Online Music Resources Spotlight: MusicTechTeacher.com

This little gem has been around for several years. Long enough to amass a wide selection of music games, music quizzes and help pages. The Music Worksheets page gives students extra practice on basic rudiments and composition. There are also print mazes that feature a famous composer and/or performer.

The Links page provides links to post secondary music schools, music software and music educators. MusicTechTeacher.com is a very useful online resources for music students and music teachers alike!

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

The Big Reveal of Virtual Choir 3.0's Water Night

Yesterday was truly a magical day. After going through a rough morning (Murphy's Law prevailed), I was looking forward to seeing the cheerful faces of my students and the "premiere" of Virtual Choir 3.0. Both were the balm that I needed.

My students had heard about me struggling with my submission for Virtual Choir 3.0 (those pesky trouble spots). How apropos that I watched the premiere with two of my music students via Lincoln Center's live stream.

From the moment that lone water drop touched down and we sang our opening chord, the hairs on my arms stood up and my arms tingled. My students and I were just speechless for several minutes:

Our "performance" of "Water Night" by Grammy-winning composer Eric Whitacre, is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. Spiritually, it's a balm and a booster. Truly magical. 

It's a powerful reminder of the power of music, of how art builds community and breaks barriers. A total of 3,746 videos from 2,945 people (singing one or more parts) in 73 countries were submitted.Now pundits can complain about how the cut-offs aren't exact and those "esses" drag on forever, or that we were blended together artificially. To them, I say that the virtual environment is never meant to replace the live environment. Just augment it.

I already sing in my church choir (and play piano AND cajón). I do a bit of collaborating with other musicians. Virtual Choir gives me a new world to explore. Technology to master. "Rehearsals" and "performances" that don't require me to give up teaching time. New repertoire to challenge myself with. New friends.

The singing part of Virtual Choir is only a fraction of the entire experience. I blogged about my Virtual Choir preparation and recording experience here. The real magic of Virtual Choir is "virtual choir makes real connections".

Some Virtual Choir members have been inspired by their experience to join a choir in their neighbourhood. I know of a couple who have signed up for singing lessons as a result of their Virtual Choir experience.

People from my generation may remember having international pen-pals as a child. Now, I have a whole army of pen-pals. With a VC member in numerous timezones, there is always someone available when I am.

We're exchanging gifts, planning visits and so on. I know of one couple who have come together through Virtual Choir.

We celebrate the joys, such as a job interview, a new composition or relationship. We support each other through the rough patches, such as surgery, relationship break-ups and cancer.

I was chatting with some of my choir buddies from the Virtual Choir Army last night and after celebrating the culmination of our hard work with "Water Night", we looked towards the future. Immediately on the horizon is our next multi-track project (singing Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium"). We dreamed about future real-life reunions and Virtual Choir 4.0. We are riding the wave of community and artistry created by Virtual Choir and seeing where it (and technology) will take us next.

So when we see that video, we see the breakdown of barriers. People in isolation coming together. People from countries who aren't on amicable terms singing "beside" each other. We see the we see the growth of those connections. We hear the magic created by people who may never meet, in communion with one another, drawn together to bring the haunting strains of "Water Night" to life.

Bravo Eric! Bravo VC Team! Bravo to all of you, my fellow choristers in Virtual Choir. We've made something truly special here.

Click on image below to check out Eric Whitacre's newest CD, Water Night:

World Music Exploration - La Oreja de Van Gogh

Thanks again to my Virtual Choir mate Luma Zuri for finding this week's clip of the week. We are exploring the music of La Oreja de Van Gogh (Van Gogh's Ear). This Spanish pop/rock band earned an Ondas Award for Best New Act for their debut "Dile al Sol".

La Oreja de Van Gogh

is popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

This is Comets in the Sky (Cometas por al Cielo):

La Oreja de Van Gogh Website

Click on the CD image below to check out more of La Oreja de Van Gogh's music:

(c) 2012 by Musespeak (TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Pia no Jac First Contact Album Review

→Pia no Jac←was founded in 2005 by pianist Hayato Tatsunari and percussionist Tadahiro “Hiro” Moritomi. The band name is a combination of Hayato and Hiro's instruments: “piano” and “cajón”.

In the early days, the pair performed everywhere from footbridges and shopping malls to ballet classes and night clubs. The duo has since performed in France, Thailand and Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

This jazz group's music is a jazz fusion that incorporates J-pop, Jazz, Rock and Classical. Hayato and Hiro describe their music as “hybrid instrumental” and they seek to entertain audiences with their technical ability, showmanship and humor shine through.

→Pia no Jac← has worked with several heavy hitters in the Japanese entertainment industry, including commercial creator, Michihiko Yanai, composer/director Joe Hisaishi, ARASHI and SQUARE ENIX. The duo have released nine albums to date.

First Contact Highlights

The opening track, “Suite Quote-unquote” is a fast-paced number that showcases the music duo's hybrid style. The opening theme is sounds like a piano exercise performed at a breakneck tempo, but when combined with a frenetic groove on the cajón, it becomes something different. It then switches from a Latin flavor to a bit of swing.

"Floral Heartstring (Canon)" (Track 4) is a sweet number. The piece is Baroque in form (canon), while the melody is romantic in nature. The cajón is very subtle, allowing the dreamy melody to soar throughout on the piano.

The final track, “Jack” brings the album to a dramatic close. It's an aggressive blend of boogie and rock. The piano has several boogie and blues licks, containing equal doses of syncopated rhythms and rapid chromatic runs. Rock and combined with a driving galloping groove resound on the cajón.

First Contact is fun album with catchy tracks that showcase this music duo's “hybrid instrumental” style. One word of advice from one listener to another: If you tend to have a lead foot on the gas pedal, do not drive while listening to the fast numbers on this album (or any →Pia no Jac← album, for that matter). This album is bound to raise any listener's energy level.

First Contact Track Listing

1. Suite Quote-unquote

2. Erosion

3. Run Rabbit Run

4. Floral Heartstring (Canon)

5. blue moon

6. Jack

7. BONUS: First Contact contains the video clip of 組曲『 』(Kumikyoku)

Produced by: Keiichi Kato

Label: Shinko Music Records, 2008

Check out Pia no Jac's music at CD Japan by clicking the icon below:

First Contact

Pia-no-jaC

Pia no Jac Website

Pia no Jac on Twitter

(c) 2012 by Rhona-Mae Arca, Musespeak(TM). All rights reserved. 

Online Music Resources Spotlight: Making Music Fun

Making Music Fun is a friendly site with music games, music worksheets, free sheet music and music resources. These are geared toward beginner to early intermediate-level students.

There is a nice selection of note-naming worksheets as well as interval worksheets. They are visually appealing to young students. There are also composer word searches.

Making Music Fun is well laid out. Visit the Music Library and learn all about a composer. There are composer biographies, worksheets, lesson plans and sheet music. You can also access this information in the Print It section.

There is also an arcade, which contains two music theory games ("Music Distress" and "Eek Shark!"). All worksheets are available for free.

(c) 2012 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.