Monday, 25 February 2013

Using technology to make music

One big regret that I have is that I never learned to play an instrument. As much as I would like to think being able to play seven chords on a guitar counts, the reality is that it doesn't :(

Likewise reading notes or understanding the structure of music. I love music, but just on an emotional level rather than having an understanding of technical competence.

So when I saw 5HT examining the structure of songs, making comment on why a piece of music 'worked' or not, talking about verse, chorus and bridge, as well as the numerical value of the beat, all with a view to composing their own songs, I was pretty impressed!

What's more is that they were using GarageBand to compose some pretty sophisticated stuff!

In spite of my comments above, Gethyn and I will be presenting at a music conference in October. (MusicAlive Asia)
Our working title is 'Music is a currency of social change.' We will be looking at the way music influences thought, opinion and social movement.

Additionally, we will be looking at how musicians use social media to get their message out, as well as developments such as GarageBand that make music accessible to everyone.

It is an exciting project, a work in progress at the moment, and a perfect opportunity to share the great work going on at Bradbury, as well as make a contribution to the wider educational community.

1 comment:

  1. I agree with you Sandra. Realising later in life that you've let a major opportunity slip, like learning an instrument, is a major regret. Trying to learn when you're older is never the same, and you can never quite master the art of improvisation the same as when you're a child. IMO, parents should really work hard to motivate children to learn an instrument at an early age.