I wish that a program like this existed back when I went to primary school. It would have been so much help for me to be able to have assisted learning in composing and arranging (especially considering I regularly have to arrange now). It is so difficult to come up with programs that teach students how to write music, especially at such a young age. This program not only seems effective, but has results to back it up. The technology clearly has a place too; the students get to see the correlation between writing a piece and then hearing what their work sounds like. It encourages sensitivity and thought while writing music.
However, this program is not without its limitations. Specifically, it seems really expensive to keep a program like the Vermont MIDI program working. Firstly, one needs a full computer lab, and notation software such as Sibelius or Finale for each computer. Next, one needs to be able to find teachers and composers willing to work for the program as well as pay them the stipend. And lastly there's the cost of putting on an annual performance showcasing the results of this program. While this is a very exciting concept, and I wish that people could have access to a program such as this, I know that the schools I've attended prior to Case could not support something as large as this.
Regardless, this is still an exciting concept. Composition and arranging are valuable skills on their own. In addition, they add a lot to one's musicality, as the article astutely points out. If this program could expand beyond the reaches of Vermont, I'd imagine we'd see a lot more aspiring musicians around the world.
I agree that this is an exciting project and I'm glad to see that it's still running strong after many years of progress. Perhaps there's a way to create a program similar to this one on a smaller, more economical scale. I'm sure it could be done and I suppose it's likely that it is done somewhere out there.
ReplyDeleteWhile having the ability to generate instant auditory feedback for compositions isn't truly replaceable, teaching about musical structure helps in composing and arranging and doesn't require a complex technological apparatus. Nor does this require prior involved knowledge by students of music theory or history. At some point, they are required for more depth, but when I took form class at CIM, Marshall Griffith taught the basic concept of musical periodicity using only NBCs olympic theme song, something familiar to a lot of people, and did it without books, scores, or any explicit references to music history or theory.
ReplyDeleteHi Greg,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the honesty in your post. I agree that the Vermont MIDI project is truly incredible, giving even very young students the opportunity to connect with actual composers. This would motivate beginning students to take music seriously for the rest of their lives. I was also glad to read that they have training sessions every summer for teachers who are unfamiliar with the program. However, I had not thought about what you mentioned. For a teacher to participate in the program, he/she would need to have access to a large number of computers for classes of students to use. Perhaps the notation programs could be put onto the library computers in the school and the music department could utilize those facilities.