JamStudio.com

I recently became aware of, and have begun to explore, a new Web 2.0 site called JamStudio.com. JamStudio.com is a web-based music sequencer where you can compose and publish your own tunes.



Jamstudio.com has similarities to programs such as GarageBand and Band-in-a-Box, although not currently as full-featured or flexible as either of those programs. There are free and paid (monthly subscription) versions available, the difference being the features accessible to the user.



Teachers can apply for free "All Access Pass" accounts for themselves and their students through Jamstudio.com's Education Grant Program. This level of account enables the user to download MP3s of compositions that are created. It also allows access to additional sounds. To learn more about the Educational Grant Program, email education@jamstudio.com.



Jamstudio.com is intriguing and would appear to have some applications to music education, especially if it continues to develop and add features. Web applications such as this and Noteflight make it possible for everyone to create music, at least at a certain level, without specialized software and hardware, and at no direct cost. This, I think, is a very good thing!

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

Here's a project that is, as far as I know, a first of its kind. An opportunity to audition to play Internet Symphony No. 1 “Eroica” for YouTube by Tan Dun at Carnegie Hall this coming April.

Interested in joining the first-ever collaborative online orchestra? Professionals and amateur musicians of all ages, locations and instruments are welcome to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra by submitting a video performance of a new piece written for the occasion by the renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). We have tools to help you learn the music, rehearse with the conductor, and upload your part for the collaborative video.

On the web site, you can download your part to the symphony, and practice along with a couple of different forms of a video - both show the face of the conductor (as if you were sitting in the ensemble), one with the orchestra playing and one with no sound. I find the one without sound to be a little strange and am not sure how helpful it really would be in helping to prepare the piece. Perhaps more valuable are a series of master class videos by members of the London Symphony Orchestra. When you are ready, you can upload a video of yourself playing some recommended excerpts to audition for the Carnegie Hall performance.

All-in-all, it is a pretty interesting undertaking and an innovative application of Web 2.0 technologies. I like the way video is being used to help people learn about music, even though I might quibble about the pedagogical approach to a degree. An ambitious music educator might utilize a similar method with his/her students. There are actually many videos on YouTube that are terrific for learning about all things music related. Of course the trick is finding these amongst all the YouTube content. Teachers also have to be careful that students don't come access videos with inappropriate content, and it is not uncommon for YouTube to be blocked in schools. Sites such as SchoolTube and TeacherTube may be viable alternatives.

So, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well the old adage is to "practice, practice, practice." But maybe YouTube has a role too!


Internet Symphony No. 1 “Eroica” for YouTube