Hi all! the following is a video that was created by the NCSSM Distance Education Department. It centers around a performance of the NCSSM Orchestra and Ligon Middle School Orchestra in Wake County, NC. This was a really cool performance and a marvelous technological and artistic experience for the students of both schools. I think that my music technology friends around the country will be pleased with this one. I hope that you enjoy the video!
NCSSM Music Instructor Scott Laird explains a collaboration with Ligon Middle School Music Instructor Ruth Johnsen. Interactive Videoconferencing was used to conduct 'Underground Caverns for Double String Orchestra' by composer Martha Bishop, a piece specifically written with the built-in latency of videoconferencing in mind. Student musicians from both schools got to experience a unique musical collaboration using IVC technology.
If you are interested in more information on this performance, the following is a link to an interview with Ruth Johnsen from Ligon Middle School that is posted on the WakeCounty Schools website.
http://www.wcpss.net/announcements/archives/2010/04/two_orchestras.html
Peace.
Scott
Thoughts of a String Educator
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Technology Jones
Lately, I have had the technology jones. April was not a good month for me and technology. My technology at school and at home has let me down and I have a few thoughts as a result of these technology disasters, now that I am on the other side.
First, early in the month, the NCSSM Moodle site, a course management software system, completely crashed. those of you that know me, know that I have COMPLETELY invested in the blended curriculum concept and that crash really handcuffed me in all of my courses. I have created instructional videos for all of my classes I have students taking quizzes and turning in audio projects via Moodle for my recording classes. And, I use it extensively in my orchestra class for instructional videos, distribution of recordings and other related music, as well as for jury sign ups and other purposes. In my piano and guitar classes, it is simply the portal for the entire course organization. So, when it crashed and the backup servers didn't do their job, I lost a ton of information and work. I would estimate that I have something like 50 to 60 hours of work to bring my courses back to a fully functional place. Not to mention the fact that I lost several assignments that students had submitted to me electronically earlier in the term. That makes giving mid-term grades pretty dicey. Not fun.
Second, at about the same time as the great Moodle crash of 2010, i decided to take the leap and purchase a Blackberry. I stepped up my wireless plan to an unlimited DATA plan and picked up Blackberries for both my wife and me. We felt that we had arrived at a place where we really needed to have phones that would provide us with our e-mail and calendars on a portable basis, as well as the ability to get to the web on a moments notice for information purposes. Our scheduling has become so complex that it felt like the right thing to do at this point. No problem - right? Wrong!
In my zeal to get the Blackberry synced up to my computer, I somehow removed all of my calendar info from my laptop beginning in June of this year. Now, for those of you that know me, this is a huge problem. I am booked sometimes as much as 18 months out for various appearances and performances. I am constantly juggling a busy school, performance, and family schedule and pride myself in my organization. This was a DISASTER. I spent the next several days trying to hook up with the nice folks at Sprint. I must say, they were very helpful and after two LONG days of troubleshooting at the store, my data was restored. This situation caused me a ton of stress, at least one sleepless night, and several hours of troubleshooting at this store and at home.
Add these two major catastrophes together with the usual Windows freeze-ups, I-pod battery dieing, cable out, and other day to day tech issues and it was an April to remember.
I think that I could have handled one of the two major tech disasters this spring without much of a problem, but the two simultaneous problems definitely left me with the technology jones.
So, I have a couple of big reminders for everyone today. First: back up your information. This is a hard lesson to learn. We had been assured at school that our Moodle courses were being backed up weekly. It didn't happen. I actually bought an external drive to back up my Moodle pages at Christmas time. It never happened. I also intended to back up my Outlook Calendar. This, too, never happened. We have to do it. We are all relying on technology for the organization of our lives more and more each day. We, as individuals, can't afford to lose it. It isn't that hard and it doesn't take that long. Take a minute today to find out how to back up your Outlook calendar. A quick Google search will give you the procedure.
Second: Listen to the cues that your technology gives you. If things aren't working properly, that is the time to back things up. right now, my fan in my laptop needs cleaned. It has been shutting down intermittently due to overheating and I haven't found the time to get it into our IT guys for a cleaning. I have to make the time. Otherwise, it could spell disaster.
Our technology is so important to us today. I use it for my teaching, my social life, my bookings and performing life, my family schedule, my creativity, and for so much more. Be smart about the way that you care for your information. I know that I have learned the hard way. I am hoping the this season of the "Technology Jones" is about over. As I work today to rebuild my courses, I am hopeful that I won't have to do this again. The ball is in my court.
Peace.
Scott
First, early in the month, the NCSSM Moodle site, a course management software system, completely crashed. those of you that know me, know that I have COMPLETELY invested in the blended curriculum concept and that crash really handcuffed me in all of my courses. I have created instructional videos for all of my classes I have students taking quizzes and turning in audio projects via Moodle for my recording classes. And, I use it extensively in my orchestra class for instructional videos, distribution of recordings and other related music, as well as for jury sign ups and other purposes. In my piano and guitar classes, it is simply the portal for the entire course organization. So, when it crashed and the backup servers didn't do their job, I lost a ton of information and work. I would estimate that I have something like 50 to 60 hours of work to bring my courses back to a fully functional place. Not to mention the fact that I lost several assignments that students had submitted to me electronically earlier in the term. That makes giving mid-term grades pretty dicey. Not fun.
Second, at about the same time as the great Moodle crash of 2010, i decided to take the leap and purchase a Blackberry. I stepped up my wireless plan to an unlimited DATA plan and picked up Blackberries for both my wife and me. We felt that we had arrived at a place where we really needed to have phones that would provide us with our e-mail and calendars on a portable basis, as well as the ability to get to the web on a moments notice for information purposes. Our scheduling has become so complex that it felt like the right thing to do at this point. No problem - right? Wrong!
In my zeal to get the Blackberry synced up to my computer, I somehow removed all of my calendar info from my laptop beginning in June of this year. Now, for those of you that know me, this is a huge problem. I am booked sometimes as much as 18 months out for various appearances and performances. I am constantly juggling a busy school, performance, and family schedule and pride myself in my organization. This was a DISASTER. I spent the next several days trying to hook up with the nice folks at Sprint. I must say, they were very helpful and after two LONG days of troubleshooting at the store, my data was restored. This situation caused me a ton of stress, at least one sleepless night, and several hours of troubleshooting at this store and at home.
Add these two major catastrophes together with the usual Windows freeze-ups, I-pod battery dieing, cable out, and other day to day tech issues and it was an April to remember.
I think that I could have handled one of the two major tech disasters this spring without much of a problem, but the two simultaneous problems definitely left me with the technology jones.
So, I have a couple of big reminders for everyone today. First: back up your information. This is a hard lesson to learn. We had been assured at school that our Moodle courses were being backed up weekly. It didn't happen. I actually bought an external drive to back up my Moodle pages at Christmas time. It never happened. I also intended to back up my Outlook Calendar. This, too, never happened. We have to do it. We are all relying on technology for the organization of our lives more and more each day. We, as individuals, can't afford to lose it. It isn't that hard and it doesn't take that long. Take a minute today to find out how to back up your Outlook calendar. A quick Google search will give you the procedure.
Second: Listen to the cues that your technology gives you. If things aren't working properly, that is the time to back things up. right now, my fan in my laptop needs cleaned. It has been shutting down intermittently due to overheating and I haven't found the time to get it into our IT guys for a cleaning. I have to make the time. Otherwise, it could spell disaster.
Our technology is so important to us today. I use it for my teaching, my social life, my bookings and performing life, my family schedule, my creativity, and for so much more. Be smart about the way that you care for your information. I know that I have learned the hard way. I am hoping the this season of the "Technology Jones" is about over. As I work today to rebuild my courses, I am hopeful that I won't have to do this again. The ball is in my court.
Peace.
Scott
Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
Hi all!
I know that this video has made the rounds lately, but I would like all of my students to see it. It makes some really great points.
To my seniors: as you move into this crossroads period of your life, heading off to college and preparing for life after schooling, you will have many opportunities to be a leader. In addition, you will have many opportunities to be the second one to join a movement. That, as the narrator says, is really the hard spot. It takes courage and discernment to know when the potential movement is worthwhile. Be thoughtful about your actions and allegiances. Have the courage to lead and the wisdom to seek out worthwhile endeavors.
This is just a short video, but I hope that you find some value and application in it.
Peace.
Scott
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Orchestras and Adjudicated Festivals
Hi all.
I know it has been a while since my last post. It has been pretty busy here at NCSSM and my family life has been filled with a variety of spring sports leagues. It has not been uncommon for my wife and me to take 3 kids to 3 different sporting events or practices in one evening this spring. So, I apologize for my recent silence.
Today, I want to just give a few thoughts about school orchestras and adjudicated festivals. I recently served as an adjudicator for the North Carolina Eastern Regional Music Performance Adjudication Festival. It was such a pleasure and honor to observe my North Carolina colleagues with their kids. I know so many of them from NCMEA meetings and other events. It is always great to see master-teachers interacting with their daily students.
My role in this festival was to judge in the sight-reading room. This is hard duty as a judge. I heard around 40 orchestras sight-reading one of 4 different pieces, depending on their performance level. Believe me, there is only so much that one can say about a grade 1 or 2 piece that is being played for the first time by a group of nervous middle schoolers. The plan for me as a judge is always to find lots of positive things to say to the group and affirm the work that they have done. Then, I try to isolate on area where they can improve. I try to offer constructive suggestions for a more musical performance, stronger technique, or a more cohesive ensemble.
Following this adjudication festival, I had a couple of overriding thoughts. The first is a technique issue. It is now, quite common for orchestras to "shadow-bow" before sight-reading a piece. This is when the student holds the bow and moves it to the rhythm without touching the strings, simulating playing the piece. In and of itself, it is a great idea. But, I noticed that lots of students did REALLY odd things with their bow hold and I can't believe that this has a positive impact on their bow hold in the long run. As I make my way in to a variety of teaching situations throughout the area, one constant that I have noticed is an inconsistency of functional bow holds. (For a primer in teaching or establishing a good bow hold, follow this link.) My suggestion here is to simply not hold the bow during the "shadow bow" portion of the sight reading experience. Have the kids put the bow on the music stand and do the exercise exactly the same way. I don't even know if this is necessary for the violins and violas, but it definitely is for the celli and basses. I would have everyone put the bow down. The students can still focus on the kinesthetic experience of bowing and the associated rhythms. Instructors can still see the rhythmic motion of the bow arms. And, the potential bad habits of bow hold can be avoided.
The other over-riding thought that I have involves listening. Now, I know that it seems like a silly thing to say that listening is an important part of performance and sight-reading. But, in two complete days of adjudicating sight-reading, I only heard a handful of instructors remind their musicians to listen. Furthermore, it was very easy for me to identify the ensembles that had practiced the art of listening in the ensemble. We, as instructors, can get fixated on the nuts and bolts of notes and rhythms and simply forget to teach listening. I believe that many ensemble intonation problems are not so much a function of individual playing and technique issues, but are more a function of listening issues. We must know how to listen across the ensemble and build a chord from the bass, up. That, of course, also accentuates the importance of the role of the bass and cello section. I recently had the pleasure of working with our Physics Department at NCSSM on a unit on Sound and Frequency and, believe me, the physics doesn't lie. The fundamental tone has to be in tune (bass) and the 2nd harmonic does, too (cello). If they are out, the orchestra doesn't have a prayer of creating a beautiful sound. And, the upper strings must listen and adjust to the others around them in order to create that special string sound that we all know and love.
So, there are a few thoughts. I hope someone out there finds them to be helpful. I certainly welcome your thoughts and remarks on the issues of shadow bowing and listening across the orchestra.
It was definitely ah honor to work with all of you at the Eastern Regional Music Performance Adjudication.
I know it has been a while since my last post. It has been pretty busy here at NCSSM and my family life has been filled with a variety of spring sports leagues. It has not been uncommon for my wife and me to take 3 kids to 3 different sporting events or practices in one evening this spring. So, I apologize for my recent silence.
Today, I want to just give a few thoughts about school orchestras and adjudicated festivals. I recently served as an adjudicator for the North Carolina Eastern Regional Music Performance Adjudication Festival. It was such a pleasure and honor to observe my North Carolina colleagues with their kids. I know so many of them from NCMEA meetings and other events. It is always great to see master-teachers interacting with their daily students.
My role in this festival was to judge in the sight-reading room. This is hard duty as a judge. I heard around 40 orchestras sight-reading one of 4 different pieces, depending on their performance level. Believe me, there is only so much that one can say about a grade 1 or 2 piece that is being played for the first time by a group of nervous middle schoolers. The plan for me as a judge is always to find lots of positive things to say to the group and affirm the work that they have done. Then, I try to isolate on area where they can improve. I try to offer constructive suggestions for a more musical performance, stronger technique, or a more cohesive ensemble.
Following this adjudication festival, I had a couple of overriding thoughts. The first is a technique issue. It is now, quite common for orchestras to "shadow-bow" before sight-reading a piece. This is when the student holds the bow and moves it to the rhythm without touching the strings, simulating playing the piece. In and of itself, it is a great idea. But, I noticed that lots of students did REALLY odd things with their bow hold and I can't believe that this has a positive impact on their bow hold in the long run. As I make my way in to a variety of teaching situations throughout the area, one constant that I have noticed is an inconsistency of functional bow holds. (For a primer in teaching or establishing a good bow hold, follow this link.) My suggestion here is to simply not hold the bow during the "shadow bow" portion of the sight reading experience. Have the kids put the bow on the music stand and do the exercise exactly the same way. I don't even know if this is necessary for the violins and violas, but it definitely is for the celli and basses. I would have everyone put the bow down. The students can still focus on the kinesthetic experience of bowing and the associated rhythms. Instructors can still see the rhythmic motion of the bow arms. And, the potential bad habits of bow hold can be avoided.
The other over-riding thought that I have involves listening. Now, I know that it seems like a silly thing to say that listening is an important part of performance and sight-reading. But, in two complete days of adjudicating sight-reading, I only heard a handful of instructors remind their musicians to listen. Furthermore, it was very easy for me to identify the ensembles that had practiced the art of listening in the ensemble. We, as instructors, can get fixated on the nuts and bolts of notes and rhythms and simply forget to teach listening. I believe that many ensemble intonation problems are not so much a function of individual playing and technique issues, but are more a function of listening issues. We must know how to listen across the ensemble and build a chord from the bass, up. That, of course, also accentuates the importance of the role of the bass and cello section. I recently had the pleasure of working with our Physics Department at NCSSM on a unit on Sound and Frequency and, believe me, the physics doesn't lie. The fundamental tone has to be in tune (bass) and the 2nd harmonic does, too (cello). If they are out, the orchestra doesn't have a prayer of creating a beautiful sound. And, the upper strings must listen and adjust to the others around them in order to create that special string sound that we all know and love.
So, there are a few thoughts. I hope someone out there finds them to be helpful. I certainly welcome your thoughts and remarks on the issues of shadow bowing and listening across the orchestra.
It was definitely ah honor to work with all of you at the Eastern Regional Music Performance Adjudication.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Kidznotes in Venezuela!
Many of you know that I am on the Board of Directors of Kidznotes, a new El Systema Program in Durham, NC. Our Executive Director is Katie, Wyatt and she is one of the Abreau Fellows that are currently working in Venezuela. Catch up with Katie in Venezuela! Don't forget to vote in the Pepsi Challenge! Spread the word! Visit the KidZNotes web site today: http://www.kidznotes.org/.
The Abreu Fellows in Caracas with Gustavo Dudamel, (center, back row), the 28-year-old Music Director of the LA Phil, an El Sistema graduate. KidZNotes' Katie Wyatt is at the far left, second row. Dr. Mark Churchill of the New England Conservatory and co-director of the Abreu Fellows Program is at the far right, second row. To learn more about the Fellows' current two-month stay in Venezuela, see Katie's blog on the KidZNotes' website (www.kidznotes.org).
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
60 Minutes Video - Derek - CBS.com
Hi all. This 60 minutes piece is a must-see. What incredible things our mind can do. What an incredible thing is this music that we all love.
60 Minutes Video - Derek - CBS.com
60 Minutes Video - Derek - CBS.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Joe Liles Slideshow
Hi all.
Today, I thought I would share a slide show with you that was made by friend, Joe Liles. Joe retired from NCSSM last year and spent the better part of 2009 hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. While on the trail, he wrote the song that is featured in the slide-show. My friend Willie Painter and I put an accompaniment to the tune and got together with Joe to record it a few weeks ago. Enjoy this musical trip up the AT. His blog is linked on my Favorites List. Check it out. It chronicles a wonderful adventure!
Peace.
Scott
Today, I thought I would share a slide show with you that was made by friend, Joe Liles. Joe retired from NCSSM last year and spent the better part of 2009 hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. While on the trail, he wrote the song that is featured in the slide-show. My friend Willie Painter and I put an accompaniment to the tune and got together with Joe to record it a few weeks ago. Enjoy this musical trip up the AT. His blog is linked on my Favorites List. Check it out. It chronicles a wonderful adventure!
Peace.
Scott
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