Posted by jamesfrankel on 29th March 2008
I just arrived home after spending the last few days at the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Conference in Boston, MA. I always love going to the MMEA show, and this year I had the pleasure of presenting three sessions on Thursday: The Music Educators Guide to Copyright Law, Podcasting in the Music Classroom, and Connecting With The MySpace Generation. All of the PowerPoint presentations of my sessions are located at: www.soundtree.com/mmea08 and podcasts of two of the three sessions are located at: http://fams.podomatic.com.
In addition to the sessions I presented, this year I was at MMEA as the Managing Director of SoundTree along with Jason Panucci. SoundTree had a booth at the show where I met many teachers from Massachusetts. We also sponsored sessions by the amazing Tom Rudolph. His sessions are always highly engaging and SoundTree is thrilled to have him aboard. Hats off to Mike Moniz for all of his work as the Technology Coordinator of the conference. He always does a wonderful job. I look forward to presenting and exhibiting for many years to come.
Posted in Upcoming Events | 3 Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 25th March 2008
For the past few weeks I have been working with one of my former TC students, Capt. David Paroby, on a really innovative event. Capt. Paroby is the Director of the US Army Ceremonial Band and he has come up with a fantastic idea that incorporates technology and traditional band music. Here is the invitation:
You are cordially invited to attend a free concert given by the United States Army Ceremonial Band. On Thursday, March 27th the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band will present a concert entitled “Music Meets Hi-Tech.” This event will take place at Brucker Hall in Fort Myer, Virginia at 7:30 PM.
The concert will be also available via live Webcast at the following URL: http://rastaban.ite.gmu.edu/usarmyband
(URL will be active 30 minutes prior to the concert). In the meantime, visit www.soundtree.com/usarmy for a podcast about the concert. Immediately following the concert, audience members will be encouraged to blog about their reactions to the concert at: http://soundtree.musiced.net.
I would encourage you to pass the concert info on to your students so that they can participate in the event. It is very unique and I am thrilled that SoundTree is supporting this effort.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Upcoming Events | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 18th March 2008
Music Tax Solves Illegal Downloading Problem?
In an ongoing effort to solve the illegal music downloading problem, the RIAA seems to be open to the idea of a flat tax on all ISP users of $5.00 per month. This tax would then permit the user to download as much music as they want, for free, legally. This idea has been milling about for some time now. One of my favorite books, The Future of Music, advocated a similar plan with a $1 per month tax on cell phone users. The EFF also proposed a similar plan four years ago.
In a recent post on TechDirt.com, post author Mike Masnick brings up three points arguing against the proposed plan as treating everyone like a criminal. I, for example, have yet to download music illegally. I purchase all of my music on CD through Amazon.com or on the iTunes Music Store. Would I have to pay the $5 surcharge? If the tax were optional, I am sure that this proposal might have some legs, but it looks as though the RIAA wants the charge to be universal. I know that my parents wouldn’t use the service. Why should they pay? What would happen to iTunes and other legal downloading services? Masnick also argues that this model isn’t really necessary any more because artists have already come up with new business models for distributing their music (ala Radiohead, Dave Douglas, Charlie Hunter). Finally, Masnick points out that this would be a governmental intervention into a business problem taht could have been solved years ago. I tend to agree.
What do you think? Would you pay $5 per month - even if it was mandatory? Why do you think the RIAA is considering this business model? Is it too little, too late?
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Copyright | 3 Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 16th March 2008
In an effort to promote a bit more discourse on my blog, I have posted the following question that I believe should generate quite a few comments: Which notation program do you prefer: Sibelius or Finale and why? I will remain neutral on this one. The point of this entry is to investigate why people prefer one program over the other to see if any themes emerge. So…it’s your turn! Please take a moment to post your opinion on this question, or post a reaction to something that has already been posted. I look forward to hearing from you!
Posted in Reflections, Music Technology | 13 Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 13th March 2008
Two great TI:ME events are happening on the same day! On Saturday April 5th, in addition to the TI:ME PA event the TI:ME Ohio State Chapter is hosting a fantastic workshop titled: Working With Media For Your Classroom: A Hands-On Workshop. This event is sure to be a very good way for teachers who are interested in utilizing technology in their classrooms, including how to use audio, photos, video, and an introduction to podcasting. Presenters include Jay Dorfman from Kent State University, Dorothy Bryant from Ohio University, and Tom Jordan from Northern Kentucky University. The workshop is being held at Ohio University in Athens, OH from 9:00am - 4:00pm, and is being co-sponsored by TI:ME and SoundTree. The workshop registration fee is only $25.
I strongly urge you to sign up today at the TI:ME Ohio State Chapter website. TI:ME Ohio is one of the most active state chapters, and the expertise being offered will surely make for a very worthwhile event!
Posted in Upcoming Events | 1 Comment »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 12th March 2008
I am pleased to announce that the TI:ME PA State Chapter, under the incredible leadership of Beth Sokolowski, will be hosting a full day Technology Conference on Saturday, April 5th 2008 at West Chester University in West Chester, PA. The conference runs from 9:00am to 4:00pm and includes sessions by some wonderful technology presenters, including Amy Burns, Mike Fein, Marc Jacoby, Dave Marra, Hank Wajda, and Tom Rudolph. I will be giving the Keynote Address fro the conference. The address is titled “New Trends in Music Technology: Where Are We Going?” at 9:00am. I am really excited about this event. I urge everyone who lives within an hour or two of West Chester to plan on attending. Registration is $25 for TI:ME members and $30 for non-TI:ME members. The fee also covers the cost of lunch!
For more information about the conference, including a schedule of events, the flyer, and registration information, click on the links that I have provided below.
I hope to see you there!
Conference Flyer: patime-flyer-master.pdf
Schedule of Events: patime08.pdf
Registration Form: registration-form.pdf
Posted in Upcoming Events | 1 Comment »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 6th March 2008
During my visit to Berklee College of Music yesterday, I was shown an amazing online resource that I believe is the only one of it’s kind. The Stan Getz Library is an online searchable database that allows you to enter any jazz musicians name and see all of the recordings they made not only as a leader, but all of the recordings that they played on as a sideman as well. If you enter “Paul Motian” for example, you get to a page with 73 listings. Each listing includes a click through to a full page about the album, including all of the standard record catalog listings, as well as all of the musicians that played on the recording (with each name being clickable once again to see all of the recordings they played on). I am a huge jazz fan, and have always loved the incredible network of musicians - each playing on so many other records. This community atmosphere has always been very interesting to me, especially when compared to the clan-like atmosphere in rock.
I strongly recommend checking out the catalog yourself. It is a great tool for jazz educators who are interested in both the history of jazz and finding great recordings to play for their students. Thank you Berklee!
Posted in Jazz Links, Music Technology Links, Website Reviews | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 5th March 2008
Today I am up at Berklee College of Music, where David Mash gave me a wonderful tour of the facilities. Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of technology that is available to the students (each student receives a MacBook Pro when the enter the college), and the incredible equipment for use in recording, film scoring, music synthesis, and more.
Before heading out to dinner, I had a few moments to do something I don’t have much time for anymore - playing with gear. I have been carrying my Korg Kaossilator around for the past two months and I love it. Recently, I added the Korg miniKP (Kaoss Pad) and linked the two devices together. The interface for the miniKP is very similar to the Kaossilator - in fact at first glance, the color is the only difference. When hooked up in tandem, I use one finger to create music with th Kaossilator, and the other to effect the music using the miniKP. It is quite a bit of fun, and the results can easily be recorded using the Line In input on any computer. I decided to post a recording that I made with the two devices on my podcasting site. Let me know what you think.
Until next time…I’ll be playing with my Kaossilator and miniKP!!
Posted in Gear Review | 2 Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel on 4th March 2008
Sampling
My brother Mark sent me a fantastic video that sums up copyright law and sampling in an easy to understand presentation. When you log on to Nate Harrison’s site, click on “Can I Get An Amen?” from 2004. You will then need to click on “Listen to Project”. The artist beautifully illustrates how the most sampled drum loop in history has been effected by the people who used the sample, as well as how copyright law protects it (or doesn’t). I strongly urge you to check out the video and share it with as many people as you can - especially students. Harrison raises some very interesting points throughout. Thanks Mark for sending me the link!
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Copyright | 3 Comments »
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