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.

A musical event takes a conference by surprise

In the grand tradition of Improv Everywhere the team set up an event that takes a TED conference by surprise. What is supposed to be an announcement about a new social media website actually turns into a fully scored musical comment on social media, with a cast of hundreds. This is fairly short so you might even play it, discuss it, then re-run it. The TED version is not available to share, but is available on the TED site here. The group Improv Everywhere has a website that is worth a look. However, in a school setting I would not trawl through this without checking first. They are never horrid but can be edgy or at least "adult".