I think I am almost done with all the assignments for this class. Although the session went very quick, I feel like I have learned a lot. The technologies we've learned in this class help us create or enrich our artistic ideas. I am not very good at painting and drawing but now I can put what is in my mind ito a picture; I am also able to make a demo clip for the artists or composers to show my idea using Audacity, while I had to sing and verbally describe the idea, which was very hard.
I enjoyed looking at websites created by other students in this class. We were told to do the same assignment and used the same tools but the outcome is quite different. I have to admit that technology does help our artistic production but it is our idea itself that make the difference.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Mobile Phones in Class
In class, we talked about pro & con about letting stdents have mobile phones in class.
Dr. Gilbert said it is the generation gap that adults don't feel like having mobile phones in class is a good thing; there are great amount of potential in utilising the devices.
I think that is true. However, we teachers have to be more creative or attractive than before, to get attention of those children who are very good at multi-tasking.
We also talked about how text messages are different from orally conveying the same message to each other. If children have a verbal fight using text messages via phone, the words can be more powerful and harmful than they mean to. I think the situation is very difficult for teachers since they can't hear or watch whats happening among stuents in trouble.
Dr. Gilbert said it is the generation gap that adults don't feel like having mobile phones in class is a good thing; there are great amount of potential in utilising the devices.
I think that is true. However, we teachers have to be more creative or attractive than before, to get attention of those children who are very good at multi-tasking.
We also talked about how text messages are different from orally conveying the same message to each other. If children have a verbal fight using text messages via phone, the words can be more powerful and harmful than they mean to. I think the situation is very difficult for teachers since they can't hear or watch whats happening among stuents in trouble.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Group Presentation
Literacy education is a new subject for me but thanks to my group members, Natalie and Susan, I am now gettig interested in the subject. We are making a website which teachers and children can use to enjoy Aesop's fables while relating to performing arts, especially music, dance ad acting.
Today, we made a movie of us actually playing out the stories. It was really fun at the same time inspiring to me; Natalie was so good in coming up with acting ideas that are suitable for children, and Susan was very talented in improvising the action and the dance.
In the process of getting this assignment done, I am finding out two things; 1) technologies we've been learning throughout this course do enrich the content of the project we are doing, and 2) performing arts do help children learning.
When I created the website of "The Lion and the Mouse," I first recorded myself reading the story, using Audacity. Then, I found gif files to go with the story online and put them along with the text on the web site, using tables. I also searched online for the sound effects that will attract children and enhance their understanding of the story. This was the fun part because now that I can utilize the Audacity, I was able to put some sound source together and apply some effects to make the sound I wanted. I am not a good drawer nor a good performer, but still, using online source and technologies, I am able to become creative.
Research in acting and the literacy is another responsibility for me. I was worried at first because I have little background in studying education, but as I went into the research, I found many things easy to relate to myself. I now recall that acting out played a big role in studying, or "experiencing " English. Well, I am still learning English as the second language, so , acting out to make the movie file and recording myself reading the story helped my Englih skills, I think.
Today, we made a movie of us actually playing out the stories. It was really fun at the same time inspiring to me; Natalie was so good in coming up with acting ideas that are suitable for children, and Susan was very talented in improvising the action and the dance.
In the process of getting this assignment done, I am finding out two things; 1) technologies we've been learning throughout this course do enrich the content of the project we are doing, and 2) performing arts do help children learning.
When I created the website of "The Lion and the Mouse," I first recorded myself reading the story, using Audacity. Then, I found gif files to go with the story online and put them along with the text on the web site, using tables. I also searched online for the sound effects that will attract children and enhance their understanding of the story. This was the fun part because now that I can utilize the Audacity, I was able to put some sound source together and apply some effects to make the sound I wanted. I am not a good drawer nor a good performer, but still, using online source and technologies, I am able to become creative.
Research in acting and the literacy is another responsibility for me. I was worried at first because I have little background in studying education, but as I went into the research, I found many things easy to relate to myself. I now recall that acting out played a big role in studying, or "experiencing " English. Well, I am still learning English as the second language, so , acting out to make the movie file and recording myself reading the story helped my Englih skills, I think.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Music Concrete
I am now begining to enjoy utilizing Audacity. Although I am interested, as a musicologist, in contemporary composers, I have never understood why so many of them go for a music concrete. However, now I do think for them composers, creatig music concrete, based on their own musical grammer, is very fun activity.
However, if its acceptable for the audience is another problem. In fact, I think music concrete is interesting when people can understand the pattern and underlying concepts that composers have in mind. Of cause, it is not interesting enouh if its too easy to understand; the balance is the key.
I found it interesting that composers are trying to be away from formality in a traditional sense and going for more and more complex grammers. To me, it seems, in today's world with higher speed of daily life that what it was in, like a century ago, people want clearer and easier development of the piece so that they can get to understand and enjoy the piece soon after they begin listening to.
May be it is the trend for collaborative performance of the arts and technology that will help the audience share the complexed texture of contemporary music through both visual and audio information used in the live venue. That way, composers can keep seeking for the musical experiment of their interest at the same time as keeping atracting the audience.
However, if its acceptable for the audience is another problem. In fact, I think music concrete is interesting when people can understand the pattern and underlying concepts that composers have in mind. Of cause, it is not interesting enouh if its too easy to understand; the balance is the key.
I found it interesting that composers are trying to be away from formality in a traditional sense and going for more and more complex grammers. To me, it seems, in today's world with higher speed of daily life that what it was in, like a century ago, people want clearer and easier development of the piece so that they can get to understand and enjoy the piece soon after they begin listening to.
May be it is the trend for collaborative performance of the arts and technology that will help the audience share the complexed texture of contemporary music through both visual and audio information used in the live venue. That way, composers can keep seeking for the musical experiment of their interest at the same time as keeping atracting the audience.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Devices Do Get Obsolete
Since this tec resources class has started, I've had chaces to get to know many softwares that are new to me. Although I usually feel more confortable with windows machine because I'm used to using it, I sometimes wish if I had a mac computer also... For us customers, softwares and systems bein available in any kinds of machines is desireble. But may be for those who are selling machines, exclusivity to some extent is the key to attract customers. Finding the balance is very difficult and in fact, due to the constant development of technology, no one can tell the new idea is going to last long or not for sure.
Two month ago, I had a chance to help my friend apply to an audition in Japan. To my surprise, they still required the applicants to submit their music file in the form of Mini Disc for pre-screening. It is true that MD was more proliferate in Japan than in the U.S. and I used to use it a lot when I was a high school student. At that time, I thought it was a great devise because it is smaller than portable cassette/ CD players and very easy to record things. But soon after, the MP3 recorder/player came out and MD players were replaced by them. In fact, MD players in the latter days were upgraded so that it transmit MP3 files but that made things confusing for us because there were no ways to convert the files recorded with the older version, but to do analogue recording.
With this traumatic experience in my mind, I kind of keep refraining from switching to mac computer, although I knew it is better than windows if I wanted to use it for designing and music editing. Since Apple is creating their own soft, hard disks, and even batteries for their devices, I've been worried about what if Apple became minor among other cocmputer makers, which now I think was a wrong idea.
However, even now, Apple has a conflict with Adobe and that will limit the possibility of Mac computer to some extent, like iPad not having a flash player. One thing I'm begining to think is; since computers are more proliferate than it used to, I may have to stop thinking of purchasing comuter as a huge investiment but rather a casual shopping. Then, I just have to buy another one if the one I have get obsolete.
Two month ago, I had a chance to help my friend apply to an audition in Japan. To my surprise, they still required the applicants to submit their music file in the form of Mini Disc for pre-screening. It is true that MD was more proliferate in Japan than in the U.S. and I used to use it a lot when I was a high school student. At that time, I thought it was a great devise because it is smaller than portable cassette/ CD players and very easy to record things. But soon after, the MP3 recorder/player came out and MD players were replaced by them. In fact, MD players in the latter days were upgraded so that it transmit MP3 files but that made things confusing for us because there were no ways to convert the files recorded with the older version, but to do analogue recording.
With this traumatic experience in my mind, I kind of keep refraining from switching to mac computer, although I knew it is better than windows if I wanted to use it for designing and music editing. Since Apple is creating their own soft, hard disks, and even batteries for their devices, I've been worried about what if Apple became minor among other cocmputer makers, which now I think was a wrong idea.
However, even now, Apple has a conflict with Adobe and that will limit the possibility of Mac computer to some extent, like iPad not having a flash player. One thing I'm begining to think is; since computers are more proliferate than it used to, I may have to stop thinking of purchasing comuter as a huge investiment but rather a casual shopping. Then, I just have to buy another one if the one I have get obsolete.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Oops!!
As I was edditing my homepage, I had just lost my audio assignment page entirely....
I was trying to change the font color of links for all the pages I have now, so I first made changes to the top page and then pasting it to other pages. What I did wrong was that I saved what should have been an 'images.html' as an 'audio.html' instead. I replaced former 'audio.html' file with it both on the desktop and the files page online :(
Oh well, may be I have to do the audio assignment again... An important lesson from today; I always have to make back ups + I always have to check before over-writing the existing file.
I was trying to change the font color of links for all the pages I have now, so I first made changes to the top page and then pasting it to other pages. What I did wrong was that I saved what should have been an 'images.html' as an 'audio.html' instead. I replaced former 'audio.html' file with it both on the desktop and the files page online :(
Oh well, may be I have to do the audio assignment again... An important lesson from today; I always have to make back ups + I always have to check before over-writing the existing file.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Performing Arts and Learning
Recently, I am helping out Young People's Chorus of New York City in preparation for their tour in Japan which will start in one week. I like helping them not only because I am interested in management of music organization, but I like their music and choristors personaly. As I myself have been in a concert choir which belongs to the concert hall in my hometown, I've learned many things that are important to my life and I think that is true with other member of the chorus and also with the member of YPC. Belonging to a choir helps children learn not only musical skills but also interpersonal skills through taking care of younger members, spending a long time together with other members, and working with many kinds of professionals such as dancers, conductors, pianists, and so on.
What surprised me most at the rehearsal today was how fast they picked up Japanese well. They started a Japanese song last week; when I first heared the piece last week, they were trying hard to literary 'read' the lyrics and music, while singing. However, after having worked with Japanese instructor over the week, now I can understand what they are saying without looking at the music; plus, I can feel the emotion they want to convey through the lyrics. This is because they now understand what they are singing about and trying to tell the message to the audience.
I think the performing arts has a lot to do in learning languages. While I am skeptical about English carriculum in Japanese junior high + high school since many Japanese still can't speak English at all after 6 years of studying, I was luckey enough to study with a memtor who was interested in teaching language through performing arts. He always made students learn English songs and perform it alone in front of other students. Once a year, we had an oppportuniy to perform a play in the theatre in English. I think learnig English through performing arts worked for me because I was able to feel the language as a living experience (vs the language only in the textbook). Singing and acting in English provided me rythmical and emotional sense of the phrase or the words, and I was able to learn it in the way that I can re-express the meaning of the rylics or script meaningfully to others.
Well, timely enough, I need to do the assignment about literacy and performing arts; hope what I feel about my experience at the choir and with the English mentor have something to do with the topic...
What surprised me most at the rehearsal today was how fast they picked up Japanese well. They started a Japanese song last week; when I first heared the piece last week, they were trying hard to literary 'read' the lyrics and music, while singing. However, after having worked with Japanese instructor over the week, now I can understand what they are saying without looking at the music; plus, I can feel the emotion they want to convey through the lyrics. This is because they now understand what they are singing about and trying to tell the message to the audience.
I think the performing arts has a lot to do in learning languages. While I am skeptical about English carriculum in Japanese junior high + high school since many Japanese still can't speak English at all after 6 years of studying, I was luckey enough to study with a memtor who was interested in teaching language through performing arts. He always made students learn English songs and perform it alone in front of other students. Once a year, we had an oppportuniy to perform a play in the theatre in English. I think learnig English through performing arts worked for me because I was able to feel the language as a living experience (vs the language only in the textbook). Singing and acting in English provided me rythmical and emotional sense of the phrase or the words, and I was able to learn it in the way that I can re-express the meaning of the rylics or script meaningfully to others.
Well, timely enough, I need to do the assignment about literacy and performing arts; hope what I feel about my experience at the choir and with the English mentor have something to do with the topic...
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Technology Development and Changes in Human Life
One of the discussions Dr. Gilbert brought up in class today was interesting. When talking about searching for audio files on google, he mentioned that there is a search opiton for sound files in search engines in China; while western search engine like google doesn't have one although we do have the opiton for an image search.
His argument was that one possible reason is because, for western people, visual information is more important than what we hear. As I myself being Japanese, there were some points in my life when I noticed this difference. The differnce is obvios, for example, in notation system. Japanese do have classical music as we do in western music, but most of them are handed down from exparts to the students orally. We do have a 'kind of ' music sheets, but the information we can visually get from the sheet of music is not sufficient to reproduce the music unlike the notation system of western classical music.
This is partly because of the delay in installing the printing system but I have a feeling there's something more to do with our culture or personality. Even today, I feel more musicologists in Japan are interested in social background of music, composers, and so on, rather than analyzing the music and describing the analysis logically on papaer. In Europe, Musicology, or a analysis of music as one kind of study has just as long history as western classical music do: while in Japan, musicology is as new as western music introduced in modern period.
Another interesting point Dr. Gilbert brought out was that as the technology develops, people are returning to a balance between visual and oural (or audio) information. Looking at the new PCs and mobile phones coming out, I've been thinking 'Are we returning to do things with fingers?' In the process of human development, we came to use tools to write, grab and touch things. And then, it seems to me, like ten years ago , that we are going to do things witout touching things directly, using buttons and remote controllers. However, many devices are now coming out with touc panels.... Well, what the technology development does to human culture is so interesting, I think...
His argument was that one possible reason is because, for western people, visual information is more important than what we hear. As I myself being Japanese, there were some points in my life when I noticed this difference. The differnce is obvios, for example, in notation system. Japanese do have classical music as we do in western music, but most of them are handed down from exparts to the students orally. We do have a 'kind of ' music sheets, but the information we can visually get from the sheet of music is not sufficient to reproduce the music unlike the notation system of western classical music.
This is partly because of the delay in installing the printing system but I have a feeling there's something more to do with our culture or personality. Even today, I feel more musicologists in Japan are interested in social background of music, composers, and so on, rather than analyzing the music and describing the analysis logically on papaer. In Europe, Musicology, or a analysis of music as one kind of study has just as long history as western classical music do: while in Japan, musicology is as new as western music introduced in modern period.
Another interesting point Dr. Gilbert brought out was that as the technology develops, people are returning to a balance between visual and oural (or audio) information. Looking at the new PCs and mobile phones coming out, I've been thinking 'Are we returning to do things with fingers?' In the process of human development, we came to use tools to write, grab and touch things. And then, it seems to me, like ten years ago , that we are going to do things witout touching things directly, using buttons and remote controllers. However, many devices are now coming out with touc panels.... Well, what the technology development does to human culture is so interesting, I think...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Internet and Related Technologies
Since the technology resources class has started, I’m spending more time on computer than I usually do. It is exciting to attain the knowledge on utilizing these technologies related to music and arts. The most attractive part of these technologies is that the files created on PCs can easily be shared with others online. As I am interested in artist development in the classical music field, I see a lot of potential in musicians being internet-savvy.
Observing music graduate student around me, just as other people from my generation, somewhere between 20-30 years old, on the personal level, they use the internet to share music files both of their own recordings and the recordings from others. They use the online services such as You Tube and Facebook whether to recommend the music or artists they like or to make announcements of their upcoming concerts. Effectively using network online has a potential in attracting people who otherwise don’t listen to classical music. I was interested to hear my friends saying after my recital on piano “This was the first time I came to a concert of classical music. I liked the second one you played, the Beethoven’s Sonata. I will download the piece to my iPod when I get home.” Having whatever music she likes on her music list on iPod was her culture and the genre didn’t really matter. This is especially true with young generation born after 2000, whose taste makers are more online with more diversity in music available than ever, unlike the former generation whose taste makers were mass media such as TV and radio. In order to attract interests of wider range of people, search engine on the site for music download and streaming will have various way of defining the genre other than just ‘classical music,’ such as by instrument, by the artists, or by the taste of the music.
When utilizing Social Networking Services, it is also important to unite people through music or the artist; this will lead fans to come to live concerts, where conservatory-trained musicians can fully show their talent and skills. Anime lovers in Japan usually get together and share their favorite anime characters or actors online; it is almost a social problem that if young people get too deep into the world of anime, they spend almost all day online and do not socialize in the real world. However, anime lovers do meet people offline when their favorite writer, actor, or actress holds a live event. What bring these anime lovers to the real world include; the fact that they can meet their super star, the sense of duty that they have to show their support to the star, and the trust that everyone else who is going to be at the venue is also a fan of their favorite. Likewise, if the musician succeeds in attracting people to become a fan, and in providing a community where fans interact each other and enjoy voluntary support the musician, live concert will be attractive for both the artist and the fans as a place to establish even stronger relation.
The internet and related technology, especially mobile phone, provides wider marketing area than before. Developing countries not necessary follow the same development of technology as we did in the U.S. In Africa, mobile phone is an important communication tool in the area without infrastructure of fixed line. Skipping steps in technological development has an impact on culture also. If a musician successfully establish an online community to promote classical music and people in emerging countries had a chance to join the community, the possibility is that they are easier to attract since they don’t have the image of classical music being ‘old fashioned,’ as we still do in the U.S. Well, this will lead me to discuss the globalization and technology, which is one of my biggest interests in studying music… So, I will quit for today and leave the discussion to the future post.
Observing music graduate student around me, just as other people from my generation, somewhere between 20-30 years old, on the personal level, they use the internet to share music files both of their own recordings and the recordings from others. They use the online services such as You Tube and Facebook whether to recommend the music or artists they like or to make announcements of their upcoming concerts. Effectively using network online has a potential in attracting people who otherwise don’t listen to classical music. I was interested to hear my friends saying after my recital on piano “This was the first time I came to a concert of classical music. I liked the second one you played, the Beethoven’s Sonata. I will download the piece to my iPod when I get home.” Having whatever music she likes on her music list on iPod was her culture and the genre didn’t really matter. This is especially true with young generation born after 2000, whose taste makers are more online with more diversity in music available than ever, unlike the former generation whose taste makers were mass media such as TV and radio. In order to attract interests of wider range of people, search engine on the site for music download and streaming will have various way of defining the genre other than just ‘classical music,’ such as by instrument, by the artists, or by the taste of the music.
When utilizing Social Networking Services, it is also important to unite people through music or the artist; this will lead fans to come to live concerts, where conservatory-trained musicians can fully show their talent and skills. Anime lovers in Japan usually get together and share their favorite anime characters or actors online; it is almost a social problem that if young people get too deep into the world of anime, they spend almost all day online and do not socialize in the real world. However, anime lovers do meet people offline when their favorite writer, actor, or actress holds a live event. What bring these anime lovers to the real world include; the fact that they can meet their super star, the sense of duty that they have to show their support to the star, and the trust that everyone else who is going to be at the venue is also a fan of their favorite. Likewise, if the musician succeeds in attracting people to become a fan, and in providing a community where fans interact each other and enjoy voluntary support the musician, live concert will be attractive for both the artist and the fans as a place to establish even stronger relation.
The internet and related technology, especially mobile phone, provides wider marketing area than before. Developing countries not necessary follow the same development of technology as we did in the U.S. In Africa, mobile phone is an important communication tool in the area without infrastructure of fixed line. Skipping steps in technological development has an impact on culture also. If a musician successfully establish an online community to promote classical music and people in emerging countries had a chance to join the community, the possibility is that they are easier to attract since they don’t have the image of classical music being ‘old fashioned,’ as we still do in the U.S. Well, this will lead me to discuss the globalization and technology, which is one of my biggest interests in studying music… So, I will quit for today and leave the discussion to the future post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)