4th April, 22
The focus of this week was all things Ableton. Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pick up as much, as I do all my own composing, recording and such in logic and didn’t want to fall behind/miss out on key learning because i wasn’t as familiar. While it felt complex, it was an exciting class. It was great playing around with different effects and getting to experiment outside my comfort zone. We used lots of pre-saved education resources supplied by Ableton, which was helpful for scaffolding the lesson and made it easier to follow along. I did wonder however, how this would work in a classroom setting; it would take me a lot of work to become confident and proficient in the software but would it be achievable for classroom projects? What age group could use this software? How could it be scaffolded for different skill levels?
I read through a blog by Raina Murnak on their use of Ableton in order to continue ensembles throughout online learning and encourage peer-to-peer learning (2020).
This article was from Michael Hayden was also super interesting, highlighting how educators are combining traditional western music with contemporary technology and pedagogy (2015). Reflecting on my own classrooms, I would have responded really positively to this kind of learning.
I also wanted to re-contextualise our ableton class within logic, just to consolidate some of my own learning and continue to extend my own skill and practice in the software. I found this video super helpful.
Hayden, Michael. “Teaching Theory Using Ableton Live.” NAfME, 21 Dec. 2015, nafme.org/teaching-theory-using-ableton-live/. Accessed 3 June 2022.
Murnak, Raina. “From a Distance- Running Your Contemporary Ensemble in the New Age of Quarantine and Cancellations.” The Association for Popular Music Education, 27 Mar. 2020, www.popularmusiceducation.org/blog/from-a-distance-running-your-contemporary-ensemble-in-the-new-age-of-quarantine-and-cancellations/.