EDC 664 - Learning Adventure #2: Music makes me loose control...Not when I'm learning it.

As I type this entry, I am reflecting on my experience in using Sibelius First (version 5) and Sibelius 6 Demo.

Reflection on music project:

I had trouble with Sibelius First (version 5) because it wouldn't load for me in Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit) no matter which shim I would use to trick it in thinking I was running Windows Vista, Windows XP, etc., So, I ended up using Sibelius 6 Demo which supported running Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit) and it would load with ease. One caveat was that after you compose your piece, you couldn't save it. I had to be creative for saving my work and to have evidence of using the software. The other caveat was I had to find another way to save the song and export it into an MP3. Thank goodness for Audacity. It's free and it works like a champ to convert your raw song data into MP3s.

Past Background with Music:

Music is something that I have truly enjoyed all throughout my life. I started to learn music theory early on in 7th grade (Middle School) when you had to learn how to play the recorder and "master" it. The first song that I learned to play on the Recorder was "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It seems so simple to me to play this children's song in my head over the years. After moving from the recorder, I chose the trumpet to see if I could be the next Dizzy G. or Wynton M. The trumpet is a magnificant instrument to play and it was a bit of a challenge for me to learn it as well. The key thing that I had challenges with was my embrosure when playing. Although, I would eventually learn how to play the trumpet, I would only be a 1st/2nd chair fighting for the top spot with another kid that was better than me at the time. Overall, we would challenge each other and switch back and forth every week (friendly competition). As the dust settled, I ended being the 2nd chair (the next highest seed in my section of 10) for trumpet but, it still allowed me to learn from others as well as try out other instruments in class. The bottom line: I played the trumpet from 7th grade to 9th grade (Junior High). In high school, I was in the marching band my sophomore year and I switched from trumpet to the Baritone as suggested by my Band director Mr. Pierce (Best Band Director in NC). He noticed that I could play the trumpet but, my embrosure was a problem more so now in high school than my earlier years in middle school and junior high. So, I switch and I even liked it more since the mouthpiece was more comfortable for me to play the Baritone. Again, I played the Baritone for the next two years in band class but, not on the field after my sophomore year. I wanted to play football my Jr and Sr years and I did.

Present environment:

I am using Audacity to help finalize some of my student's video projects so, it helped me alot to use this tool for this Learning Adventure. In the past, I just used the simple Sound Recorder which is very effective except it usually saves in wave format which can be very large files. Sibelius is not difficult to use. It's just hard to load after you install it. (smile) Thank goodness for from my past on knowning what 4/4 means and remembering music theory from my childhood.

What I learned:

Have fun and expect to have some challenges when you are working with new software/tools. Overall, you have to be tenacious in your efforts to accomplish tasks. Again, have fun while you're doing it.

Conclusion:

At first, I was just tinkering around adding different notes like a child would do and I had fun. Second, I later realized that I remembered two different songs that I could play on the keyboard interface to add to my composition: "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the hook from "I Need Love" by LL Cool J to add a remix of sorts. Later on, I was exploring the different tools and I started to add "Ideas" to the composition which allowed me to get more structure with the beats and rhythms which concluded my piece. Again, this was a fun but challenging adventure working with Sibelius. Furthermore, it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate competence and critical thinking skills to solve problems I was having early on. It gave me an opportunity to understand what I was learning and a chance to reflect upon my experience with music as a child and as an adult. "Let the music play!"

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts.