I recently found an incredible video on YouTube showing a fantastic new instrument called The Reactable. This multi-user instrument allows users to touch a table top and effect different sounds, and so much more. Here is what I found on their site:

Several simultaneous performers share complete control over the instrument by moving physical objects on a luminous table surface. By moving and relating these objects, representing components of a classic modular synthesizer, users can create complex and dynamic sonic topologies, with generators, filters and modulators, in a kind of tangible modular synthesizer or graspable flow-controlled programming language.

This instrument is being developed by a team of digital luthiers (Sergi Jordà, Martin Kaltenbrunner, Günter Geiger and Marcos Alonso), at the Music Technology Group within the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.

More information:
http://mtg.upf.edu/reactable

I was absolutely amazed by what I saw in this video. I think that this might just be a way for anyone to make music. What do you think the implications are for music education? Do you think that a device like this could be put into a classroom and be used as a center? Is it a novelty, or does it have potential?

I welcome your comments and questions.

I am thrilled to introduce an invaluable new resource to anyone who teaches with technology at the elementary school level. Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom written and edited by Amy M. Burns, is a collection of over 50 lesson plans that focus on younger students. Amy M. Burns, a fellow New Jersey educator from Far Hills Country Day School, was the first ever TI:ME Teacher of the Year. She is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences, and is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the TI:ME NJ State Chapter, the chair of the TI:ME Grants Committee, as well as a member of the TI:ME Board of Directors.

Published by Hal Leonard and presented by TI:ME, this exciting new resource is filled with comprehensive lessons complete with clear objectives, required materials, links to standards, detailed procedures, and a wonderful evaluation rubric. In addition to the many lesson plans contributed by Amy, there are lessons from twenty other fabulous teachers. As an added resource, TI:ME has set up a website that has downloadable PDFs of all of the handouts, audio files, notation files, PowerPoints, and more that are associated with each lesson. The book was just released by Hal Leonard at the NAMM Show last week, and will soon be available on the SoundTree website, as well as other online outlets. At the low price of $19.95, this book is sure to be a best seller among music educators.

Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom is a long overdue resource for any teacher who is interested in integrating technology into their elementary music curriculum, or the perfect book for those who have been using technology for awhile and are looking for fresh new teaching ideas. I strongly recommend picking this book up today! Well done Amy!

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Today I leave for the 2008 TI:ME National Conference being held in conjunction with the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, MI.  As the SoundTree Managing Director I will be overseeing the SoundTree Hands-On Tech Lab and presenting numerous sessions on a wide variety of topics.  Podcasts from my sessions will be available soon on my podcasting site and all of the session materials will be available on my home page.

If you have never attended a TI:ME Conference, you really should get in your car (or hop on an airplane) and get yourself out there.  The list of presenters reads like a Who’s Who of music technology and this year there are a number of special 3-hour courses that are being run to provide an in-depth view of software like Sibelius, Finale, and more.

Hope to see you there!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that my posts have slowed considerably since I took the helm of SoundTree. It is difficult to run one of the most successful music technology companies and still find time to blog.  In case you’re wondering, I am thoroughly enjoying my new position, and as of yet I don’t miss being the classroom everyday.  I do, however, miss blogging every day, and I will try to find some more to do so in the coming weeks.

I just returned from a week out at the NAMM Show. It was my first time, and I must admit, I was totally blown away by the size of the show and the excitement that surrounds it. Over 88,000 musicians, dealers, manufacturers, and retailers came together under one roof to showcase all of the new products that will be hitting the market this year. Personal favorites include the incredible Kaossilator from Korg, the KeyStudio 49i from M-Audio - soon to be released, AudioCubes from Percussa, and the incredible Voyager from Moog.

It seemed that everywhere I turned throughout the show I saw a rock star. As someone who just left the classroom, it was a completely bizarre experience to be working out in Anaheim, bumping into people like Stevie Wonder, hearing incredible music, and playing incredible keyboards. A dream come true.

Wednesday I will be heading out to the TI:ME National Conference in Grand Rapids, MI being held in conjunction with the Michigan Music Conference. I will be sure to report back on the many incredible sessions that are always scheduled at a TI:ME event. Hope to see you there!

Today I had the pleasure of meeting the author of one of the best music technology blogs, www.mustech.net, at the FMEA 2008 Conference.  Joseph Pisano is a dedicated blogger and his site is absolutely terrific and it was great to finally meet a fellow blogger who I’ve had many interactions with online.

Joseph is starting a campaign to get 100 music educators blogging by January of 2009.  I urge you to check out his post about this campaign and consider starting your own blog today.  I find blogging to be quite therapeutic and it helps me reflect on what I’m actually doing in my classroom (or the music technology industry now).   I think that you will too.

Let’s help out with this campaign - share your ideas and thoughts with others - start blogging today!

Today I am in Tampa, FL for the FMEA 2008 Conference, where I will be presenting five sessions over the next three days. This past April Janice Lancaster, who is the Technology Coordinator for the conference, asked me to come to FMEA to be the lead technology presenter, presenting quite a few sessions on music technology integration in the classroom.  Obviously I was thrilled by the offer, especially since I was so impressed with the FMEA/TI:ME Conference in 2006.  This conference also marks my first as the Managing Director of SoundTree.  Together with Jody Underwood, the Southern Accounts Manager for SoundTree, I am looking forward to a great conference.

For all of my conference materials, visit my homepage where you will find the PowerPoint presentations that I’ll be sharing.

I welcome your comments and suggestion, and if you’re in FL, please stop by Room 5 at the Marriott Waterside to say hello!

TI:ME members who subscribe to the TI:ME newsgroup received a posting yesterday from Matthew Hill that highlighted a number of recent news stories about SmartMusic - the fantastic accompaniment software title from the makers of Finale.  The Boston Globe, NPR and the CBS Early Show all featured SmartMusic and the music teachers who utilize it in their programs.  It’s great to see music technology in the press, especially such a fantastic product.  Thanks Matt for posting!

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Today marks my first day on the job as the new Managing Director of SoundTree.  As you know I am really excited about this new position and look forward to leading a company on the cutting edge of music technology in education.  As a long time customer and clinician of/for SoundTree, I know what music educators need from a technology company and it is my intention to utilize this knowledge to improve and enhance the incredible work that our team has been doing for over a decade.  If you are a SoundTree customer, I’d love to hear from you.  My new email address at SoundTree is jimf@soundtree.com.

Last year, I posted my New Year’s Resolutions on this blog in hopes that it might help me keep some of them.   While I was able to keep 5 of the 10 resolutions,  I’m not pleased with my overall follow through.  How did you do with yours?   2008 will be a vastly different year for me, as I begin my new position as Managing Director of SoundTree on Thursday.  There will be new skills to learn, many new people to meet, new challenges to face (including commuting on the Long Island Expressway), and tons of traveling.  I must admit that I am a little concerned on what all of this will mean for my family, but I am strongly committed to finding a balance between giving 110% to my new position and giving 110% to being a father and husband.  It won’t be easy, but anything worth doing rarely is.

Here is my list of 10 Resolutions for 2008:

1. The computer and cell phone stays off during family time.
2. Be the best Managing Director of SoundTree that I can be.
3. Spend more time with my family.
4. Create new and exciting opportunities for music educators to utilize technology in their classrooms.
5. Exercise - a little.
6. Explore ways to incorporate alternative music ensembles into a school music program.
7. Get my Copyright Book for TI:ME finished.
8. Read as many business books as possible.
9. Stress less.
10. Lose the holiday weight.

I wish and your family a prosperous, healthy, and Happy 2008!