Microsoft: Too Square To Be Hip

Leave it Microsoft to mar the image of Music Technology. Some of us have been using and promoting music technology in schools in a serious and positive way to promote and change the image of how music is traditionally taught (and learned).

Along comes Microsoft and its supposed addition to music technology. They call it Songsmith. This is just painful, dorky stuff....(watch the video) and it discredits musicians and music teachers.

What gets created is plain, trite and not very substantive. Better to promote music literacy through technology than to promote erroneous notions that one can "write" songs by singing badly. Don't we have enough of that with 'Idol'?

Using Twinkle to Introduce Song Form

One of the best decisions we made for our General Music program was to transform it into a Music Technology Lab. The next best thing was to adopt the loop-based software program Sony Acid as a significant part of the student music experience.

But where to begin? And how do musical concepts get taught/learned?-especially FORM.

Here's how we begin the process:

• We create a midi file of twinkle twinkle little star (student's use Finale Print Music to create the melody and export it as a mid file).
• Using Sony Acid, import the Twinkle midi file as a track.
• Explain that Twinkle will be the Chorus of the Song and it needs to be heard in it's entirety.
• What's needed now is an introduction, verses, possibly a bridge and an "outro".
• Use the Twinkle melody itself to explain ABBA form.

A-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.....
B-Up Above the World So High
B-Like a Diamond..
A-Twinkle Twinkle.....

Then provide a few examples of variations on this using popular songs. (I like to use Blake Lewis' song End of The World because the Form is clear: 4 bar intro/add voice/add drums/verse 1/chorus/verse 2/chorus/bridge/chorus/chorus/fade out.

Students are in good shape to begin the process of creating their own loop-based compositions at this point. (Obviously, use of Sony Acid is a pre-requisite to this project.)

How to Use a Talkbox

The talkbox when used correctly can be very effective. Shikeze did not have skills on American Idol. He should never have even tried.

Tristan Luke Sullivan is the master. Get schooled in the talkbox by checking out his very tasteful version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's Close To You....

What Is Natural Talent? Listen to David Archuleta

David Archuleta has what is called natural talent. His musical sensitivity and phrasing are well beyond his years. Listen to how he tastefully pushes through the end of the first phrase and then listen to how he actually sings slightly behind the beat (rubato). Brilliant and beautiful stuff. It will be a joy to see where his career takes him.

Blake Lewis Releases Solid Album

While it might be a bit overproduced, Blake Lewis' debut album delivers. It was disappointing to realize that most of the songs are originals as he had great success on Idol doing creative Garageband-inspired covers. But! And this is a big but....he pulled it off!

His sweet tenor voice blends with the techno-elements on most songs leaving me yearning to hear a song with more Blake, less stuff.

The sweetest song on the album (called Audio Daydreams) and the one that sounds the most "Blake-like" is called How Many Words. Check it out.


Songs by Jordin Sparks & Blake Lewis from American Idol! Download it Now on iTunes.