Music Is Not for Insects

Many of you know that I am a big fan of Indaba Music and have been creating some some real meaningful projects for my students using their engaging on-line contests with real-world musicians. They are hosting another contest in conjunction with a new PBS documentary set to air this June about the science and culture of music. The following is a letter to the parents of my students explaining this contest and how I will incorporate this project in my classroom. I hope you will consider this unique opportunity for your music students. I will follow up with some resources in future posts…

Dear Parents of Piano Students with Mr. Pendergrass in Periods 2 & 7:

THE POWER OF COMPUTERS AND MAKING MUSIC-

We have been using Garageband and the Mac Mini computers in my classroom to create some wonderful music projects. Up until a few years ago, you needed access to a recording studio with thousands of dollars of expensive equipment to even start the kinds of multi-track recordings your students are creating.

THE POWER OF THE INTERNET-

Because of the vast connectivity of the internet, we are able to create and share music with others on a global scale. Up until just a few years ago, you needed a vast network of producers, insiders, managers and other people to get music heard by a global, let alone a national audience. Thanks to Indaba Music (www.indabamusic.com) we are able to share our music with others using their on-line music service.

INDABA MUSIC COMMUNITY- IN THEIR OWN WORDS-

“Indaba Music is an international community of musicians, music professionals, and fans exploring the creative possibilities of making music with people in different places. It makes finding other people, and working on recording, mixing, or mastering projects easier. For fans, Indaba provides unprecedented access to artists and to the creative process.”

A CONTEST AND COLLABORATION WITH PBS & INDABA MUSIC

AND

As a class, we are entering a contest hosted by PBS in partnership with Indaba Music. The Music Instinct: Science & Song is a new PBS program (airing June 24, 2009) that offers a new understanding of the power of music. In preparation for this ground breaking documentary, PBS has invited anyone to record an original composition using sound effects found in different natural and urban environments from around the world.

Students will be able choose from over 207 sound clips that they can access on the computer from Indaba’s web-site.

In accordance with contest rules, each student will combine a minimum of four sound clips from the PBS sound clip library using Garageband to create original contest entries. We will then upload these entries to the Indaba Music web-site as entries in this unique sound contest.

The winner will receive an iPod loaded with 200 additional sound effects, and a free online music course through Berklee College of Music vauled at $1,000. The top five will be featured on a Music Instinct album to be distributed on PBS.org and eMusic.com. The top ten, as voted by the Indaba community and the public, will receive a data DVD with 200 additional sound samples.

PARENT PERMISSION TO ENTER THE CONTEST

With your permission I want to upload your student’s entry to the Indaba Music web-site. Each student will have an account created using a special Gmail email-account I have created for this project:

• Only the student’s first name and first initial of their last name will be displayed on the Indaba Music website.

• No other personal information will be shared.

• All emails will be handled via the Gmail account I have set up and come directly to me (no spam for you or your student…)

• Once their entry is on-line, other students from my class, members of the Indaba Music community, and YOU will be able to listen to each project and vote for their favorite submission.

The deadline to enter the contest is May 4th, 2009, but I would like to upload our entries by May 1st.

You can find all the details about this contest on-line at http://www.indabamusic.com/contests/show/pbs_musicinstinct

Feel free to email me if you have any questions. This is a great opportunity for our student’s to share their projects in a 21^st century learning environment.

-Ken Pendergrass

More Information from Indaba below-

Indaba Music contest: http://www.indabamusic.com/contests/show/pbs_musicinstinct
PBS  press release: http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom/release.php?get=3264

About the documentary:
Music Instinct: Science and Song provides a ground-breaking exploration into how and why the human organism—and the whole ebb and flow of the cosmos—is moved by the undeniable effect of music.

This three-part series follows visionary researchers and accomplished musicians to the crossroads of science and culture in search of answers to music’s deep mysteries.

Indaba Music Contest
The Music Instinct: Science and Song, premiering Wednesday, June 24 at 9:00pm (check local listings), is a ground-breaking program that offers viewers a new understanding of the power of music. Music is found all over the natural world and in everyday life experiences. The documentary follows visionary researchers and accomplished musicians, such as Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo Ma, Jarvis Cocker, Evelyn Glennie, and Daniel Barenboim, to the crossroads of science and culture in search of answers to music’s deep and abiding mysteries.
This is a rare opportunity to interact with an exceptionally creative and well-produced program from a respected organization months before its launch. PBS, Thirteen, and the producers of The Music Instinct invite you to interact with this yet-to-be-released program and create your own dynamic musical language from sound effects found in different natural and urban environments around the world.

To help you explore this world of sound, PBS and Thirteen are providing you with 207 sounds from their own library, each recorded in pristine quality. To qualify for the contest, you must use a minimum of four of the sounds provided (although we encourage you to use more). While original recorded melodies or other material can be used in generating a composition for the contest, all compositions will be judged on the originality and expressiveness of the rhythmic and harmonic use of the sound clips provided.

I have been using GarageBand on a regular basis in my general music classroom with 4th and 5th grade students for several months now and have found it to be more than just a “fun” program for creating clever songs using loops and jingles.
This will be the first of several posts devoted to my use of GarageBand in the classroom. Some may be in the form of tips where I pose a problem and solution. Others may be more detailed lessons.
This first post is a tip: How to Burn a CD direct from GarageBand without using share to iTunes

PROBLEM: You have some extended audio you want to quickly burn to CD. You use GarageBand to record your project to a single audio track. You can easily share your project to iTunes using share>send to iTunes>create a playlist in iTunes>burn playlist to disc. But you want to break up your lengthy GarageBand track into several tracks on a CD for easy indexing and location by the listener later on with their CD player…you can’t do this when you share your tracks direct to iTunes.

SOLUTION: In the latest version of GarageBand 08, you can use a Podcast track to create markers that will act as tracks when you choose “Burn Song to CD” from the share menu. From the GarageBand help menu: “If a project contains chapter markers and the podcast or movie track is visible when you burn the project to a CD, the chapter markers are used to define the tracks on the CD.” Check out my screencast below: (NOTE: I was not inhaling helium when I created the screencast even though my voice sounds like Alvin…this is a wonky feature of the free screencast-o-matic online software I was using to create this tutorial.)

Related Posts:

“Not that loop again, and again…”: Using Garageband responsibly to create music for your digital projects.

Garageband Tip: Musical Typing

Thanks to Hans Feldmeier and his post at etwinning e-digiskills blog for turning me onto Screencast-O-Matic so I could show you this cool tip in Garageband. The audio makes me sound like I have a lisp, and the video is a little wonky, but it’s a decent on-line screencast tool in a pinch: