Showing papers in "Music Educators Journal in 1977"

Music for the Flickering Image: American Film Scores.

Abstract: Many moviegoers-even professional musicianscome out of the theatre praising the leading lady, the lavish costuming, the color photography, and the plot but are totally unaware of the music in the film. Some musicians even look down on film music as unworthy of their time and attention, just as filmmakers seldom consider the composer an essential member of the film team, bringing him or her in after the film has been completed. Music is, however, a major component of film.

The Mechanics of Listening to Electronic Music

Abstract: The author is composer-in-residence, director of the electronic lab, and associate professor of music at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. such music classes ill-prepared to appreciate the music. Students are usually very familiar with elevator Muzak and media electronic tricks. They can also be programed to the whizzes of \"fuzzed\" motor rhythms and to the special effects of electronic generation found in Broadway music. The environment in all but the most rural of situations provides a generic program of electronic noise. But students have had few actual musical experiences. All of this \"exposure\" provides less than a perfect foundation for the creation of any aesthetic in regard to the listening to and understanding of electronic music. While teaching synthesizer operation can and should be the core of any electronic music program, it is vital to also teach the mechanics of how to listen to and understand electronic music and all new music. Some students who are programed to electronic gimmicks are resultantly hostile

Warm Up to a Good Sound.

Abstract: David G. Tovey Most choral directors in schools today have been exposed to a variety of warm-up procedures. Yet, many do not use the warm-up time as effectively as possible. Some choral directors have come to regard certain warm-up procedures as tuneful, appealing gimmicks to get students \"in the mood\" for the rehearsal that follows. These directors usually spend more time looking for new warm-up tech-

Folk Music: More Than a Song:

Abstract: The major strength of this book lies in the biographical and career descriptions of the variety of popular and obscure figures who are mentioned. Some of the most valuable portions of the book deal with the evolution of the careers of various individuals and groups. It is also good to see a lengthy, informative biography of Erik Darling, whose tasteful and inventive banjo and guitar playing has influenced countless players. When available, birth and death dates are given for the listings, although it might have been easier to use the book if the authors had printed this material right after the name of the artist rather than in the text of the biography. Some listings do not include the current careers of the artists; for example, one wonders what happened to Leon Bibb after 1961. Presumably this information was not always available to the authors, but the fact that it was not is worthy of mention. In addition to the biographical listings, discussions of such topics as coffeehouses, clawhammer banjo style, and hillbilly music are included. The principal weakness of the book is the omission or scant treatment of many figures who were and are important in the history and development of American folk music. Many key figures in the New York folk music revival are omitted or do not have their own listings. Among these are Tom Glazer, Susan Reed, and Margot Mayo. A number of fine instrumentalists are unaccountably left out, including such banjoists as Benji Aronoff, John Burke, Rufus Crisp, Billy Faier, Grandpa Jones, Don Reno, Pete Steele, Wade Ward, and Snuffy Hankins, one of Earl Scruggs' earliest influences. Similarly, such guitarists as Norman Blake, Dan Crary, Leo Kottke, and Peter Lang are omitted. Although some important blues figures are included, there are no listings for such highly regarded stylists as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Lonnie Johnson, B. B. King, or Charley Patton. The father of gospel music, T. A. Dorsey, is not included. Almost no Canadians are mentioned-not even such well-known figures as fiddler Jean Carignan or recording artist Alan Mills. Cajun music is reasonably well reported, but Clifton Chenier, the master of zydeco, is nowhere to be found. The music of the British Isles is covered without regard to the contributions of Margaret Barry, Shirley Collins, Bert Jansch, Davy Graham, or John Renbourn. Very few folklorists are included, and such scholars as Roger Abrahams, Odum and Johnson, Dorothy Scarborough, Cecil Sharp, and George Pullen Jackson are ignored. There is a surprising lack of controversy in the book. Nearly the only things attacked are the McCarthy era and the Hootenanny television show. There is no discussion of current feminist writer-singers or their books and recordings, yet this is a significant new area in the development of the folk music revival. In general, a reasonable case can be made for the inclusion of most of Hal Leonard's JAZZ IMPROV

PLATO Said My Answer Was Terrific

Abstract: Computer-assisted instruction has been around for a while and a great deal has been written about it. Our technology, however, is truly ever-expanding. New computer programs and systems are continually being developed and music education has not been overlooked in these developments. PLATO is a computer instructional system developed at the University of Illinois. It consists of a central computer (located at a university) and a separate terminal (typewriter and videoscreen) and telephone. A user can telephone the computer at the university from a terminal and then type a request for the particular music lesson he or she wishes to study. Such a system has implications for reorienting school music programs. Using PLATO, a student can choose to study lessons based on drills, a simulated laboratory experiment, a tutorial sequence, or a game situation. A lesson based on drill might focus on interval identification. The student can see the printed notation of the interval on the viewer. If he wishes to move a note to the proper position on the staff, he can manipulate the pictures by typing instructions to do so. This computer system is capable of producing both stationary and moving graphics. There are pictures of staff notation, keyboards, fingerboards of stringed instruments, and even of sound waves moving in an organ pipe. Audio devices attached to the terminal enable the student to hear the sounds of the interval or scale he is building and to play back prerecorded music examples so that he can listen to and analyze a selection of compositions of various periods just by pressing a key. The student gets immediate feedback as to whether or not his answer is correct. If he gets the correct answer, the computer might show a smiling face and the comment, \"That is correct. You're terrific!\" If his response is incorrect he can either try again or press a key labeled \"Help.\" The \"Help\" key takes the student through addition-

Who Knows Where Music Lurks in the Mind of Man

Abstract: Over the last several years scientists have been analyzing the specific functions, processes, and modes of consciousness of the brain. Music educators might be supposed to have little interest in such matters, but that would be a grave mistake with regard to these new researches. The findings have great relevance for the teaching of music, especially for experimental research in music education.

Right in Your Own Backyard

Abstract: One community resource is often, surprisingly, overlooked-music educators. It is always easier to look to others to give, but what of giving ourselves? There are numerous opportunities to use services within our own profession. If there is a nearby college with a music education program, why not ask an interested student to help with a special project or tutoring? College students are more career-minded than ever and would relish the opportunity to work inside a school with a professional. Such an undertaking could also give the prospective music educator an opportunity to work in a field that might be different from his special interest. An instrumental music education major might work in an elementary general music class, or an elementary music education major could help in the production of a high school musical. High school students who are interested in music could help with middle school or elementary music programs. This is common in other subjects in which older students tutor the younger ones in reading or mathematics. Older students can help younger ones in learning the skills involved in the study of music concepts. Undoubtedly there will be organizational problems in the sharing of administrative responsibilities between the professional music educator and the helper or apprentice. The rewards, however, of a better and more personalized music education program are surely worth the effort.-Richard R. Maag, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina

How to Tickle a Whale and Other Everyday Activities

Abstract: ment). (1) The students close their eyes (to avoid visual distractions) and sit or lie down, concentrating on anything they can hear (a) outside the building, (b) inside the building but outside the room, (c) inside the room, and (d) inside themselves. (2) Ring a bell, play a single note on an instrument, or make a resonant, noninstrumental sound. Ask the students to close their eyes and concentrate on the number of variations they can hear after the initial attack. Produce the sound again, and have the students focus on how long it takes for the sound to completely fade (decay). Do it a third time and ask the students to visualize the shape of the sound