet him in person!