MIDI, music and me: Students' perspectives on composing with MIDI Presenter: Jenny Tseng Professor: Ming-Puu Chen Date: December 29, 2008 Airy, S. & Parr, J. M. (2001). MIDI, music and me: Students’ perspectives on composing with MIDI. Music Education Research, 3(1),

2 Introduction Educational possibilities have not been explored, partly because of limited utilization of MIDI in the classroom.  The centrality of the teacher’s role in implementing technological innovation in the classroom  The lack of support and training for teachers The contribution of this paper is to present students’ experiences and views of MIDI.

3 Method Contexts & Participants This study was conducted at a polytechnic which offers courses specializing in Audio Engineering and Music Production All students study MIDI sequencing as part of the course requirements. The program is conducted at certificate level and diploma level Participants in the study were 12 from the certificate program and a further 12 from the diploma program.

4 Method Procedure Certificate student  10 weeks of using MIDI sequencing packages  An initial 40-minute semi-structured interview  Musical background, experience with computers and their experiences in composing with MIDI were asked.  wrote several paragraphs in response to a follow-up questionnaire 15 weeks after the initial interviews. To see if further experience of MIDI had changed their position Diploma student  20 weeks of MIDI use  Interviews were slightly shorter and concentrated on students’ perceptions of their productivity with MIDI.

5 Findings and Discussion Previous Access to Music and to MIDI The majority of students had not participated in formal music education prior to their enrolment. Seventeen students described school music lessons as ‘pointless’, ‘boring’ or ‘a waste of time’. All students who participated in the interviews during this study stated that making music via MIDI was not taught in their secondary schools.  Most students reported that their secondary schools had no MIDI facilities.  Some observed that resources for making music were present but not used.

6 Findings and Discussion Musical Voice MIDI sequencing  allows students to compose and perform their music  gives students a musical voice Music curricula of the past have not always been able to accommodate the voices of every class member.  MIDI allowed their voices to be heard. There was general agreement amongst the students surveyed that MIDI allowed them to explore their own ideas independently of both the teacher and other students.

7 Findings and Discussion My Music Certificate students responded in two ways.  ‘Techno’ and ‘dance music’ were best suited to composition via MIDI.  The music they personally preferred was readily composed with MIDI. Diploma students  ‘Techno’ and ‘dance’ rhythms were the exclusive domain of MIDI and other music types of individual preference were generally considered ‘off-limits’ because of what they perceived as the confines of MIDI production.  The role of MIDI as a tool in composition  The ‘sound’ and ‘feel’ of the music they preferred was not captured by MIDI.

8 Reflections on the Limitations of MIDI MIDI Controllers and Access The ability for most students to utilize the keyboard as a controller for either keyboard music or to access other sonorities remained largely unrealized Students were critical of the use of the keyboard in certain situations.  For example, the production of drums using a keyboard controller was a concern. Controllers can assist musicians by providing access to a variety of instrumental sounds without the need for specialist knowledge or technical mastery of each instrument

9 Reflections on the Limitations of MIDI Sequencing with MIDI For the student with low music literacy, MIDI provides a notation-free environment The use of ‘cut and paste’ was reported to be the single most useful function of MIDI sequencing  This is a facility useful for enabling greater access to music for students with limited instrumental skills. Software that provides more features than required may inhibit access while the cost of unnecessary features may hinder purchase.

10 Reflections on the Limitations of MIDI Access to Sound Two contrasting views about the sounds produced  some sounds as unrealistic and non-representative of instruments that they are trying to imitate.  the sounds created using the synthesizer were not an attempt to imitate a real instrument but, rather, had possibilities to create exciting new sonorities. MIDI will not make them ‘better’ composers, nor will it enable them to write music of which they are not capable. MIDI facilitates the externalizing of musical ideas so students must be encouraged to ‘think in sound’.

11 Reflections on the Limitations of MIDI Access to Sound For the more experienced students, the limitations of the MIDI protocol were becoming increasingly synonymous with an inability to achieve production at the desired level. For those students who have not had the advantage of a formal traditional music education there are even greater benefits.