Michael Fein’s Music and Technology BLOG

Today we focused on GarageBand at the National Jazz Workshop. GarageBand is a piece of music production software that comes with every new Mac. PC/Windows equivalents are Acid Music Studio by Sony and Mixcraft by Acoustica. Both items can be purchased for academic institutions through SoundTree - $50 for each program.

Here are some activities we completed with GB today:
- Import an audio file by dragging and dropping into a GB file.
-Add effects to an audio file using presets and also by designing a personalized preset.
-Import a standard MIDI such as a MIDI file created in Band in a Box software. I commonly do this to improve the sound of a BIAB file.
-Record bass, drum, and chord parts to create an arrangement of a standard tune. I have used GB to create a reference audio file of an original tune that I could email to the other players in my jazz combo so they had an idea of how the tune went before we rehearsed together.

Remember…if you primarily want to see notation, use Sibelius or Finale; if you primarily want an accompaniment file to playalong with, use Band in a Box or SmartMusic; and if you primarily want to hear audio playback of a file, use music production software such as GarageBand.

Yesterday we focused on Band in a Box software at the National Jazz Workshop. Here are some things we did in BIAB software:

-Enter simple or complex chords to create a quick accompaniment file. Use this file to practice improvisation!
-Record the melody of a tune using a MIDI keyboard and print a lead sheet. You can also change the key of the tune after you enter it…great for vocalists who do a tune in a non-standard key.
-Play a solo using the WIZard using the first row of keys (all chord tones) and the second row of keys (non chord tones) on the QWERTY keyboard
-Generate a solo using the soloist generator built-in to BIAB.
-Export a BIAB as a standard MIDI file and open this file in Sibelius or Finale to print individual parts. I often use this to help a bass player who can read music but has trouble creating a walking bass part based only on the chord symbols. I also use this to print the keyboard part to help the piano player with voicing.

Today at the National Jazz Workshop we worked with SmartMusic. Here are some of the ways you can use SmartMusic to help your jazz practicing:
–Tuner and Metronome included
–Jazz Exercises…scales, arpeggios, patterns…cycle through keys by pressing the Option button in SmartMusic
–Play by Ear exercises play a phrase and you echo. SmartMusic evaluates your performance
–Wynton Marsalis pieces – 3 volumes of tunes including an entire volume of standards. Lead sheets include chords and melody and the rhythm section parts include the actual transcription of the piano, bass, and drum parts.
–Aebersold – about 10 volumes of Aebersold books. You can adjust the tempo and key…great for learning tunes in all 12 keys!
–Jazz Ensemble examples – SmartMusic now has lots and lots of big band pieces including Basie, Ellington, and more modern stuff such as Goodwin. You can see each individual part and play along with an MP3 recording of the tune.
–SmartMusic interfaces with Finale. Create any file in Finale and save it as a SmartMusic accompaniment. Open this file in SmartMusic and you have created your own custom accompaniment file.
–Audio files - Import a jazz solo recording and slow it down to help you transcribe difficult passages; Import a playalong (such as an Aebersold) and slow it down or change the key

This week I’m teaching the music technology track at the National Jazz Workshop at Shenandoah University.  Our focus for today was Sibelius music notation software.  We learned the basics of note entry and entered in a jazz lead sheet with chords and a melody.

Sibelius is a powerful but challenging application.  For help getting started with Sibelius check out these resources:

–Sibelius Hints and Tips (the Sibelius 5 Quickstart is EXCELLENT!)
–Sibelius a Comprhensive Guide by Thomas Rudolph and Vince Leonard

I will be teaching 3 summer music technology for graduate credit (3 credits per course) at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA.

TI:ME 1A - June 22-26
TI:ME 1B - July 27-31
TI:ME 2C - August 3-7
Registration info:

http://www.su.edu/conservatory/summertech/index.shtml

Course descriptions:

TI:ME 1A:
Basic Skills in Music Technology: Electronic Keyboards, MIDI Sequencing, and Notation
The course will cover basic skills in music notation, MIDI sequencing, and electronic keyboards in K-12 education. Participants will explore many ways to incorporate these tools into the curriculum. The course will be taught in a hands-on environment. Satisfactory participation in class activities and successful completion of several projects will be required. This course fulfills half of TI:ME Level 1 certification requirement. Maximum of one person per computer station, 16 students maximum.
PREREQUISITE: This course requires basic facility on a computer, including using a mouse, opening applications, and saving files. If you are a beginning computer user, you are required to attend the orientation session on (date) to gain the basic computer skills you will need to successfully complete this course.

TI:ME 1B:
Basic Skills in Music Technology: Instructional Software, Communications, and Digital Media
The course will cover basic skills in using computer instructional software, configuring and using computers on networks and the Internet, and the basics of using digital media in K-12 education. Participants will explore many ways to incorporate these tools into the curriculum. The course will be taught in a hands-on environment. This course fulfills half of the TI:ME Level One Certification requirement. Maximum of 1 person per computer station, 16 students maximum.
PREREQUISITE: This course requires basic facility on a computer, including using a mouse, opening applications, naming and saving files, clicking and dragging, copying files, and basic windows operations (closing, resizing, expanding, minimizing). If you are a beginning computer user, you are required to attend the orientation session on [date] to gain the basic computer skills you will need to successfully complete this course. It is strongly recommended that beginners take TI:ME 1A: Basic Skills with Electronic Keyboards, MIDI Sequencing, and Notation prior to registering for this course.

TI:ME 2C:
Integrating Technology into the Music Curriculum
This course will provide a venue for creating lesson plans and study units that can help integrate technology into the K-12 music curriculum. Participants should be familiar with most of the common applications of music technology including music notation software, MIDI sequencing, the Internet, and electronic keyboards. Participants are encouraged to bring copies of their music curriculum and any other materials that may be helpful in creating lessons and activities using technology. The course will be taught in a hands-on environment. This course is designed for the teacher who has experience using technology as the goal is to apply the use of technology in the instructional setting. This course will not teach how to use software. Maximum of 1 person per computer station, maximum 16 students. This course fulfills 1/3 of the requirements for TI:ME Level Two certification.
PREREQUISITE: TI:ME Level One certification or equivalent experience.

This is my first entry on my new blog.  I hope to use this blog to update people about my music and post interesting music technology tidbits.