Saturday night and home with no major agenda. Looks like a good night to get some music time in – and in my favourite way: live music and technology together.

Three Step Plan

1. I bought a book of folk music (jigs, reels etc.) at the Mill Race Festival last weekend. The music is written as melody lines with chord progressions. I will practise a few on the WX5 midi wind controller. My daughter will be learning some too on her electric violin.

2. I will create an accompaniment using Band in a Box. Band in a Box is a great piece of software that allows you to literally create a ‘band’. You create an accompaniment by choosing the following elements:

time signature (4/4, 3/4 6/8 etc.)
tempo (speed of the music)
style (which determines a default instrumentation and ‘feel’ to the music)

Next you enter in the chord progression and create a ‘roadmap’ – the combination of introduction, verses, choruses, repeats and endings. Now you are set to play along with your ‘band’. This leaves you options to practise, perform live, record, make a CD or mp3, or perhaps include your results in an electronic portfolio of some sort.

3. This is all leading to preparing for CATC by the Water, our summer computer camp for staff where the focus is technology integration. Our 4 day event begins mid next week, and there are always ‘campers’ eager to learn and use music applications in the curriculum.

Links:

Learn more about Band in a Box: PG Music

Licensing for Ontario Schools: OSAPAC

Off to the studio!

~ Mark