PLN week 3

I found this on windrep.blogspot.com. Very interesting!


"Ask any New York City police officer how you get to Carnegie Hall and they'll tell you: "Practice, man. Practice." On today's show, timpanist Jonathan Haas takes us inside his practice studio to demonstrate how to get a full, round tone without annoying the neighbors. We'll hear him perform a concerto for timpani by Georg Druschetzky and music from the first English folk revival, Delius' Brigg Fair."

http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/?month=3&day=29&year=2011

PLN week 3

Here is a great clip from Jack Stamp describing why music matters - worth a listen!

Pops Concert video

Here's a video of my band playing at a recent "pops" concert. It's in the gym (usually our concerts are in the auditorium), so the sound isn't great. The tune is "Beatles: Love", a nod to the recent Cirque de Soleil show in Las Vegas- I recommend the chart - it's nice, and the kids liked it. A few intonation issues, but overall I think the kids did pretty well.

Bicycle Built for Two

I thought that Noteflight was a great idea - I especially like the idea that everyone hears the same instruments when they pay it back, regardless of their computer or sound card. I did find it less intuitive than MuscScore or Sibelius, but it is a good addition to the notation repertoire.

A great new site for music games

I thought these were fun and creative, and a nice addition to the links I post on my school website page:

http://trainer.thetamusic.com/

Mr Curly - just for fun!

I've shown this video to middle school and junior high kids during a summer band camp, as well as my high school kids, and even a community band that I conduct. Everyone seems to get a kick out of it. I'm not sure how educational it is, but it usually gets a smile or laugh out of just about anybody!

Week 2 PLN post #2

I thought this blog post was especially appropriate for those of us in the process of getting our Master's degree in music! Although the facts need a bit of checking - the author claims that Boston University is the only one offering a 100% online Masters in music, but we know better!

http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/should-music-teachers-get-masters-degrees/

Week 2 PLN post #1: Frank Battisti discusses Music Education

I found this on my PLN this week - some great comments on music education!

This blog post makes a lot of good points - definitely worth a read. Let me know what you think!

http://teachingmusic.posterous.com/whatever-happend-to-liberal-arts-or-why-do-we

Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com

This is absolutely one of my favorite videos - I show it to my music appreciation and music theory classes, and the kids always love it. It always inspires me, even though I've seen it at least 5 or 6 times - you MUST watch it!

Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com

It’s Those Finishing Touches that Create Art

Found this blog posted on Teaching Music in the 21st Century, and thought I'd share it:

It’s Those Finishing Touches that Create Art

My first blog post will be very boring.....told you so.