A few weeks ago I mentioned that the Detroit Symphony Orchestra would be conducted by a robot named Asimo on an upcoming concert. Asimo, a Honda spokes”robot” conducted “The Impossible Dream” as a part of a multi-million dollar sponsorship from Honda. Well, he did it - and he wasn’t half bad.

A video posted on YouTube shows the entire event. I have to admit that it was truly eerie to watch this robot walk on stage, interact with the audience and the orchestra, and then start conducting. It is truly strange to see a robot “alive”. It will never get old to me. Once he began conducting the initial reaction by the audience seems to be a slight chuckle. Soon thereafter you forget that this thing is a robot. It actually portrays emotion while conducting and it does a really nice job of conveying tempo and even cues for the musicians. Whoever programmed Asimo did a wonderful job. Will it ever replace a live human? Of course not. But it is a wonderful display of technology (and the fact that orchestras must go through publicity stunts like this to remain in business).

I urge you to share this video with your students and get their reaction. What do they think about it? I’d love to hear from you.

A few years ago I was interviewed for an article written by Scott Watson in Music Education Technology Magazine that asked music educators what three pieces of technology would they choose to have if they were stranded on a desert island. My answers at the time were: the Korg GEC3 Group Education Controller, GarageBand, and Sibelius. There were two other teachers interviewed, and I find reading the article very interesting. Different teachers gravitate to different technologies - none of us had the same response. I recommend reading the article to see how educators use technology in their music programs.

Now that I am officially out of the classroom, my choices have changed a bit. My top three technology choices now are: the MicroTrack II from M-Audio, my Korg microKONTROL, and my Korg Kaossilator (surprise, surprise). The MicroTrack II is the most convenient hand-held MP3 recorder, and I literally have it with me at all times. Whenever I am presenting a session, or want to record audio, I pull the MicroTrack II out of my bag and press record. It is literally that easy. My other two choices may seem skewed (as Korg is my employer) but I have had my micrKONTROL for five years and many who know me usually see me with it slung over my shoulder. It is the perfect USB controller - 16 pads, a great control surface, and 37 mini keys. Portable and powerful, it is always on my desk or in my bag. Finally, it should come as no surprise that the Kaossilator rounds out my top three. I have never had so much fun with a piece of gear before. Everyone that I show it to does not want to give it back. Sibelius and GarageBand still are at the top of my list, but since leaving th classroom, I have been using them a little bit less. Reason 4.0, the Blue Snowball USB microphone, and ProTools would round out my top 8 picks.

So now it is your turn. What would you take with you to a desert island? You have to choose only 3 things (I know it is difficult). I’d love to get a big response on this so please pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

I read on Wired.com today about a very interesting upcoming event in Detroit, MI. The story is about how Asimo, one of the most well known robots (which is made by Honda), will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on an upcoming concert. The concert is more of a kick-off commercial for a long-term partnership between the orchestra and the car manufacturer who has donated $1 million dollars to the “Power of Dreams” education fund.

Honda will film the event, which takes place on Tuesday, May 13th. Attendees will include students from the Detroit School of the Arts. When the film is posted on their site, I will post a link to it here.

So what do you think? Shameless commercial? Interesting idea? Can a robot actually conduct a professional orchestra? What genius is programming it? Will the musicians actually follow it? Is this good for classical music? Has the Detroit Symphony “jumped the shark”? I’d love to hear from you.

I came across an interesting post on Miikka Salvuo’s blog today referencing a video that was created in 1967 about the future of education. It is amazing how accurate the futurists’ predictions were. I urge you to check out the video for yourself and see what you think. While the version of the Internet is certainly archaic in retrospect, who could have imagined in 1967 that education today would rely so heavily on it. I also like the X/Y buttons/standardized assessment portrayal as well (how true is that in today’s education?).

Show the video to your students, see what they think. Have a conversation about the types of differentiated instruction they prefer. Ask them if they would ever want to learn two days a week in the comfort of their own home? Their immediate response might be “YES!” but I believe it would be interesting to dig a little deeper with them. List the pros and cons. Does it look like James is having fun learning? Is that important? How can this be related to music education? Can it?

I welcome your comments and questions.

I justed posted a podcast containing two compositions that we recorded yesterday with the Kaossilator Orkestra at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

The structure of the first piece is based on Morse Code. After giving the students a drum loop, they spelled words using the Kaossilator from Korg. This is the third time we have rehearsed together as a group and I am finding that having a system like Morse Code (giving the students a tactile direction) is more successful than some of the other pieces that I have written out for them.

The second piece is based on Braille. We chose the word “Rainbow” because there were 7 students yesterday. Each student was assigned a letter from the word and then given direction on how to create each letter using Braille.

I was very pleased with the results as the pieces are more controlled than some of the ones we tried in earlier rehearsals. The concept of the Kaossilator Orkestra is becoming clearer as we move forward. Personally, I am thrilled by the possibilities for this type of group in the school setting. What do you think? Could you see an ensemble like this in your school?

Before reading any further, if you haven’t already seen the video, take a moment and watch a great video on YouTube called iBand. They have a few other videos as well that you might be interested in.

What do you think?

I believe that this is another example of how music is changing and how it is the students that we teach that will reshape the way music educators approach performance ensembles in the future. That might seem like a bold statement, but I am a firm believer that the technology shown in the video makes music making very inviting for students. While the tune might not be the best composition ever created, it shows how innovative kids can be. Take two iPhones and a Nintendo DS and Voila! you’ve got a band. Instead of fearing that traditional performing ensembles will die because of technology (a huge over reaction) I believe that music educators have an opportunity to bring performance experiences to many more students than those who are currently a member of a performing ensemble at school. Ask yourself how many students (what percentage) in your school are members of the band, chorus, or orchestra? 10%? 20%? 30%? Even the best music programs in America would be fortunate to have more than a 50% participation rate? What about the vast amount of students who will never have an opportunity to perform? Sure, you might have a Battle of the Bands once a year to showcase some of the millions of kids who play guitar, bass, drums or keyboard. I’ll bet that many of the students who are not performers at school are closet performers at home, using the same technology that the iBand uses. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have every student performing? Do you think that technology could make that happen? Websites that offer free software downloads that contain music making opportunities level the playing field in terms of socioeconomic status. Are the iBand members musical even if they are not playing “instruments”?

I’d love to hear from you and your students. Perhaps you could show the students the video and get their reactions. Have them post their comments here! Are you an iBand fan?

Today I am in Milwaukee, WI at the MENC National Conference. It is always great to see so many of my friends at this conference, and catch up in all that has happened since the last conference. Yesterday, however, there was a buzz about two things: the new MENC website - completely redesigned, and - unbelievably to me - the announcement that the 2010 Conference in Kansas City has been canceled - meaning this is the last MENC National Conference for the forseeable future! I find this fact very hard to believe. I have been attending this conference for nearly 20 years and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the networking and learning through the various sessions and performances that have taken place. I have presented numerous times at this conference, and always felt that it was one of the premiere events at which to do so. I am sad to see it go.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times in education - so many conferences, so little money for professional development, no paid release time - that has brought MENC to this situation. I have been to many other conferences however that are vibrant and brimming with teachers (Midwest Clinic, TMEA, FMEA). My hope is that MENC finds a better way to address the needs of their membership - perhaps through lobbying efforts in Washington DC, or harnessing the success that these other organizations have had. Educators are professionals, and our national organization should be there to support them.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Today I post to my blog for the 300th time. To me, this is another milestone in my blogging thus far, and so much has changed since I wrote my 200th post back in August. For those of you who have been reading my blog for some time now (I started back in September of 2006) you may have noticed that my posts have slowed a bit. I admit that it has been far more difficult to keep up the pace that I used to have (5 posts a week). My new position at SoundTree is quite demanding, and the little free time that I do have is spent catching up on other projects. Currently, I am editing a major textbook on technology, finally writing my copyright book (the manuscript is due in August), and finishing work on a podcasting guide due out in May. Whew!

One thing that I am very pleased about is that comments have been coming in at a much higher frequency than they have in the past. Also, Joe Pisano’s 100 ME Bloggers Campaign has been really successful at recruiting more music educators into the blogosphere. If you have ever considered blogging, I urge you to start today. I have found that blogging is quite therapeutic and the discourse between fellow music educators has always been exciting to me.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment over the past 18 months. Every blogger knows that it is comments (more importantly the discourse that comments foster) that drives us. Please keep them coming, and start your own blog today!

See you at the 400th post!

I had the distinct pleasure yesterday of presenting the Keynote Address at the very first TI:ME PA State Chapter Conference at West Chester University. Chapter President Beth Sokolowski along with the Conference Steering Committee did an outstanding job of organizing the event. There were many different sessions offered by some of Pennsylvania’s finest music educators, including Tom Rudolph, Hank Wajda, Mike Fein, and Beth Sokolowski. Dave Marra from Apple presented the iLife ‘08 Suite, and the new TI:ME President, Amy Burns, was there presenting her work with technology and younger students. The event was capped off with a great performance by the West Chester University Laptop Orchestra. The new music building at West Chester is stunning, and amazingly, it is in the shape of a grand piano. Dr. Marc Jaboby was fantastic host.

If you missed it this year, I strongly advise that you try to make it to the PMEA Conference in two weeks where the TI:ME PA State Chapter is presenting a Technology Playground, or if you can’t make it to that, look for next year’s conference and mark it on your calendar!

One of New Jersey’s own (and the new President-Elect of TI:ME) is featured in an article in today’s edition of the Courier News. Hats off to Amy Burns for her continued success and this newest honor!

To read the article, click HERE.