The MIDI Workstation

As a Music Educator, I am committed to providing the best musical experiences for my students as possible. Today I must teach more than the human voice and band and orchestral instruments. The sounds that comprise current music come from strange new instruments that are connected to computers.

Music is being created using the same technology that most of tomorrow's jobs will be centered around. Synthesizers are everywhere. These instruments are already in most of my student's hands due to the lowering prices of technology. Their presence in today's music is pervasive and undeniable. As a Music Educator I choose to acknowledge the importance of electronic instruments and strive to put them to beneficial use as legitimate musical instruments.

The first argument that I am compelled to make is that we do have a new legitimate musical instrument on our hands. This instrument is a musical means to creativity, diversity of sound and flexibility of format. It combines the tonal variety of a synthesizer and the managerial prowess of a computer into one neat package. I am describing a typical MIDI workstation.

At first you might think that the keyboard of the synthesizer is the only musical item in the MIDI workstation setup. Any piano player might be able to perform as usual on this equipment. However, with knowledge of computer music programs and practice the musical possibilities created with the addition of a computer can radically change the output of any piano player. The key word here is practice.

If you can accept the fact that a MIDI workstation is a new instrument you may be willing to accept the fact that it will take practice to learn how to play it. Remember how long it took you to learn how to play your instrument? Well, it won't take that long I guarantee. But, you do need some time to learn to play a MIDI workstation.

Providing quality performance experience for students in the classroom and in public is a priority for all music educators. I have used the technology of MIDI and recording to help increase the chances of having a quality performance with my students. All levels of performance are touched by the inclusion of technology in my program. I teach with a computer MIDI setup to supplement and create examples, and to accompany. Rehearsals are accompanied from the MIDI setup to help speed up the flow of rehearsal and to free me up to be out among the performers. It is also easy to produce quality rehearsal tapes for study or performance tapes for enjoyment. Public performances are accompanied by either tapes I produce from the MIDI setup or live from the computer.

The quality of performance experiences have increased in my program since I began using technology. The students enjoy it and it's a way for them to appreciate music in the technology oriented environment that they are familiar and comfortable with.

Here are some ot the other suggestions for using midi and technology as a teaching tool. Imagine that you are presenting the concept of rhythmic duration. The student can practice with a software program to understand more fully how each of these notes have a particular length in sound, or a sustained sound in regard to the notes with greater duration. If you are presenting ear training, use a software program to test students on pitch memory or interval recognition. Computers can give instant feedback to a student and keep them focused on various elements while the teacher is working with another group of students learning specific tools or perhaps reviewing these students on other concepts.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages which we should recognize. For starters, the computer can not take the place of a student having hands on experiences with an actual instrument and making music the "old fashioned" way. Secondly, technology can enhance our scores and our working knowledge of becoming better musicians, but it will not replace the fine tuning of playing a real instrument. In other words, computers are better at teaching the technical side of music but have a more difficult time when it comes to teaching musicality.

The Arguments Against MIDI Can be Pretty Powerful.

Many music educators at the elementary level understandably are skeptical of, or even hostile to the idea of incorporating computers and MIDI technology into their programs. They argue that, "It's just a fad, it will pass in time." No, its not. MIDI is going to be around in some form as long as there are personal computers and musicians. The music industry is firmly committed to MIDI. More and more educators are using MIDI in their classrooms. Textbook companies are providing MIDI files to accompany their series. MIDI is prevalent on the internet and an integral part of the utility Quicktime. Computers and MIDI are here to stay.

If you are adamant about any one of these arguments, then MIDI is probably not for you. Nonetheless, I would like to address each of these arguments to at least rationalize if not promote the use of MIDI technology in the elementary music classroom.

"I've been teaching just fine without it." Good teachers tend not to teach the same thing in the same way year after year. We pick out new music, we get new recordings, we update textbooks etc. These changes are not wholesale. They fit in with our established program. MIDI technology can fit in with what your are doing. It's very nature lends itself to flexibility. I have dovetailed MIDI into my program slowly, in small ways as I have learned about it.

"I don't have time to learn something new." Classroom teachers used to use this same argument when computers were introduced to them. To learn MIDI technology you will need to devote some time to it, but it doesn't have to take over your life unless you want it to. Music teachers have as much of a right to learn new skills and techniques as anyone else. Join together with other MIDI novices and demand some learning time. A knowledgeable MIDI clinician will be able to save you time by offering tips and clear directions.

"It's too expensive." If you are in a cash-strapped district, this is probably true. Even if computers are being bought for the classrooms or learning centers the music classroom tends to get overlooked. The most expensive part of a MIDI setup is the computer. The rest of the MIDI setup can be purchased for under $1000. Work out a way to share a computer with another part of your school. Fortunately, many school districts are actually encouraging music teachers to explore technology. The interest is there, and often so is the funding.

"I can't teach something that I don't know." I entered into the world of MIDI with very little knowledge of its workings. I frankly told my students that we were going to explore and learn about this together. The ways I use MIDI in my classroom today developed gradually. My students and I are able to use MIDI equipment to fill specific needs and to explore the music we are currently working on. I don't look at MIDI as something else to teach. I look at it as another means to experience and learn about music. I cannot recall ever thinking that I didn't know enough about MIDI technology to use it in my classroom.

Arguments for and against any new educational ideas are always going to be a part of teaching. Healthy and constructive dialogue is essential for music education, and is the path to social reason, progress, and humanity.

Deciding to begin using MIDI technology is a big step. I guarantee that if you do decide to use it that you will gain a new perspective on music, sound, and technology. For me, computers and MIDI have been exciting and musically rewarding. I can only hope that it will be the same for you.

Andrew Farnham

Used with Author's permission,
© MusicStaff.com

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