Autism Miracle

 This video is very moving! Carly is an autistic child who has discovered her voice with the help of technology. She spent majority of her young life trapped inside her own body until one day she typed "hurt" and "help". Since then, Carly has opened up to her family and the world with the use of her laptop. She communicates eloquently via e-mail, chatrooms, and blogs. This makes me wonder how many others out there may be just as bright and only need some technological assistance to show their intelligence; a new Mozart using Finale in the future perhaps?!

MIDI Classroom Set-Ups

Greetings! This week has focused solely on MIDI and its ins and outs; pun intended :-).  It is not a simple task to understand all the jargon thrown around by techies and at times you just want to toss your hands in the air and say "just let me play around with it." Well, in my opinion that is one of the best ways to learn.
Teachers should utilize a MIDI set-up of some sort in their classroom. Even if it is just one synth going to a sequencer, it is a valuable tool for students to at least see being used. I have included below a few simple articles that discusses classroom set-ups for MIDI devices and also a short video of an everyday person explaining MIDI and its functionality. I hope this helps any confusion that still may be out there and don't be afraid to push a button or turn a knob; you can always reset the default settings.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5331488_set-up-general-music-classroom.html 
http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/composer/classroom/midistudio.htm
http://www.schools.ash.org.au/ealthelp/midi.htm
http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_4956238_setting-up-midi-connections-daisy.html (video)

Choir and Internet

I try to stay on top of music technology and intellectual music as often as possible. I have completely overlooked this fantastic concept of Eric Whitacre's virtual choir. In the link there is a quick article from the Technology in the Arts webpage and it discusses how Whitacre called out to the world for online submissions to create a virtual choir. He has seen success in his efforts and is continuing to make more videos which I am hoping to be part of the next one. I absolutely love his music and if you are unfamiliar with it I will give you a few links to enjoy.
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine
Cloudburst 
Sleep

There is also instrumental music that is performing virtual symphonies; such as the Youtube Symphony.

Life without music would Bb. Now passing the cheesy music joke, it is very true. If you read through the comments and see the faces of the participants in the videos, it is amazing just how much life is in the eyes of the people involved.

Charles Limb: Your brain on improv

Scientist Charles Limb wondered how the brain works during musical improvisation. He studied jazz musicians and rappers and discovered that there are strong implications for our understanding of creativity. This is a very intriguing and fascinating study; please take the time to really let this video sink in.

Her Dr. Said she would never sing again

This is a story of medical amazement where operatic soprano Charity Tillemann-Dick tells her experience of surviving a double lung transplant and her spirit of happiness which was fueled by her will to sing.

37 cello parts, 1 man, and A LOT of time

Ethan Winer spent hundreds of hours working on this video. He is playing 37 separate parts including the percussion on his cello. The graphics are a little cheesy and the piece does get a bit repetitive, however, I truly appreciate the time and effort Mr. Winer put into his song.  

Click on the image to begin playing the video.

Wii Music

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29127548/ns/technology_and_science-games/

This is a dated article but it discusses how teachers are incorporating technology programs that are user friendly to anyone of nearly any age. It gives opinions and practice methods of teachers who use Wii Music to aid in their classrooms.