A 2,000 voice virtual choir

Eric Whitacre tells the story of his unexpected introduction to the world of music, then goes on to show how he worked with a "virtual choir" of internet friends to create a stunning piece of music. Even though this is art music students will be intrigued by the technology, the human stories behind the production, and the beautiful sounds. Check here for an earlier video with 185 voices. Ask students what makes this story so interesting. For me, it is because it was not a planned concept, but something that arose from a serendipidous event (someone univited posting sung parts to one of Eric's compositions). You can also ask the students what might have had to be done in production to make all these voices fit together, and also what role social media had in this process.

Juggling to the complex timings and time changes of a Beatles medley

This video has never failed to captivate students... even those who don't "get" the Beatles. The music is the Beatle's own medley from the end of the Abbey Road album, including "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry that Weight". The point of using this is that there are a whole series of interesting rhythmical motifs and time signature changes, and the juggler throws and catches in perfect timing. Moreover, he uses different juggling patterns to reflect the intensity and emotions of the music. Students can reflect on the way one art work can be used within another (e.g. Starry Starry Night). They might also like to reflect on the skill that sees the artist catch the balls in time, given that he cannot control the balls once they leave his hand. You can also reflect on why particular performances rise above entertainment to have personal impact.

Band of Brothers

 

Four brilliant Australian performers in full flight. The brothers Slava and Leonard Grigorian are guitarists (Slava probably counted as one of Australia's leading classical guitarists). They joined with the brothers Joseph and James Tawadros to create "The Band of Brothers". Joseph plays the Arabic ud, the instrument from which the Lute developed. James plays the Req, an Arabic percussion instrument. This video cuts between several songs or song sections. The material starts slowly but that is part of the design... it is rythmically strong and melodically appealing when it gets going. The ud, unlike the lute, has no frets... and see if you can catch a glimpse of the long pencil like pick that emerges from the back of Josephs hand in a few shots. This originally would have been a quill made from an eagle's feather... and perhaps still is! By the way, the "ud" is also spelled 'ud and oud. In Arabic "the ud" would be "al ud" and if you say this you can hear where the word "lute" came from.

The Theorbo

The Theorbo is a Renaissance instrument developed from the lute. The upper melodic strings terminate at the lute like headstock, but the lower strings are attached to a massively long neck extension. These lower strings are tuned to the scale of the composition and are not fretted. They are played as open strings. You can use this video either to examine a fascinating and even bizaare looking instrument, but also to compare it to a modern approach to the same design problem, the Chapman Stick. This video contains several pieces, so play one as an example. The setting is a baroque church, chosen in part for its acoustic properties.

The Amazing Chapman Stick

The inventor of the Chapman Stick explains his invention and discovery process. The Chapman Stick is derived from the guitar but is played only by tapping. Consequently he has added a second instrument on the same wide fretboard: a bass guitar, that can be played by the left hand while the right is playing melody and even chords on the guitar section.

In the class context show a YouTube video of an expert playing, then this video to explore the design and creativity aspects.