Once again, very interesting information being presented in this Module, though I found myself at one point very frustrated. I shall start with that aspect in this reflection, and finish on a "good note."
As a class we were introduced to Soundation, a free to use could-based internet Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). The reading from the text and the lynda.com videos that were watched helped put into perspective what a DAW is (most of which I already knew, at least with a novice's experience). Bauer (2014) offers a nice succinct definition that DAWs "are capable of handling MIDI, digital audio, and loops, allowing the user to record audio, sequence MIDI, edit, mix, add effects, and master" a music production. With such a loft amount of capabilities, I would expect even a free version to be able to accomplish most of those tasks with relative ease. After having used GarageBand, and Apple program, I found Soundation lacking. Similarly to last weeks experience with notation software, but to a greater degree due in large part to the greater complexity of what these programs are meant to offer, I felt disappointed in the program we were meant to learn and use this week. I will once again concede that in part it may be my unfamiliarity to Soundation that makes me feel this way, but especially being able to compare in to another program that I feel I am only beginning to understand (GarageBand) I find it limiting and difficult to use. One exception to this view is its cloud-based sharing functionality. That I find very useful, but in comparison to many benefits that GarageBand has instead with relation to: loops to choose from, ease of manipulating the sounds produced, ease of MIDI controller input, and others, I think I would choose GarageBand over Soundation except in scenarios in which budget prevented the use of GarageBand. Even comparing Soundation to the program that was used to demonstrate DAW capabilities in the lynda.com video (I think it was Logic but I could be wrong) it seemed to lack the power of other programs. When thinking educationally about the affordances and constraints of such programs, I would also vote for ease of use if at all possible. If anything, seeing how much easier GarageBand appears to be (in my opinion) makes me want to explore it further. I say all this mostly because each time I come up with a "problem" or just something I would like to try, it is much quicker to accomplish it with GarageBand due to its ease to be able to figure it out on your own with minimal exploration of the program, or more websites devoted to the program allowing for more chances to find the answer when doing an internet search.
The text and videos also gave explanation as to how sound works in relation to MIDI, digital audio, audio file types and compression. Some particulars I already knew, including terms like frequency (pitch- high or low) and amplitude (loudness) with lynda.com going into more depth about wave forms. Digital recording terminology like sample rate (how many times a sound is sampled per second also measured in frequency) and bit depth (essentially referring to what degree of dynamic range can be measured) were very new to me, and the videos helped explain these in very visually easy to understand methods. I particularly liked the explanation on how wave forms can accentuate or cancel each other out, which is something I have always known, but never mentally translated into audio recording and mixing. Seeing different cables (balanced and unbalanced cables was a completely foreign concept to me) and seeing diagrams of signal flow seemed simplistic but that is exactly what I needed at the stage of prior experience I have with setting up a sound system (which is not much).
The text also delved into composition and how to incorporate technology in an educational setting. Both the use of notation software and DAWs can aid this process, but the text makes very clear that a careful examination of the affordances and constraints must occur, for though technology can help reach students like the "other 80%" (part of our discussion this week on reaching music students who are non-traditional in that they do not take part in a performing ensemble, therefore needing to learn about music in another medium), technology can also sometimes replace necessary skills and knowledge making it almost too easy to create music instead of learning foundational music skills like theory, form, and performance techniques, in particular taking over the requirement for audiation skills. Taking careful stock of the TPACK (discussed in Module 1) to ensure the technology does not become the focal point is key.
So, in summary, this week was partially frustrating, but for the most part it was very functional and sequential information that was presented to me this week, helping to build my foundation and hopefully comfort in all of this in the future.
Bauer, W. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and Responding to Music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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