800-963-tree · to m ’ s lessons 1, which is based around bach’s tw o - p a r t invention in d...

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The leader in music technology systems TM 800-963-TREE • www.soundtree.com SoundTree assumes no liability for errors printed herein. The contents of this publication are © 2003 by SoundTree and may not be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from SoundTree. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. 316 South Service Road Melville, NY 11747 OUR PARTNERS: Adventus, AKG, Alfred, Apple, Ars-Nova, Berklee Press, Berkleemusic.com, Bias, Cakewalk, Casio, Clearvue, Coby, Make Music, dbx, ECS Media, Edmark, Emagic, eMedia, Epson, ER Technologies, Evolution, Fatar, Fender, Fostex, Furman, Hal Leonard, Harmonic Vision, hp, InFocus, JBL, Korg, Koss, Mackie, Macromedia, Marantz, Mark of the Unicorn, Marshall, M-Audio, Mibac, Musical Hearing, Musitek, Neuratron, Omnirax, PG Music, Quik Lok, Rane, Rising Software, Roxio, Sennheiser, Shure, Sibelius, SKB, Sonic Foundry, Syntrillium, Tascam, VH1 Save the Music, Warner Bros. Publications and Yamaha. Call SoundTree today and we’ll send you the exciting SoundTree “Curriculum Resources” CD, FREE! Featuring a wealth of free lesson plans, MIDI Files, book excerpts, software demos and other valuable materials, this CD is a $49.95 value. 800-963-TREE Offer good while supplies last. Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Hicksville, NY Permit No. 842

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Page 1: 800-963-TREE · To m ’ s Lessons 1, which is based around Bach’s Tw o - P a r t Invention in d Minor. Lesson 1 of the General Music Curriculum includes the Invention, both left

The leader in music technology systemsTM

800-963-TREE • www.soundtree.com

SoundTree assumes no liability for errors printed herein. The contents of this publication are © 2003 by SoundTree and may not be reproduced in any mannerwithout prior written permission from SoundTree. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

316 South Service RoadMelville, NY 11747

OUR PARTNERS: Adventus, AKG, Alfred, Apple, Ars-Nova, Berklee Press, B e r k l e e m u s i c . c o m, Bias, Cakewalk, Casio,Clearvue, Coby, Make Music, dbx, ECS Media, Edmark, Emagic, eMedia, Epson, ER Technologies, Evolution, Fatar, Fender,Fostex, Furman, Hal Leonard, Harmonic Vision, hp, InFocus, JBL, Korg, Koss, Mackie, Macromedia, Marantz, Mark of theUnicorn, Marshall, M-Audio, Mibac, Musical Hearing, Musitek, Neuratron, Omnirax, PG Music, Quik Lok, Rane, RisingSoftware, Roxio, Sennheiser, Shure, Sibelius, SKB, Sonic Foundry, Syntrillium, Tascam, VH1 Save the Music, WarnerBros. Publications and Yamaha.

Call SoundTree today and we’ll sendyou the exciting SoundTree“Curriculum Resources” CD, FREE!

Featuring a wealth of free lessonplans, MIDI Files, book excerpts,software demos and other valuablematerials, this CD is a $49.95 value.

800-963-TREEOffer good while supplies last.

PresortedStandard

US Postage

PAIDHicksville, NYPermit No. 842

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Welcome to the first issue of SoundTree’snew Resource News. Those of you familiarwith our Resource Guide will notice achange. We’ve created two excitingpublications that will help you meet thechallenge of integrating technology into yourmusic program. SoundTree’s ResourceNews focuses on issues that affect you as amusic educator. It contains helpful articlesabout how to teach with technology, tips onwhat software and hardware educators arefinding the most useful and features oninnovative ways that music educators areusing technology.

Our second publication is the newSoundTree Product Guide, acomprehensive listing of all the productsthat SoundTree represents. If you’vereceived the SoundTree Resource News,but haven’t gotten our Product Guide, we’dbe happy to send one to you. Simply call usat 800-963-TREE or view and download iton www.soundtree.com as a PDF.

When you call SoundTree, you get theexpertise of a pioneer in music technologylabs. SoundTree takes the guesswork out ofconfiguring a music lab that’s right for youand integrating it into your program. Withhundreds of successful lab installationsunder our belt, we can help you determineexactly what you need to reach yourteaching goals and remain within yourbudget. We can guide you in selecting theright hardware, software, computers,keyboards, recording gear…even furniture.Plus we’ll also install it and train you so thatyour lab is a success.

RESO URC E NE W S

The leader in music technology systemsTM

800-963-TREE • www.soundtree.com

“SoundTree is completelyprofessional. You can’t beat theconsultation, installation, trainingand follow-up provided bySoundTree.”

-Keith Galasso, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, FL

Dr. James Frankel andthe SoundTree lab atFranklin Middle School,Franklin Lakes, NJ

Issue 1 Spring 2003

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Teaching 8thGrade GeneralMusic can posemany challenges.Teaching theHistory of WesternMusic to 8th

graders can pose even more. Howcan one successfully capture theattention of middle school studentswhen discussing the works of Bach,Mozart, Mahler, and Copland?Approaches that effectivelyincorporate technology can truly bringthe subject matter to life in ways youmay not have imagined were possible.

My students have ten weeks to getfrom Gregorian Chant to Minimalism.The course is broken down into tenone-week units, each covering adifferent period of music history. It’s awhirlwind tour, but the students reallyseem to enjoy seeing the progressionfrom neumatic notation of monophonicchants to the brilliance of AaronCopland’s Fanfare for the CommonMan. All of the lecture-style lessonsare presented using PowerPoint,which include various visual images,and representative audio examples.Students respond very positively tothis type of presentation, and see thatI have spent a great deal of timepreparing the lesson. In addition tousing technology as a tool forpresenting information to the students,each unit also involves usingtechnology to create music in the styleof the period. Students create parallelorganum, two-part inventions,variations on a theme, and evencompositions based on tone rows inthe Serialist style. This tone rowlesson and composition exercise hasreceived some amazing results, as itgives the students an opportunity tocompose music that sounds verysimilar to the works of ArnoldS c h o e n b e rg, Alban Berg, and Anton We b e rn.

In the lecture part of the lesson, Ipresent the students with the twelve-tone concept and the formation of tone

rows. We discuss the variations on thetone row, including prime, retrograde,inversion, inverse retrograde, andtranspositions. After the technicalaspects of the construction of aserialist composition are discussed,the students listen to recordedexamples of works by Schoenberg,Berg, and Webern. The discussionthen turns to aesthetics and the role ofcreativity in the composing process, aswell as the end result. I stronglyrecommend having this discussionwith 8th graders, because theiropinions are often quite enlightening.

Next students are given a sheet with anotated one-octave chromatic scalecomplete with the letter names of eachpitch, and four lines with twelvespaces for the students to fill in theirtone rows (prime, retrograde,inversion, inverse retrograde). Thestudents get into groups of two andcreate the tone rows at their desks.They then hand in their work so that Ican check for mistakes. During thenext class, students use a notationsoftware program (in this caseSibelius) to begin composing theirserialist works. The work must be atleast 12 measures in length, and mustuse each tone row at least once.Students are encouraged to use thetransposition feature of the softwareto transpose their tone rows and to divide the tone rows betweenvarious instruments so that no single instrument plays the completerow alone.

At the beginning of the third classperiod, I use my teaching computerthat is hooked up to a ceiling mountedprojector to access the students’ workfrom the file server. This allows me todisplay their work and play it so thatwe can discuss it as a class. After thisdiscussion, the students begin theirsecond composing period. I act as amentor for the students and helptroubleshoot any problems that mayarise. At the conclusion of the period,students once again save their workinto their folders on the file server and

I then review their work. On the thirdday, the students are asked tocomplete their compositions halfwaythrough the period so that we can thendisplay and discuss their work. Aseach composition generally takes onlya few seconds to perform, it is quitepossible to play all of the groupcompositions within a few minutes.After a short discussion about thecompositions and their musical merit,the students then listen to the originalworks of Schoenberg, Berg, andWebern, and discuss how their ownpieces were similar, different, orotherwise to the works of the masters.

The students truly enjoy the puzzle-likecomposition process employed bySerialism. They enjoy that the notesare already there for them and thatthey just have to fit them in to thescore, and more importantly, trying tomake music. Discussions about theamount of creativity involved in thisstyle of composition are very spiritedand can easily lead to more involveddiscussions about aesthetics.

For a more detailed version of thisarticle and to download handouts,project guidelines and scoring rubric,go to www.soundtree.com.

More lesson ideas atwww.soundtree.com

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Teaching 8th Grade Serialism with TechnologyBy Dr. James Frankel, Franklin Middle School, Franklin Lakes, NJ.

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Call or go online for more bundles and our complete Product Guide. 800-963-TREE • www.soundtree.com 3

Spotlight on Curriculum Resources:

Dr. Tom Rudolph’s“SoundTree General MusicCurriculum”Tom Rudolph, Director of Music for the School District ofH a v e rf o rd, PA, has created the So u n d Tree General MusicC u r r i c u l u m, a set of lessons that can be used as oneunit, or two, in middle and high school MIDI keyboardlabs. All eleven of the curr i c u l u m ’s lessons include:detailed lesson plans, Standard MIDI Files (SMFs) andtangible outcomes for students. To give you a sense ofthe typical lesson, here ’s a taste of what you can do withTo m ’s Lessons 1, which is based around Bach’s Tw o - P a rtInvention in d Minor.

Lesson 1 of the General Music Curriculum includes theInvention, both left and right-hand parts, as a single MIDIfile, and in a single track. Ask students to open the file, andonce they know how to start, stop and “rewind” the file (thed Minor Invention) at their instrument, ask them tomanipulate elements of music, including timbre, tempo andloudness. You can also convert the arrangements toStandard MIDI files and e-mail them home for mom or dador a friend to listen to on their home or office PCs.

Joe Buches, who teaches at Episcopal Academy in MerionStation, PA, has used the SoundTree General MusicCurriculum for many years. He recently shared anecdotesabout how Tom Rudolph’s lessons have positively impactedhis students. “I’ve had kids who’ve stopped studying piano,or playing an instrument, for a particular reason, and thenthey come back into the lab and really get into it, and startmaking music again. . . it revitalizes them.” When askedwhat is the most important thing about the SoundTreeGeneral Music Curriculum, Joe replied it is “. . . the overallcritical thinking that it encourages in students.”

If you are interested in learning more, or trying out samplelessons from the SoundTree General Music Curriculum, callSoundTree at 800-963-8733, and ask for a copy of the“Curriculum Resources CD.”

For a more detailed version of this article, go towww.soundtree.com

SoundTree and FenderInvigorate More GuitarPrograms with VH1 Save The MusicSoundTree and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation arein their third year working with VH1’s Save the Music,invigorating guitar instruction in public school musicprograms across the country. Using guitars donated to Savethe Music by Fender, SoundTree has created learning labsthat make group electric guitar instruction an exciting realityfor thousands of elementary school students in more thantwo dozen schools from Nashville to Tulsa to Milwaukee.

The heart of the electric guitar lab is Korg’s GroupEducation Controller (GEC3), which allows students in thelab to work independently, as well as in groups. Studentsplug their electric guitars directly into a Korg ToneworksPandora PX4 multi-effects processor that includes a tunerplus 40 different bass and drum grooves. Through theGEC3 system, teachers can listen and can give instructionto the entire class, or they can offer specific instruction toindividuals and groups of any size.

Hands-on training for educators who work in each of theGEC-based guitar system gets things started. Withheadsets on, and a guitar in-hand, teachers explore a varietyof technical and instructional skills including:

• Basic and intermediate lab management skills forhandling a dozen or more students working in theGEC lab.

• How to use the Toneworks Pandora as an effectsdevice, a tuner, or an accompaniment generator.

• How to record students or teacher performancesusing the Pandora.

• A review of core course materials, which alwaysincludes Aaron Stang’s The 21st Century GuitarLibrary, Level 1 from Warner Bros.

Interested in getting started with the electric guitar in yourclassroom? You can support VH1 Save the Music with the“Guitar Educator Bundle (GEBVH1).” $125 out of everybundle purchase goes directly to Save the Music to supportguitar education in music instruction.

Guitar Educator Bundle (GEBVH1): $949, and $125 of the purchase goes directly to VH1 Save the Music

• DeArmond F65 Guitar• Korg Toneworks AX100G Effects Processor• Quick-Lok folding guitar stand• Hard Shell guitar case• Marshall AVT50 Solid-State 50W, 2-channel amplifier• Sennheiser headphones• Strings, picks, strap, cables• Includes shipping

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Finding Funds forMusic TechnologyBy Dr. Tom Rudolph

Funding is more challenging for allareas of music education. Fortunately,when it comes to technology, there aresome strategies that can help.

Clearly define what you want and why you want itWrite down a one-page summary of the technology equipmentthat you want purchased. List several ways that it will enhancethe music curriculum. Focus on your school goals/mission andthe state and/or national standards. Ask the question: how cantechnology help to achieve these standards?

Review the Opportunity to Learn Standards for MusicTechnology published by MENC. The report is at:http://www.menc.org/publication/books/techstan.htm. Usethis to compare what your school/district offers in the musictechnology and to create a need in the eyes of youradministrators.

Develop a one-page summary and budgetWhen the one-page summary is complete, contactSoundTree and ask them for a complete budget proposal.Put this with your one page summary and take it to yourimmediate supervisor to discuss funding.

Join the School Technology CommitteeMusic teachers I have worked with tell me this is the mostp o w e rful step a teacher can take. This will put you in aposition to lobby for music technology hard w a re and softwarethat is purchased from the central school/district budget.

Raise Awareness for the Need for Music TechnologyWhen you speak to parents and administrators mention how important it is to have current technology in the musicclassroom. Let the technology administrator know of yourgoal to add technology and ask for their assistance.

Use A Variety of Strategies Consider the many options of funding sources:

1. Focus on school funding for technology sources. Is there someone who can assist with writing a proposal and funding for music technology?

2. Consider state and local grants.

3. Contact companies in your vicinity to inquire if they would support the purchase of technology equipment and materials.

4. Request help from PTO and Music Booster organizations.

5. Include adding technology to your Department long range plans.

Getting the necessary funding for music technology willtake time, but the benefits make it worth the effort.

To purchase Tom Rudolph’s book, Finding Funds for Music Technology, go to www.soundtree.com or call(800)953-TREE.

Plan it: SoundTree can help YOUbuild a music learningsystem.

Determine Your Instructional ObjectivesIt’s important to stay focused on what yourlearning system should accomplish so thatyou can choose the most appropriate

hardware and software to achieve yourgoals. The professionals at SoundTree willhelp you hone in on exactly what thoseobjectives are and what you need toaccomplish them.

Evaluate Your Time Frame & BudgetAn assessment of these two factors can

really smooth the process along. If you areon a tight schedule, we can help youeliminate hang-ups and red tape. We haveexperience working with a myriad ofsources for funding, including district and

departmental budgets, government andprivate grants, endowments, and Parent-Teacher Organizations.

Consult with SoundTree to Create thePerfect Proposal“One size fits all” solutions can producedisappointing results. That’s why we workwith you to craft a proposal that’s right foryour situation. We’ll make sure that theproposal we develop together reflects yourneeds and desires. Plus, we’ll presenteverything to you in a professional,organized manner that can be easilyunderstood by all approving parties.

Say “Yes” to SoundTreeThat’s all it takes to put our experience towork for you. Our goal is to make surethat the learning system we provideworks as represented and becomes anintegral part of your teaching.

Call or go online for our complete Product Guide. 800-963-TREE • www.soundtree.com

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5

My SoundTree MIDI EducatorBundle saved the day!By Jon Trask, 6th Grade General Music Teacher William Floyd Schools, Shirley, NY

Wow! Finally a complete package that really makes sense!Whether you are just beginning your journey in MusicTechnology or have been around the block a few times, theSoundTree TRITON Le educator bundle (MEB3) is theperfect choice. I can’t think of a better combination ofpowerful and easy to use hardware and software you couldincorporate into any music curriculum.

Starting with the TRITON Le, you have one of the mostpowerful and versatile stand alone music workstationsavailable today. Some of the possibilities include real timesequencing applications such as robust choralaccompaniments, which literally play themselves. Moving tothe band or orchestra you will finally discover that “missing”instrument which, until now, kept you from attempting thoseexotic selections requiring unusual instrumentation (such ascelesta, harpsichord, or orchestral chimes to name a few).The incredible selection of sounds available creates avirtually limitless musical canvas useful for personalizing anycreative project. Add a computer station equipped withsoftware like Print Music, Band in a Box and Freestyle, andyou have a combination that just won’t let you down.

Here are a few situations when the educator bundle reallysaved the day for me. I was being observed while teachingmy 6th grade general music class beginning guitar skills.Things went so smoothly and the students were so wellbehaved, due to the fact that the principal was in the room,that I finished my lesson with almost 10 minutes to spare. Iquickly turned on the computer and started Band in a Box. Ityped in the names of the three simple chords we learn e dthat day, and off we went on a world tour. I simply keptchanging the musical styles of the chord pattern as wewent from place to place, all the time practicing the samet h ree chords on the guitar. The sounds in the TRITON Lereally made it all work. My students had the best soundingback up band anyone could ask for. As they left the ro o mthat day smiling they all kept asking, “Where are we goingto go tomorrow?”

Another time I had some students who were practicing for atalent show but needed to have the sheet music to a certain

Beethoven string quartet by lunchtime. They nervouslyasked me if there was any way I could help. Thanks to myeducator bundle I was able to connect to the Classical MIDIArchives on the Internet and download the MIDI file for theirpiece. I used Print Music to write out each of their individualparts. Finally, I made them practice tapes by importing theirparts into Freestyle and recording both the full version anda “music minus one” version for them to practice along with.The smiles on their faces when I handed them their musicalrescue packages, in less than one hour, are forever etchedin my memory. There are many more stories I could relate,all of which show how much I depend on my SoundTreeMIDI Educator Bundle.

Find out more about SoundTree’s many M IDI EducatorBundles at www.soundtree.com or call 800-9 63-TREE

S o u n d Tree benefits CentennialBy Ming Chen

Centennial Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado is aplace where students arepassionate about the arts. It wastheir good fortune to be recentlyawarded a generous arts grant,funded by a partnership betweenthe Littleton Public SchoolsFoundation and the LittletonPublic School District. Theresulting arts program, calledCAFÉ, enables students toparticipate in daily arts electives atthe end of their regular schoolday. One of the most popular artselectives this year for Centennialstudents has been the Piano Keyboard Lab.

Theresa Derr, music specialist at Centennial, worked withSoundTree to design a lab that could accommodate 26students at a time. The lab is equipped with 27 KorgSP-200 digital pianos, with Koss headsets at every station,all of which is networked to the GEC3 Group EducationController system. The students have enjoyed workingindividually at their piano stations, exploring the exceptionaltone quality of all 30 timbres provided on the SP-200.

“One of the best features about this lab has been the abilityfor the teacher to plug into individual student stations whilechildren are working on pieces from the group curriculum,”Mrs. Derr explains. “Most of these simple songs include aduet part for the teacher to play, so the student and I areable to play duets together using different timbres on thekeyboard. When the student feels especially competent, wewill play together for the entire class to hear. This can bevery motivating for the other students, and gives theperforming student a great sense of pride.

“I think coming to the keyboard lab is an activity childrentruly look forward to,” Mrs. Derr continued. “I have beenthrilled with the high levels of achievement we have seen,even from children who have no previous piano instructionand no instrument on which to practice at home. TheSoundTree lab has had a profoundly positive impact on thestudents at our school.”

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Experiencing

Berklee College of Music’sOnline Extension SchoolBy Christine Mills

A room filled with state-of-the-art equipment: keyboards,computers, lab furniture, a GEC lab controller, and I didn’tknow what to do with it or how to use it with my students.Acquiring the funding for my music technology lab was theeasy part. Finding a resource that would give me a well-rounded foundation and education in music technology, Ithought, was impossible. Then I found an instructor-ledonline music technology course called Desktop MusicProduction at Berkleemusic.com. Berkleemusic is the onlineextension school for Berklee College of Music. They haveall kinds of online courses ranging from 3- to 12-weeks inlength in the areas of Production, Music Business, MusicEducation, Writing, and Performance. Their Desktop MusicProduction course was just what I needed and it has madeall the difference.

My online class quickly became a community of learners.There where 15 people from all walks of a musical life:music educators, performers, hobbyists, and an arranger.Each week, a lesson became available to us online. Thelessons were media rich: lots of screen movies, animations,and interactive practice exercises. Each week, there wereseveral projects to create and upload to the online schoolfor our instructor and other students to critique and providefeedback. It was wonderful to receive comments andsuggestions on the work I completed. I also enjoyedreviewing the projects of my classmates. We all learnedfrom and helped each other throughout each of the 12

weeks. Every Sunday nightat 9:00 p.m. our instructorheld an online office hourin the chat room. That gaveus the opportunity tocommunicate in real time.

Each week we focused ona different aspect of musictechnology using twodifferent music technologysoftware applications:Logic by eMagic, andReason by Propellerheads. Berkleemusic made all of thesepowerful music software tools available to me at no chargefor the duration of the course. It was a great way to get inand get my hands dirty with some high-end tools beforecommitting to a big financial purchase.

Since completing the online course, I know exactly what todo with my music technology lab to help foster acollaborative, productive and very positive environment formy students. They are learning all about music, recording,sequencing, sound design, sampling, effects processing,mixing, creating MP3 files, and so much more.

The 12 weeks in Desktop Music Production flew by and Iwas sorry to see it end. I’ve kept in touch with one of myclassmates who is also a music teacher and looking into thep u rchase of a SoundTree lab. We both agree thatB e r k l e e m u s i c ’s Desktop Music Production course should bea pre requisite to acquiring a music technology lab. For me,Desktop Music Production was a pre requisite for success.

Purchase Berkleemusic.com online courses throughSoundTree! We’ll recommend the best course for yourneeds and help get you started. Call 800-963-TREE tofind out more.

Teaching a state-of-the-artmusic class using the Korg GEC3by Mark Vail, The Harker School, San Jose, CA

Picture a class of students practicing and creating music onelectronic instruments. If everyone listened to his or herplaying through the instrument’s speakers, the classroomwould be a hopelessly noisy environment.

This was a major impetus for Korg and other musicinstrument manufacturers to develop a music lab controllerthat, for one thing, routes the audio output of all of theinstruments in the lab to a teacher station. In addition, thelab controller provides the teacher and every student with aheadset and microphone for verbal communication.

While putting my proposal together for the digital musicclass at The Harker School in San Jose, CA, I researchedmusic lab controllers from numerous manufacturers andfound that the Korg GEC3 was by far the most advancedand flexible unit available. It sports a state-of-the-arttouchscreen display into which I can enter and save thenames and positions of all of the students in multipleclasses. The GEC3 includes a SmartMedia card slot for

storage of class settings. Without going into all of theGEC3’s specs, I’ll add that it provides inputs for a CDplayer, an electronic instrument, or another source, as wellas outputs for an amplified stereo speaker system.

The GEC3 allows me to communicate with individuals,select groups, or the entire class while I demonstrateReason components and introduce the program’s music-making concepts. While the students are working on anassignment, I can covertly listen to what each is doing and,if necessary, speak directly with him or her. I can also groupany number of students to work together on projects, sothey can speak with each other and hear the music othersare working on.

The feedback I’ve been hearing from my students is thatthis is their favorite class. Not only are they enthralled withReason and the music they can create usingit, but they may be even more impressed bythe Korg GEC3. Plans are in the works forthe digital-music program to expand atHarker. There are plenty more digital musicclasses I can teach, and it will be excitingand a pleasure with the GEC3 system.

For a more detailed version of this article andto find out more about the Korg GEC3, go tow w w. s o u n d t ree.com or call 800-963-TREE

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lab running OS X. Not only were we able to make thetransition smoothly in the short time, our technical supporthas dropped considerably to about an average of one andhalf hours per week. Most of the technical support is non-system related. I estimate that may come down to even 30minutes of maintenance work. We have also not had anysystem crashes since moving over to OS X. This certainlyreinforces Apple Computer’s claim that OS X is a rock-solid, dependable OS and should help offset to the cost ofupgrading to OS X.

SummaryIn summary, if you haven’t looked into OS X recently, I urgeto look again. If you are interested in reading up more onOS X and would like to find out more about whatapplications are making the switch, check out:

• www.apple.com/macosx/ technologies/audio.html

• www.osxaudio.com/

• Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Second Edition by David Pogue

• Mac OS X Conversion Kit written by Scott Kelby

For a more detailed version of this article and to find outmore about upgrading to OS X go to www.soundtree.comor call us at 800-963-TREE.

Macintosh OS X has been called the OS of the future formusicians. The time is ripe for making the move to OS X.Every day more and more older applications are beingconverted to work in the new operating system, and somenew cutting-edge applications are beginning to come outdue to the system’s advanced audio engine.

Why OS X?It is clear that Apple put much time and energy in packingOS X with audio features that go way beyond anything weMac users have had in the past. With OS X version 10.2,also known as Jaguar, Apple polished some key audiotechnologies as well as introduced some newer non-musictechnologies that make this operating system highlydesirable. Although there are still some holdouts, it is clearthat by the time you read this, most of the applications youenjoyed on OS 9.x will be out, or almost out for OS X.

OS X For Music EducatorsMusic educators are finding that there are other resourcesand features of OS X that are proving to be useful and ofcreative value. Using Apple’s Digital Lifestyle quartet ofapplications (iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto), musiceducators and students can create imaginative andcompelling projects. With additional features like OS X’sstability as a platform, a multi-purpose audiorecording/playback technology and a multi-user structure,you have a system that fits well with current and futuremusic educators and students. It has become very clear thatApple is serious about being a player in the musicprofession, and has reaffirmed its interest in education. Thisis important since you do not want to invest in a system thatwill become stagnant and eventually non-relevant in yourarea of interest.

We clearly are now seeing that companies perceive theneed to convert older programs to OS X as a high prioritydue to the established and forecasted need. When enoughmusic educators call companies and demand for OS Xproducts due to lab updates or other opportunities thatforce a newer operating system, companies respond.

As music educators new to OS X or consideringupgrading, what are some of the issues that need to bec o n s i d e red? Do the advantages outweigh thedisadvantages? See the table (at right) for a quickcomparison of these issues.

A Case StudyAs a professor of Music at La Sierra University, and as ad i rector of our depart m e n t ’s labs, I have come to know OS Xfairly well from personal experience. Two weeks before ourwinter quarter, our lab was upgraded to a 100% G4 Mac

Why Music Educators should use OS X

• Easy-to-use, but powerful Multimedia creation solutions,iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto. Easily convert studentMIDI files, photos, and video footage into CDs or DVDs.

• OS X is a more stable, yet faster operating system thanOS9 with less computer crashes and faster applicationperformance.

• OS X provides stable, powerful MIDI services within theoperating system thus eliminating the need for third-partyMIDI managing software.

• OS X’s built-in Core Audio System makes working withaudio and creating high quality CDs of student projectseasier than ever.

• An easy-to-use multi-user environment makes it easy toprotect applications and files. Also, networking is now astraightforward process.

• Most well-established music-related applications have beenupdated to work natively in OS X.

Why Music Educators hesitate to switch to OS X

• Not all titles are available for OS X, but many of theseshould be shipping by summer.

• Some fear it will disrupt their current teaching flow. Theya re not sure what tools are available to quickly learn thenew OS.

• There are cost concerns, however, issues of stability andtechnical support should help offset some of thesequestions.

• Some older programs are incompatible with OS X’s newersystem libraries (extensions). Companies are rapidlyaddressing this issue.

• Some users might need a higher-grade file protection andsome of these programs have not yet been converted.

• Some music education applications are slower to convert toOS X. As demand from educators grow, this will change.

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From Rags toRiches: Makingthe move to OS XBy Elvin S. Rodríguez, Ed.D.La Sierra University, Riverside, CA

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