How can the spirit of Web 2.0 affect us as musicians? This new spirit offers a new era of sharing your performance and creative techniques. Consider Ethan Winer's A Cello Rondo, a tour de force composed and performed by Winer and presented as a very creative video that I discovered quite by accident on the website StumbleUpon.Com. I still don't know how I got to his imaginative video, but I am glad I did. What a splendid imagination. The only shortcoming is that he should have put in thunderous applause to his bows at the end!
Years ago an academy award film An American in Paris featured concert pianist Oscar Levant performing George Gershwin's Concerto in F. In the film, Levant is not only the pianist, but the conductor, the string section, the brass section, the percussionist---the whole orchestra. You can also see a rather shaky version of Levant playing an excerpt from the concerto on YouTube (not from the movie, but from his own television show).
Levant needed a Hollywood studio and tremendous technical support to realize the fantasy of Gershwin's concerto, but Winer creates his Rondo and the imaginative video with a video camera and the Internet as the way of delivering a new work that exists not as a fantasy but as a wonderful artistic statement in its own right. The rondo form is realized visually as well as musically.
Why not make one of your own?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monday, July 10, 2006
Science, Technology and the Arts
In the book Consilience by Edward O. Wilson, two fundamental ways of knowing the world (i.e., creating knowledge) will emerge as the paradigms for the 21st Century: Science and the Arts. The Arts reveal truths about the human experience that can only be verified through such experience, but the arts also extend our vision of ourselves and expand the reality of what it is to be human.
Science produces knowledge, which can only be verified through external observation and internal verification through the exactness of mathematics. It is a knowledge that can be verified and reproduced by others, essentially establishing the reality of facts or the facts of reality.
Technology may be the magic elixir that enables these two great paradigms of knowledge making to intersect and exchange in ways we have not yet dreamed about. Technology is the enabler, extending our reach beyond the limits of imagination, empowering us in wondrous ways. But we should also note with caution that sometimes technique can overpower and replace content. Sometimes it is difficult to know the difference between technical achievement so dazzling we cannot see there is no substance.
In music, technique has been the grand interpreter of excellence. Acquiring technique has required incredible effort and achievement has been hard won and often long-suffering. What many object to in the new technology is that beginners are empowered with the expressive range almost the equivalent of masters. Such mastery comes too easily, and the outcome is still in question, at least inviting new inquiry and review.
But perhaps we need patience to understand that such replicas of achievement are not new emerging masterworks. They are really the relics and artifacts of the past in new clothing. The new technologies and processes are busily assimilating and digesting the content of the past, and we have yet to see the emergence of a true mastery of the new techniques, the new technologies. We are too easily led astray by the glib constructs of technical prowess. New master artists will emerge when completely new paradigms of understanding and expression are uncovered in new probings of the human condition.
Science produces knowledge, which can only be verified through external observation and internal verification through the exactness of mathematics. It is a knowledge that can be verified and reproduced by others, essentially establishing the reality of facts or the facts of reality.
Technology may be the magic elixir that enables these two great paradigms of knowledge making to intersect and exchange in ways we have not yet dreamed about. Technology is the enabler, extending our reach beyond the limits of imagination, empowering us in wondrous ways. But we should also note with caution that sometimes technique can overpower and replace content. Sometimes it is difficult to know the difference between technical achievement so dazzling we cannot see there is no substance.
In music, technique has been the grand interpreter of excellence. Acquiring technique has required incredible effort and achievement has been hard won and often long-suffering. What many object to in the new technology is that beginners are empowered with the expressive range almost the equivalent of masters. Such mastery comes too easily, and the outcome is still in question, at least inviting new inquiry and review.
But perhaps we need patience to understand that such replicas of achievement are not new emerging masterworks. They are really the relics and artifacts of the past in new clothing. The new technologies and processes are busily assimilating and digesting the content of the past, and we have yet to see the emergence of a true mastery of the new techniques, the new technologies. We are too easily led astray by the glib constructs of technical prowess. New master artists will emerge when completely new paradigms of understanding and expression are uncovered in new probings of the human condition.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Connectivity and the Domain of Making Music
Suddenly I realized that today a musician's computer is virtually useless unless it is connected to the Internet.
Several years ago, this was not the case. The CPU was almost the exclusive domain of activity, and being connected to the Internet was a convenience, an asset you appreciated, but your musical computing went on, regardless.
Now, musicians cannot function effectively as 21st Century creators without being connected to the Internet. For one thing, computer applications are updated with new features, functionality, and security almost daily. For another, musicians exchange music notation and sound files routinely as they compose and rehearse for performances. The Web can provide an important interactive planning space for performances and productions.
But I think that many of us are ready for a Google-like company in music that understands the concept of distributed computing, so that the computer would connect to a digital music world that erases the proprietary nature of music notation. Cross platform applications in recording and midi technology have made this concept one that can be achieved somewhat easily. But we really have a need for Logic, Cubase, Sibelius, Finale, Pro Tools, and others to become on-line processors where we can connect from anywhere in the world and work on our recordings or musical scores.
This would be the equivalent of a true musical blog, where the blogger creates musical content rather than words.
I realize that this runs counter to traditional models of capitalism, and yet, Google has been able to thrive in the world of distributed computing as a model business venture for the 21st Century. Part of the problem may be that companies that have designed music notation programs have approached these applications in a very conservative manner. These notation programs seem most useful for someone with an existing score to transfer to computer notation. These applications have achieved a phenomenal engraver-like quality and as such, are great for desk top music publishing. But such programs are so rigidly designed that they are quite frustrating for a composer. This approach to notation does not allow for intuitive sketching.
What we need is a musical sketchbook tool that exists like a blogger. It needs to accommodate the traditional notational practices while allowing for innovative interpolation of new notation to include new expressive needs for the 21st Century. More importantly, this sketching tool should reside on the server so that upgrades are maintained at the source and the person working is only concerned with the creative act of making music.
Several years ago, this was not the case. The CPU was almost the exclusive domain of activity, and being connected to the Internet was a convenience, an asset you appreciated, but your musical computing went on, regardless.
Now, musicians cannot function effectively as 21st Century creators without being connected to the Internet. For one thing, computer applications are updated with new features, functionality, and security almost daily. For another, musicians exchange music notation and sound files routinely as they compose and rehearse for performances. The Web can provide an important interactive planning space for performances and productions.
But I think that many of us are ready for a Google-like company in music that understands the concept of distributed computing, so that the computer would connect to a digital music world that erases the proprietary nature of music notation. Cross platform applications in recording and midi technology have made this concept one that can be achieved somewhat easily. But we really have a need for Logic, Cubase, Sibelius, Finale, Pro Tools, and others to become on-line processors where we can connect from anywhere in the world and work on our recordings or musical scores.
This would be the equivalent of a true musical blog, where the blogger creates musical content rather than words.
I realize that this runs counter to traditional models of capitalism, and yet, Google has been able to thrive in the world of distributed computing as a model business venture for the 21st Century. Part of the problem may be that companies that have designed music notation programs have approached these applications in a very conservative manner. These notation programs seem most useful for someone with an existing score to transfer to computer notation. These applications have achieved a phenomenal engraver-like quality and as such, are great for desk top music publishing. But such programs are so rigidly designed that they are quite frustrating for a composer. This approach to notation does not allow for intuitive sketching.
What we need is a musical sketchbook tool that exists like a blogger. It needs to accommodate the traditional notational practices while allowing for innovative interpolation of new notation to include new expressive needs for the 21st Century. More importantly, this sketching tool should reside on the server so that upgrades are maintained at the source and the person working is only concerned with the creative act of making music.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Digital Code & Yin and Yang
Digital technology has rapidly transformed the world as we know it. It has penetrated every aspect of our existence and will continue to make inroads. Although the Internet is a part of this transformation, all aspects of our lives: transportation, entertainment, cooking, communication, finance and economics, publishing, reading, writing, and on and on... digital code has transformative power.
Digital code is the sorcer's apprentice. It is the secret magical word, the abracadabra of modern life. It is no accident that it is dependent on electrical energy. The structure of humans is also dependent on electrical connections through nerve endings so impulses are transmitted back and forth to strategic locations. Electricity is the primary ethos, emulating the energy of the cosmos. The supreme energy is light, and nothing can compare with the speed of light. The speed of light is the structuring force of the universe. Light is the ultimate communication, defining existence, "Let there be light!"
Our discovery of the binary system is the discovery of ourselves. The essence of the binary system is the yin and yang, the negative and the positive, the state of on and off. From the simplicity of this fundamental truth comes all complex structures and events. Time itself is the manifestation of this simple structure.
This binary reality makes it possible for us to find fundamental pathways that link our processes and ideas and unify knowledge. This is an incredible age of discovery. Right now, we are dazzled by its novelty, but we are also rocketing to a new awareness of the possibilities of what we can become.
Digital code is the sorcer's apprentice. It is the secret magical word, the abracadabra of modern life. It is no accident that it is dependent on electrical energy. The structure of humans is also dependent on electrical connections through nerve endings so impulses are transmitted back and forth to strategic locations. Electricity is the primary ethos, emulating the energy of the cosmos. The supreme energy is light, and nothing can compare with the speed of light. The speed of light is the structuring force of the universe. Light is the ultimate communication, defining existence, "Let there be light!"
Our discovery of the binary system is the discovery of ourselves. The essence of the binary system is the yin and yang, the negative and the positive, the state of on and off. From the simplicity of this fundamental truth comes all complex structures and events. Time itself is the manifestation of this simple structure.
This binary reality makes it possible for us to find fundamental pathways that link our processes and ideas and unify knowledge. This is an incredible age of discovery. Right now, we are dazzled by its novelty, but we are also rocketing to a new awareness of the possibilities of what we can become.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Checking the Roadmap
We have focused mainly on authoring techniques that have emerged during the past year amidst upheavals i the digital world. Macromedia, once a small and independent digital spirit, has been gobbled up by Adobe. For now Macromedia applications remain intact, but expect major changes in the coming months. There is a genuine opportunity for synergism that may flip applications of new technology into totally new conceptions.
In looking back at our emphasis in the experimental course, we have focused on tools that assist in creation of interactive experiences on the Internet. Have travelled all this distance it may be helpful to write down the directions of where we have been over the course of a semester. Here is what we attempted:
TOPICS
In looking back at our emphasis in the experimental course, we have focused on tools that assist in creation of interactive experiences on the Internet. Have travelled all this distance it may be helpful to write down the directions of where we have been over the course of a semester. Here is what we attempted:
TOPICS
- Blogging
- Domain Search, Domain Registration, FTP
- Media in Music and Music Education
- Implications of Ed Tech 2.0 and Web 2.0
- Music Creating and Teaching as Platform
- Flash: Animation
- Flash: Buttons and Behavior
- Flash: Media Control (Video and Audio Playing & Behaviour)
- RSS Syndication
- Action Script Introduction, Syntax
- Action Script Application to media (links, players, etc)
- Introduction to Web Authoring : Frontpage (based on Word using Tables and Frames)
- Introduction to Wikis and other web-based authoring and web sharing (such as Moodle)
- Dreamweaver: Introduction, Text and Image.
- Dreamweaver: Flash, Flash Elements: Flash Button, Flash Text, Flashpaper, Flashmovie, and Plugins (all other media such as mp3 mov. Wmv, avi, mpg)
- Webdesign I: Frames, Tables, and Layout
- Webdesign II: CSS, Layers, Timelines
- Obtain an outside domain to develop a website independent of NYU
- Begin and maintain Blog throughout (one to two entries per week)
- Start a RSS newsfeed (FeedDigest)
- Obtain working copies of Flash and Dreamweaver
- Make comments on Blogs of Colleagues
- Visit and Comment on Domains of Colleagues
- Obtain an FTP Program and practice connecting to new Domain
- Use Flash Demos as basis for Creating Animations and other Flash Documents (student's choice)
- Connect Dreamweaver to new domain and directory
- Install a sample page for website on new Domain
- Share work over the semester with the class (student connects computer to projector)
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Look Who's Talking, Now!
Here I was going on and on about how great Evoca is, and our colleague at Cybergogy has been using Odeo since January to send out sung parts to his chorus so they can learn by listening and imitating. Odeo is one of the front-runners in the web recording and file sharing. Others in the field include Springdoo, WaxMail and my latest personal favorite, YackPack, which is designed to bring groups together for yacking (what else?)
The idea of connecting with others by using your voice brings an asynchronous quality to the concept of live chat sessions, using the voice to communicate because of the additional layers of meaning that come with the spoken word. The concept is extremely easy. All you need is a microphone or your telephone, and you are in business. Sound files are kept on the server and you can e-mail the files immediately to one or more parties as well as designate whether they can be heard by the public or only by the group.
Some of the services are in it for the money (!!), but nearly all have some free version or a free introductory trial period. If you use your imagination, you can begin to dream how such a service may add to pedagogical tools, but also what features you might want to make it an more effective educational tool. Musicians are using it as a convenient way to transmit examples and maintaining files on a server instead of your computer hard drive.
The idea of connecting with others by using your voice brings an asynchronous quality to the concept of live chat sessions, using the voice to communicate because of the additional layers of meaning that come with the spoken word. The concept is extremely easy. All you need is a microphone or your telephone, and you are in business. Sound files are kept on the server and you can e-mail the files immediately to one or more parties as well as designate whether they can be heard by the public or only by the group.
Some of the services are in it for the money (!!), but nearly all have some free version or a free introductory trial period. If you use your imagination, you can begin to dream how such a service may add to pedagogical tools, but also what features you might want to make it an more effective educational tool. Musicians are using it as a convenient way to transmit examples and maintaining files on a server instead of your computer hard drive.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
New Music Wiki
A promising new interactive Wiki for composers and performers of new music is now available entitled S21 New Music Wiki. Anyone can join, provide a bio, pictures, sound files and contribute articles and ideas about new music. You can add your music blog, and play a role in how the Wiki develops as an on-line resource.
The creator of the Wiki extends the following invitation:
I found this Wiki when I was creating my new specialized search engine and created a search term "music wiki." This was the first item that came up on the search. The openness of the site is attractive. Who knows? This music wiki might be at the right time with the right structure. Maybe this will become the definitive music wiki for contemporaries.
Try it. You might like it!
The creator of the Wiki extends the following invitation:
What we hope to do here is to build a reader-created community/encylopedia of new music composers, performers, history, schools, important works--you literally name it. Since first person sources are always the best place to start, I am hoping that all of you who are active in creating and playing new music will create entries for yourself and the groups you are associated with....
You are also welcome to post entries for favorite composers or performers who no longer have access to wikis because they are dead. Don't post about people or events or movements that happened before 1900 unless they are essential to something that has happened in new music since.
For biographic entries, I envision a format of something like: bio, photograph (it's easy to upload an image-click on the Upload file link in the left nav bar), list of works, recordings (with links to place to purchase), reviews, with links, and anything else. Take as much space as you need, but if your entry is longer than Bartok's than you are probably hogging space.
I found this Wiki when I was creating my new specialized search engine and created a search term "music wiki." This was the first item that came up on the search. The openness of the site is attractive. Who knows? This music wiki might be at the right time with the right structure. Maybe this will become the definitive music wiki for contemporaries.
Try it. You might like it!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Flashpoint: Integrating Multimedia Software
Dreamweaver 8 brings the concept of integrated software to Macromedia's (now Adobe) multimedia suite. The integration of Flash with Dreamweaver provides convenient ways of implementing Flash inside of Dreamweaver.
There is no question that the use of the table technology as a design element is making the need for frames somewhat obsolete. Frames join multiple pages in a single display, and are a bit of a nuisance with regard to navigation and updating, especially since there is a hidden source page creating the frames. Tables are easier to edit and to modify, and provide a greater range of design and display possibilities.
Still, for those of us in music, we are still looking for web support of notation and sound design that is not proprietory in nature. We need web browser helpers (plugins) to read and perform conventional and experimental music notation. Sound sharing and development can be a dynamic interactive group creative process. But we are still at a Web 1.0 level with regard to sound on the web where the prime motivation is to have consumers, not creators, of sound files, mostly mp3 based files for downloading.
It would be great to have a Wiki for working on theory or composing, but at the moment we have to resort to e-mail attachment of files for Finale, Sibelius, Overture, etc., that must be opened in the proprietary software. This simply extends the older pedagogical model of handing in homework. This practice prevents sharing examples. Shared homework enables students to learn from each other. The current music software makes it difficult to implement Educational Technology 2.0 where materials are created, responded to, and evaluated as a shared process.
There is no question that the use of the table technology as a design element is making the need for frames somewhat obsolete. Frames join multiple pages in a single display, and are a bit of a nuisance with regard to navigation and updating, especially since there is a hidden source page creating the frames. Tables are easier to edit and to modify, and provide a greater range of design and display possibilities.
Still, for those of us in music, we are still looking for web support of notation and sound design that is not proprietory in nature. We need web browser helpers (plugins) to read and perform conventional and experimental music notation. Sound sharing and development can be a dynamic interactive group creative process. But we are still at a Web 1.0 level with regard to sound on the web where the prime motivation is to have consumers, not creators, of sound files, mostly mp3 based files for downloading.
It would be great to have a Wiki for working on theory or composing, but at the moment we have to resort to e-mail attachment of files for Finale, Sibelius, Overture, etc., that must be opened in the proprietary software. This simply extends the older pedagogical model of handing in homework. This practice prevents sharing examples. Shared homework enables students to learn from each other. The current music software makes it difficult to implement Educational Technology 2.0 where materials are created, responded to, and evaluated as a shared process.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Tired of Googling? Create Your Own Swicki
As you make your websites more interactive, you can now create a specialized Swicki hot search that uses the technology of Web 2.0 to embed the search in your website, designed and customized by you, a kind of modular search blog. Eurekster has created Swicki, a wiki that searches for particular things as defined by you, and that is set up to learn from you as you work with it. You create it and modify in an ongoing process.
The swicki adds value to your site. Swickis are communities that evolve a community intelligence as they learn the ideas you and your users project. You can make your site more relevant to your vsitors and participants, a place to go to find out focused information that is constantly changing. It operates much like a newsblog, but is more concise and compact. Swickis are the energy of the Internet waiting to be unleased by the power of a click.
Go to Eurekster and create an account. Follow these steps:
The swicki adds value to your site. Swickis are communities that evolve a community intelligence as they learn the ideas you and your users project. You can make your site more relevant to your vsitors and participants, a place to go to find out focused information that is constantly changing. It operates much like a newsblog, but is more concise and compact. Swickis are the energy of the Internet waiting to be unleased by the power of a click.
Go to Eurekster and create an account. Follow these steps:
- Customize your Swicki by giving it a name. The name would reflect a specific focus such as "downloading music."
- Choose a layout that would work best on your website from the three options. Then enter the keywords and phrases that would exist like topics for your search, such as "music downloads, downloading techniques, soundfile sources, mp3, etc."
- Choose a design (test it by looking at the many options. Chose maximum font sizes and relative font sizes.
- Give your Swicki some hints about where to search. Identify the website that you want the search engine to be on and select categories that your search pertains to.
- Copy the code you have generated by your choices and paste into the appropriate place in your website (if it is a blog, then paste it into the template into the sidebar or the body, depending on the layout you chose.)
Thursday, March 30, 2006
MOODLE & EVOCA: Wiki Community Builders
Moodle is a wiki for building a community of teachers/learners. It is an open source alternative for Content Management Systems (CMS) such as Blackboard. Content will be created by the community of users and their involvement with the subject can extend beyond the traditional boundaries of course dates. Although it is relatively new, Moodle is already widely used internationally in a number of languages.
For my purposes, I am exploring Moodle as a a platform for WebMusicing or EMusic. As the idea evolves as to how we can extend our musical growth and experience through connecting with likeminded individuals and musicing on the web, I am trying out different strategies and premises for building community. Moodle may be a step in the right direction. I came upon the idea through a news source on the Musicing News and Views newsblog.
And somehow, my search for Moodle brought me to a intriguing site, Evoca, a community of individuals connected by sound. This site approaches creating soundscapes and soundbytes like bloggers approach creation of text-based sites. You might call it Audacity on Line, except that you can't yet edit sound files---but if you have a mic, you can record on the spot from anywhere on the Internet.
Evoca is emerging as an audio sharing community, an audio version of Flickr that is in its infancy, but representative of a new generation of applications for users who are interested in sharing work with each other. You can get a sense of this new perspective since often new versions of software provide a new option for saving or publishing called "share."
For my purposes, I am exploring Moodle as a a platform for WebMusicing or EMusic. As the idea evolves as to how we can extend our musical growth and experience through connecting with likeminded individuals and musicing on the web, I am trying out different strategies and premises for building community. Moodle may be a step in the right direction. I came upon the idea through a news source on the Musicing News and Views newsblog.
And somehow, my search for Moodle brought me to a intriguing site, Evoca, a community of individuals connected by sound. This site approaches creating soundscapes and soundbytes like bloggers approach creation of text-based sites. You might call it Audacity on Line, except that you can't yet edit sound files---but if you have a mic, you can record on the spot from anywhere on the Internet.
Evoca is emerging as an audio sharing community, an audio version of Flickr that is in its infancy, but representative of a new generation of applications for users who are interested in sharing work with each other. You can get a sense of this new perspective since often new versions of software provide a new option for saving or publishing called "share."
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Specialized Newsblogs
The Internet has changed the nature of news. News is no longer what a group of editors at the newspaper or radio/television editors decide to report in their time/space for an ever-shrinking audience (they are all going to the 'Net).
News is happening all the time to all of us and it is altering our fields from moment to moment, since news is essentially the emergence of new information, events, techniques, concepts, and ideas. The main forum for this news is the WWW, but we can't possibly keep visiting all the websites we need to every hour or so. RSS aggregators scan the Internet according to our specifications and harvest the latest postings (most update every few hours).
Managing a newsblog for the web is not something you can set once and then forget it. It requires a degree of monitoring and tweaking as new sources for feeds are discovered and added, as keywords are refined to sharpen the focus, and other criteria are developed for how the information should be displayed.
If you have visited Musicing News and Views recently, you will notice it has changed considerably in the past few days. It still looks the same, but the content has changed drastically. There have been new sources added, and the newsblog searches for the most recent entries on the sources and reports them in the order of newest to oldest. For sources that are blogging as a source for the feeds, they may find they are not included if their blog entries have been few and far between. I find I am discovering new ideas as I visit the newsblog. As far as I know Musicing News and Views is the first newsblog of its kind, and several of my colleagues have created newsblogs to reflect their interests and/or needs.
Musicing is expanded to mean making music and music making and all the attendant factors that are a part of this human activity of creating, playing, listening, studying, teaching, learning, theraping, and technologizing that make up the lives of people musicing today. These activities all meld into process in which distinctions overlap and actions complement and stimulate one another.
News is happening all the time to all of us and it is altering our fields from moment to moment, since news is essentially the emergence of new information, events, techniques, concepts, and ideas. The main forum for this news is the WWW, but we can't possibly keep visiting all the websites we need to every hour or so. RSS aggregators scan the Internet according to our specifications and harvest the latest postings (most update every few hours).
Managing a newsblog for the web is not something you can set once and then forget it. It requires a degree of monitoring and tweaking as new sources for feeds are discovered and added, as keywords are refined to sharpen the focus, and other criteria are developed for how the information should be displayed.
If you have visited Musicing News and Views recently, you will notice it has changed considerably in the past few days. It still looks the same, but the content has changed drastically. There have been new sources added, and the newsblog searches for the most recent entries on the sources and reports them in the order of newest to oldest. For sources that are blogging as a source for the feeds, they may find they are not included if their blog entries have been few and far between. I find I am discovering new ideas as I visit the newsblog. As far as I know Musicing News and Views is the first newsblog of its kind, and several of my colleagues have created newsblogs to reflect their interests and/or needs.
Musicing is expanded to mean making music and music making and all the attendant factors that are a part of this human activity of creating, playing, listening, studying, teaching, learning, theraping, and technologizing that make up the lives of people musicing today. These activities all meld into process in which distinctions overlap and actions complement and stimulate one another.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Podcasts, Screencasts, and Wikis
Three "new" technologies seem to be capturing the imagination of the Web 2.0 generation:
Screencasts use screen capture technology to demo new software such as the this short 90 second tutorial on how to use Linky, or mixing video and screen capture such as Jon Udell's account of a flood in Vermont.
Wiki may best be known for the Wikipedia. The public has been creating this on-line encyclopedia for years. It has become one of the largest shared creative projects on the Internet. Wiki coms from the Haiwian word wiki wiki which is used to describe something as quick or fast. This collaborative approach to creating knowledge has tremendous implications for the arts, but it is time that we understand art as not only expression but as a form of knowledge. Maybe then we can enter into collaborative creations with a sense of adventure and discovery.
These three technologies have helped to reshape the new age of digital technology, making the acronym CAI more and more obsolete in terms of teaching and learning, perhaps taking on a new meaning for CAI: Can't Attract Interest.
- Podcasts (audio and video files made available through RSS on a subscription basis),
- Screencasts (usually tutorials and short "documentaries" which is taking screenshot of demos of software while the steps are being narrated), and
- Wikis (a database that is expandable and editable by all participants).
Screencasts use screen capture technology to demo new software such as the this short 90 second tutorial on how to use Linky, or mixing video and screen capture such as Jon Udell's account of a flood in Vermont.
Wiki may best be known for the Wikipedia. The public has been creating this on-line encyclopedia for years. It has become one of the largest shared creative projects on the Internet. Wiki coms from the Haiwian word wiki wiki which is used to describe something as quick or fast. This collaborative approach to creating knowledge has tremendous implications for the arts, but it is time that we understand art as not only expression but as a form of knowledge. Maybe then we can enter into collaborative creations with a sense of adventure and discovery.
These three technologies have helped to reshape the new age of digital technology, making the acronym CAI more and more obsolete in terms of teaching and learning, perhaps taking on a new meaning for CAI: Can't Attract Interest.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Stephen Downes Stepping Down
Stephen Downes has decided to withdraw from the scene for a time. This announcement is much like hearing that the Rock of Gibralter has crumbled and slipped away into the ocean. It is especially traumatic for those of us who discovered him and his ideas only recently. I discovered him through a blog in Singapore, and I found that my thoughts on music education technology are in sync with his principles and advocacy. What will we do without Ol'Daily? Downes kept us alert, informed, and aware. I guess now we have to do it for ourselves.
Here is Stephen's announcement on his website:
Here is Stephen's announcement on his website:
I have always tried to offer as much of myself as I could through this service and others in my work and in my own time. It has never been enough, which was made clear to me today, but I am tired and don't have anything more to give.This King is dead. Long live the King!
Accordingly, I am placing this newsletter and website on hiatus for an indefinite period. I will be back when I'm back.
Please know that I have always valued and held in the highest esteem the work that all of you are doing to try to make things better, especially for the young. My dedication toward your objectives, toward social justice and opportunity, toward a better life for all, is never wavering, will never waver.
It is time for a darkening of the light as I retreat and think about what I am going to do and how I am going to do it, but know that the light will never flicker and never fade. I wish you well in your endeavours, and I will be back to walk the long hard road alongside you.
Monday, March 20, 2006
A Break in the Action
The Web never sleeps, but universities are fond of taking breaks as though there is some need for refuge in the midst of so much rigor and ardor!
Thus we went on spring break during the last gasps of winter and returned on the first day of spring, which was still wearing its disguise of winter.
Our final days before the break focused on Actionscript for Flash, a useful code or language that can add a layer of functionality to the Flash presentations that go beyond the traditional drag and drop orientation of object manipulation.
Now after our break in the action we venture into deeper levels of authoring, such as exploring CSS style code and web authoring tools such as Frontpage and Dreamweaver. We can begin to look at design, the use of tables to control space or style sheet templates to make web authoring more efficient aand uniform.
Unfortunately, there may be too much emphasis on unformity, or what might be regarded as official or traditional perspectives on how a cyberspace ought to be designed. Going through many blogs, I see a definite rebellion against the "official" looks promoted by stylesheets and the like...especially among younger webbites. There has been a grand tendancy to minimalist values, to game strategies, to tiny, tiny, tiny, tinier type.
Ultimately we are alone with our thoughts and our designs, but there is a public lurking out there...eaves dropping on our designs...maybe with designs on our designs. If the medium is the message, then design may say it all. What is the relationship of content to design? Is that important?
Thus we went on spring break during the last gasps of winter and returned on the first day of spring, which was still wearing its disguise of winter.
Our final days before the break focused on Actionscript for Flash, a useful code or language that can add a layer of functionality to the Flash presentations that go beyond the traditional drag and drop orientation of object manipulation.
Now after our break in the action we venture into deeper levels of authoring, such as exploring CSS style code and web authoring tools such as Frontpage and Dreamweaver. We can begin to look at design, the use of tables to control space or style sheet templates to make web authoring more efficient aand uniform.
Unfortunately, there may be too much emphasis on unformity, or what might be regarded as official or traditional perspectives on how a cyberspace ought to be designed. Going through many blogs, I see a definite rebellion against the "official" looks promoted by stylesheets and the like...especially among younger webbites. There has been a grand tendancy to minimalist values, to game strategies, to tiny, tiny, tiny, tinier type.
Ultimately we are alone with our thoughts and our designs, but there is a public lurking out there...eaves dropping on our designs...maybe with designs on our designs. If the medium is the message, then design may say it all. What is the relationship of content to design? Is that important?
Thursday, March 09, 2006
PianoGraphique: Technological Awe and Wonder
A wonderful website that weaves a daily tapestry of new and innovative presences on the web is Digital Thread. It has become my mentor, and in educational technology, the role of the mentor is to expose associates and peers to new pathways, and that is is certainly how Digital Thread has served to nourish me over the past few weeks. Every day are new pathways, new discoveries.
One such discovery is Pianographique, a wonder of digital design inspiring me with awe as I engage in the multifaceted, multi-layered concepts of design, creativity, and interactivity. It is a festival of images, sounds, and interactivity. I have a friend who studied cello, but gave it up after he heard Yo-Yo Ma, believing he would never be able to achieve that level of performance. I happen to think that was short-sighted since his knowledge and skill enabled him to understand and value Yo-Yo Ma in a deeply meaningful way. Pianographique is the Yo-Yo Ma of digital web design.
Even though it is finite, the design concepts and performative gestures seem inexhaustible. Ater a couple of hours of fooling around, I still haven't found my way through the entire site. I have yet to create my own "piano."
WARNING: DO NOT GO TO THIS WEBSITE. IT IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR SCHEDULE and WELL BEING. SURFERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DISAPPEAR IN THE DIGITAL ABYSS OF NOW, LOSING ALL TOUCH WITH TIME AND REALITY.
One such discovery is Pianographique, a wonder of digital design inspiring me with awe as I engage in the multifaceted, multi-layered concepts of design, creativity, and interactivity. It is a festival of images, sounds, and interactivity. I have a friend who studied cello, but gave it up after he heard Yo-Yo Ma, believing he would never be able to achieve that level of performance. I happen to think that was short-sighted since his knowledge and skill enabled him to understand and value Yo-Yo Ma in a deeply meaningful way. Pianographique is the Yo-Yo Ma of digital web design.
Even though it is finite, the design concepts and performative gestures seem inexhaustible. Ater a couple of hours of fooling around, I still haven't found my way through the entire site. I have yet to create my own "piano."
WARNING: DO NOT GO TO THIS WEBSITE. IT IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR SCHEDULE and WELL BEING. SURFERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO DISAPPEAR IN THE DIGITAL ABYSS OF NOW, LOSING ALL TOUCH WITH TIME AND REALITY.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Action Script/Poetry/Witchcraft
Chianan Yen remarked that writing action script reminded him of writing poetry: an economical use of words (every word is important and words have a metaphorical function of referring to an object or action) and similar structure. This is a wonderful metaphor in itself.
In the world of Performance Art, there is a technical term "performative" which refers to words or actions that cause something to happen, such asying "I do" at a marriage ceremony results in a couple being married. Performatives or performative utterances exist on all levels and can be transformative such as when a magician gestures dramatically and shouts "Abracadabra!" and something magically happens.
Action script with Flash operates as strings of performatives. What you write causes something to happen...but it is strict, which is often true of performative utterances. If you don't say it exactly as you should, the spell will not be created. Maybe our modern day cyberspells are a new form of witchcraft, and actionscipt is the secret language that admits you to the Coven of Digital Sorcery.
In the world of Performance Art, there is a technical term "performative" which refers to words or actions that cause something to happen, such asying "I do" at a marriage ceremony results in a couple being married. Performatives or performative utterances exist on all levels and can be transformative such as when a magician gestures dramatically and shouts "Abracadabra!" and something magically happens.
Action script with Flash operates as strings of performatives. What you write causes something to happen...but it is strict, which is often true of performative utterances. If you don't say it exactly as you should, the spell will not be created. Maybe our modern day cyberspells are a new form of witchcraft, and actionscipt is the secret language that admits you to the Coven of Digital Sorcery.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Describing Process
I am especially interested in how we might use our Blogs to describe our process of creating materials whether it be music, performing, or constructing movies, creating Flash "documents" or designing strategies. I certainly concur with some observations that suggest that reflection might devolve into "philosophizing" and become detached from meaningful discourse.
Bringing things into closer proximity with the Doing and Making is one way of remaining anchored in the reality of our art. Words are more meaningful when they are accountable in terms of actions and objects. This is certainly in the spirit of John Dewey's Art As Experience which remains one of the most import statements about teaching, learning, and making in all arts.
I don't suggest this to be an absolute statement or a prescription. Words are powerful entities when they create a context, and a poem that uses language abstractly can often open up new avenues of perception, awareness, and understanding.
Bringing things into closer proximity with the Doing and Making is one way of remaining anchored in the reality of our art. Words are more meaningful when they are accountable in terms of actions and objects. This is certainly in the spirit of John Dewey's Art As Experience which remains one of the most import statements about teaching, learning, and making in all arts.
I don't suggest this to be an absolute statement or a prescription. Words are powerful entities when they create a context, and a poem that uses language abstractly can often open up new avenues of perception, awareness, and understanding.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
PIE and LEAP
Our colleague, Chianan Yen, began his Blog with the idea of PIE (Platform as Instructional Environment). This is a very good idea. It catches the imagination, and I believed that I may have remarked to Chianan that I felt he was moving in the right direction.
But I am not sure about the word "instruction" since I think the term implies a direction for knowledge to flow...from the knower to those who don't know...from the content to the acquirer of content. But there is no question that the image of PIE can conjur up associations that are attractive and imaginative.
I thought of another acronym: LEAP (Learning Environment as Platform) and that also seemed attractive since the word leap suggests jumping rapidly to another level. It is interesting how such acronyms have emerged to add words with embedded meanings to our vocabulary.
I am interested in such ideas because they create concepts that seem to cluster around what I hope would be a deeper and more creative approach to developing knowledge through the creation of material and ideas that establish personal and global meanings. I am also seeking ideas that bring music and sound making into the concept, and so far these two examples (PIE & LEAP) apply to all of education. That is good in one sense, because teaching and learning music should be associated with the great domains and categories of Education. I thought of M-Audio, a corporation that is dominating music technology and modified LEAP to M-LEAP (Music Learning Environment As Platform), but I am still looking (and listening).
But I am not sure about the word "instruction" since I think the term implies a direction for knowledge to flow...from the knower to those who don't know...from the content to the acquirer of content. But there is no question that the image of PIE can conjur up associations that are attractive and imaginative.
I thought of another acronym: LEAP (Learning Environment as Platform) and that also seemed attractive since the word leap suggests jumping rapidly to another level. It is interesting how such acronyms have emerged to add words with embedded meanings to our vocabulary.
I am interested in such ideas because they create concepts that seem to cluster around what I hope would be a deeper and more creative approach to developing knowledge through the creation of material and ideas that establish personal and global meanings. I am also seeking ideas that bring music and sound making into the concept, and so far these two examples (PIE & LEAP) apply to all of education. That is good in one sense, because teaching and learning music should be associated with the great domains and categories of Education. I thought of M-Audio, a corporation that is dominating music technology and modified LEAP to M-LEAP (Music Learning Environment As Platform), but I am still looking (and listening).
Monday, February 20, 2006
Cut Off At The Knees!
It had to happen. Once everyone has the power of free speech and the power to publish freely and at will, someone is bound to come along and put you in your place. As a colleague used to remark gleefully when he had exposed a weakness of a fellow colleague, "With that argument, I cut him off at the knees!" This was usually followed with a self-satisfied chuckle.
About ten days ago, I observed that I had been expecting a higher level of discourse from graduate students who are embarked upon their own personal journeys in music technology, music making, and music education. I got irate e-mail messages, face to face challenges, and comments to my posting that were at that time, an amazing leap into a higher level of inquiry and observation.
One student completely deconstructed my entry and demonstrated for all to see how terribly wrong I was, and how I had misrepresented (my word) the course when I said it could be whatever you wanted it to be. This student indicated that the course seemed to be about advanced blogging (Blogging 201?) Very effective. Involved. Intelligent. Passionate.
Another student made it clear that it wasn't the first time that the student had been asked to contribute to a group and that experiment failed, too (maybe just as this current project is also doomed?). Cut me off, right at the knees. Passionate. Informed. Courageously devastating.
So here I am, once again. Just another Blogger who is NOT blogging for the sake of blogging--- something I would not wish on any of my students or colleagues. What I am reading now, though, has more depth because it springs from the actual encounter of technology on a personal level which provides tremendous insight, and makes me wish I could do some of what is beginning to be described. Flautaphile provides an insightful and evocative entry in "trying to contribute." For someone who claims to be dispassionate about technology, the entry itself seems intense, accurate, and a stark reminder of the limits of technology.
For another thing, I really do not regard these "students" as my students. They are more like my teachers and mentors. I certainly appear to be learning more from them than they are from me, especially when I get cut off at the knees.
About ten days ago, I observed that I had been expecting a higher level of discourse from graduate students who are embarked upon their own personal journeys in music technology, music making, and music education. I got irate e-mail messages, face to face challenges, and comments to my posting that were at that time, an amazing leap into a higher level of inquiry and observation.
One student completely deconstructed my entry and demonstrated for all to see how terribly wrong I was, and how I had misrepresented (my word) the course when I said it could be whatever you wanted it to be. This student indicated that the course seemed to be about advanced blogging (Blogging 201?) Very effective. Involved. Intelligent. Passionate.
Another student made it clear that it wasn't the first time that the student had been asked to contribute to a group and that experiment failed, too (maybe just as this current project is also doomed?). Cut me off, right at the knees. Passionate. Informed. Courageously devastating.
So here I am, once again. Just another Blogger who is NOT blogging for the sake of blogging--- something I would not wish on any of my students or colleagues. What I am reading now, though, has more depth because it springs from the actual encounter of technology on a personal level which provides tremendous insight, and makes me wish I could do some of what is beginning to be described. Flautaphile provides an insightful and evocative entry in "trying to contribute." For someone who claims to be dispassionate about technology, the entry itself seems intense, accurate, and a stark reminder of the limits of technology.
For another thing, I really do not regard these "students" as my students. They are more like my teachers and mentors. I certainly appear to be learning more from them than they are from me, especially when I get cut off at the knees.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
A New Era for Music Education Technology?
In responding to my initial Blog, Breugnon wrote:
Two important sites that represent our "best efforts" are TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) and ATMI (Association for Technology in Music Instruction).
TI:ME is a not-for-profit corporation and requires you to become a member. There are some advantages to membership, including "certification" courses and workshops. It is supported by NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants, now named The International Music Products Association) and IAEKM (International Association of Electronic Keyboard Manufacturers). This marriage with the commercial arena of musical products may subtly shape TI:ME's agenda. TI:ME has articulated a mission of developing sophisticated users of such equipment who will be able to integrate this new technology into their teaching. Technology still exists as a product and a content that is to be delivered to the learner.
ATMI is more of an association of like minded practitioners who share a zest and interest in the use of technology for the instruction of music. Some parts of the website seem somewhat dated. The Squeak and Blat section has a copyright of 1996-2000. There is a strong search engine for articles, and you will find you can dig up interesting articles on CAI, which is just one among many categories dealing with music technology and music education. I couldn't help but think that so many of these articles would be timely, even now, if they were syndicated as Atom or RSS files. However, the site seems to stop growing un terms of new information just as the Internet was beginning to erupt with the creation of new content by countless individuals now empowered as web authors.
Bruegnon remarks on the miracle of "connection"---and I suspect that we are still in such a primitive stage in understanding how significant this connectivity is---for we still look to it as "ignorance" connecting with "knowledge". I suspect it will take a while to value the unique quality and contribution of each "connector." This requires a growing recognition of the unique qualities each of us can share. Wikipedia is an open source encyclopedia that be edited and contributed to by anyone. It is multilingual with more than 500,000 articles and growing. Many of the newer platforms like Flickr, Google, and Yahoo provide easy access and creation of new material, which can grow exponentially, archiving the created works as they grow over time. Each of these platforms explores connectivity in very original ways that may be helpful to understand in terms of music, musical growth, musical understanding, composition, improvisation, and performance.
I have set up my blogspot and am beginning to explore the world of blogging. I truly have no clue as to what it is yet, but I can recognize an amazing opportunity when I see it. As the quote so eloquently put it, the internet has created a new platform of education...not just music education, but education in general. The unlimited ability of the internet to access even the most remote geographic locations, connecting the isolated idea with the knowledge banks of this world is truly remarkable.He points out that the new digital revolution extends beyond disciplines and conventional boundaries, challenging those of us in music to create a higher level of discourse. In setting up our news blog, I had hoped to find sites developing music education technology exploring ideas, issues, and techniques in ways that could be syndicated and reused in new and different settings, serving to inform our own encounters with implements of digital gear.
Two important sites that represent our "best efforts" are TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) and ATMI (Association for Technology in Music Instruction).
TI:ME is a not-for-profit corporation and requires you to become a member. There are some advantages to membership, including "certification" courses and workshops. It is supported by NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants, now named The International Music Products Association) and IAEKM (International Association of Electronic Keyboard Manufacturers). This marriage with the commercial arena of musical products may subtly shape TI:ME's agenda. TI:ME has articulated a mission of developing sophisticated users of such equipment who will be able to integrate this new technology into their teaching. Technology still exists as a product and a content that is to be delivered to the learner.
ATMI is more of an association of like minded practitioners who share a zest and interest in the use of technology for the instruction of music. Some parts of the website seem somewhat dated. The Squeak and Blat section has a copyright of 1996-2000. There is a strong search engine for articles, and you will find you can dig up interesting articles on CAI, which is just one among many categories dealing with music technology and music education. I couldn't help but think that so many of these articles would be timely, even now, if they were syndicated as Atom or RSS files. However, the site seems to stop growing un terms of new information just as the Internet was beginning to erupt with the creation of new content by countless individuals now empowered as web authors.
Bruegnon remarks on the miracle of "connection"---and I suspect that we are still in such a primitive stage in understanding how significant this connectivity is---for we still look to it as "ignorance" connecting with "knowledge". I suspect it will take a while to value the unique quality and contribution of each "connector." This requires a growing recognition of the unique qualities each of us can share. Wikipedia is an open source encyclopedia that be edited and contributed to by anyone. It is multilingual with more than 500,000 articles and growing. Many of the newer platforms like Flickr, Google, and Yahoo provide easy access and creation of new material, which can grow exponentially, archiving the created works as they grow over time. Each of these platforms explores connectivity in very original ways that may be helpful to understand in terms of music, musical growth, musical understanding, composition, improvisation, and performance.
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