SOUND
UTRGV SOM
OCTOBER 2021
MOVING FORWARD WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND WHERE WE ARE GOING
ISSUE NO. 1
OCTOBER 2021
INSIDE SOUND TABLE OF CONTENTS 05 Editor's Note 07 Director's Cut
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12 SoM in the News
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24 Faculty Profiles 30 Sound Thinking 38 Featured Artist : Josiah Boornazian 43 Interviews
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30
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47 Research Now
31 Technology Now 43 Shop Talk
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43 50
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https://www.utrgv.edu/music/index.htm
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EDITOR'S NOTE A Reflection on the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura): Over the last two years, we have experienced and endured a significant amount of historic events, at times overwhelmingly so. Moving forward it will be imperative for all of us to reflect on what we have experienced and to lead with, develop, and practice empathy with our family, friends, and neighbors locally as well as globally. So, what should we be asking ourselves as we move into a new-normal?
HOW HAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGED WHO I AM AS A PERSON? I have found more joy in staying present in the moment and have developed a greater sense of appreciation in accepting and interacting with the experience as it unfolds. WHAT DO I VALUE? My health, my family, my art, and my friendships. WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES ME? My family, frontline workers, and the opportunity to collaborate and create with others. WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE? I need to think carefully and be diligent in creating a process(es) that I find fulfilling and that will have a positive impact on others. HOW CAN THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC HELP US THROUGH OUR JOURNEY? Be present, stay present, and provide us with opportunities to grow, create, and engage with faculty, students, and our community.
OCTOBER
2021
MARK JOSEPH RAMÍREZ, DMA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC PROFESSOR OF PERCUSSION SOUND | 5
UTRGV SOM
OCTOBER 2021
DIRECTOR'S CUT Greeting and Salutations! Since March of 2020, we have dealt with unprecedented challenges fighting COVID-19. Faced with many obstacles, we have forged ahead adapting our program offerings, educational methods, and concert series to connect with our community in new ways. In 2021, we have made significant advances in our fight against COVID-19 through the development of vaccines. However, we are still not out of the woods. To remain sensitive to all members of the School of Music community, we continue to offer hybrid programming in our courses and concert series.
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KURT MARTINEZ, DMA DIRECTOR SCHOOL OF MUSIC PROFESSOR OF GUITAR As we have begun reintroducing face-to-face learning, rehearsals, and performances, we are excited to introduce you to SOUND! SOUND is a digital magazine and a first of its kind for the UTRGV School of Music. Our team has developed a magazine that will provide opportunities for our faculty, students, alumni, and staff to share and showcase their activities in teaching, research and creative works, and service to the Rio Grande Valley, the entire South Texas region, and beyond. Through the pages of SOUND, you will see that the UTRGV School of Music is one of the premier music institutions in South Texas. We hope you will find SOUND informative, insightful, and meaningful. The School of Music offers students opportunities for musical study in a professional and artistic environment that strives to promote the highest level of artistry according to each student’s unique strengths. NOM AU D INCD | | 2 4 SO 7
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OCTOBER 2021
ISSUE NO.1
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
, s n o i t a l u t a r g n ! o ! l C o r a C Made With Love DR. CAROL MCNABB Dr. McNabb retired at the end of the 2021 spring semester. The School of Music would like to thank Carol for her dedication to our students, community, and the profession. You have touched many lives throughout your career, and you will be missed!!
Please join the School of Music in congratulating Dr. McNabb and in wishing her the best in this new chapter of her life!
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String Studies at
Tido Janessen Cello
Diana Seitz Violin
Norman Gamboa Director of Orchestral Activities Conductor of the UTRGV Symphony Orchestra
George Amorin Double Bass
Joel Pagan Viola
The String Area faculty at the UTRGV School of Music invite you to discover why we are one of the most exciting music programs in the state of Texas. We offer a fantastic environment in which to learn and grow as a string player, student, and musician, while enjoying the great experience of being part of the vibrant UTRGV School of Music family. The School of Music is the path to achieving a successful future. UTRGV is known for its high-level education, its challenging and creative setting as well as its comfortable and safe learning atmosphere, all geared toward student success. With over 32,000 students, UTRGV maintains students and faculty connected in an environment where you are always respected and appreciated. UTRGV has numerous scholarships and graduate assistantships as well as other forms of financial aid available. Music scholarships are based upon musical talent and potential as displayed through a music entrance audition. Audition take place during the spring semester and can also be scheduled at any time during the year by contacting the School of Music and the appropriate applied music faculty member. We offer undergraduate degrees in music performance and music education (EC-12 Teacher Certification) as well as graduate degrees in music education, music performance, ethnomusicology, and conducting. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the best places to live, the Rio Grande Valley combines the ease of living in a small city with the benefits of a vibrant metro area and major center for retail, international trade, and tourism and manufacturing. The Rio Grande Valley offers a high quality of life with plenty of job opportunities and entertainment options, making your time at UTRGV truly memorable.
For additional information, please visit us at www.utrgv.edu/music To schedule a campus visit or to request an audition please email us at music@utrgv.edu
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TOP 5 TIPS FOR RETURNING TO THE UTRGV SCHOOL OF MUSIC FACE-TO-FACE
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ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITAL LIFE University will give you a lot to keep track of. Be sure to keep in close communication with the faculty who teach your classes and make sure you are keeping all your digital files and folders organized. Once you have a formula...stick with it!
SET UP WORK HABITS
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Do you use a digital planner or a paper planner? Do you set reminders for yourself? Setting up habits can help you stay on track and on task.
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LEARN TO BUDGET
Keep track of your time, expenses, food, and necessities. Budgeting your time, spending, and saving will help support your needs and give you important skills for the future.
STAY UP-TO-DATE ON UNIVERSITY AND CDC POLICIES AND MANDATES
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Make sure you keep yourself well-informed of any changes to University policies and CDC mandates regarding COVID-19 protocols.
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STAY IN TOUCH WITH LOVED ONES
Set times aside to call or message them so you stay connected. It's good for your mental health!
OCTOBER 2021
UTRGVSOM
ISSUE NO.1
SoM I N T H E N E W S : Alumni Success Stories
Fabian Lopez A recent graduate of UTRGV’s Master of Music program, Fabian Lopez concentrated his studies in music education. While completing his BA at UTPA, he performed violin in the university’s nationally recognized Mariachi Aztlán and performed 2nd violin with the university’s scholarship string quartet Quartetto Giocoso. Presently, a mid-career high school string orchestra and symphony director for Edinburg CISD (2020 Best Communities for Music Education) at Economedes HS, Fabian Lopez continues to perform with local ensembles including the Opus Chamber Orchestra with South Texas College and has played alongside some of his academic mentors like Dr. Virginia Davis, Dr. Diana Seitz and Dr. Andrea Dawson in the Valley Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with a variety of Latin pop artists such as Marco Antonio Solis and Gloria Trevi and even performed with reggaeton artist Hector “El Father” at the Estadio de Fútbol Atanasio Girardot in Medellín, Colombia with 23,000 in attendance. He has had the opportunity to perform for an outdoor food kitchen in Paris, France. He’s played for a variety of churches and events in Germany, Mexico and Brazil. One of his most adventurous experiences was performing violin in a village of the Wounaan tribal people on the outskirts of Buenaventura, Colombia. Recently accepted, Fabian will continue his studies at Boston University in the Doctor of Musical Arts program which begins in the fall of 2021. Go Terriers! SOUND | 14
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OCTOBER 2021
ISSUE NO.1
SoM
I N T H E N E W S : Alumni Success Stories
Nathan Limas
N a t h an Limas g r a d u a t e d f r o m U T R G V w i t h a Master of M u s i c i n t r om b o n e p e r f ormance w h e re he studi e d w i t h D r . W i l l iam Haugeb e r g a n d D r . P e d r o M a r tinez. Duri n g h i s t i m e a t U T R G V , h e p l a y ed with the V a l l e y S y m p ho n y O r c h estra, the U T R G V O r c h e s t r a , a n d t h e U T R GV Jazz Ban d . H e h a s a l s o p e r f o r m e d w i t h a student - l e d g r o u p , S o n i d o s i n F r o n tera, at the T e x a s B r a s s S y m p o s i u m , th e Texas Musi c E d u c a t o r ’ s A s s o c i a t i o n (T M EA),and at t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l T r o m bone Festi v a l i n 2 0 1 9 a t B a l l S t a t e U n i v ersity.
L i m as has also p e r f o r m e d w i t h t h e U T R GV Trombo n e C h o i r a t t he B i g X I I T r o m bone Con f e r e n c e a n d t he T r o m bonanza Fe s t i v a l i n S a n t a F e , A r g e ntina. He r e c e i v e d h i s B a c h e l o r ’ s i n M u s ic Educatio n a t T e x a s A & M C o r p u s C h r i sti in 2018. N a t h a n w i l l be c o n t inuing his e d u c a t i o n a s a d o c t o r a l s t u d ent in tromb o n e p e r f o r ma n c e a t th e University o f S o u t h e r n C al i f o r n i a T h o rnton Schoo l o f M u s i c w h e r e h e w i l l r e c e ive a Grad u a t e S t u d e n t T u i t i o n A w a rd.
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UTRGV AT A GLANCE
TOTAL UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT, FALL 2020 - 32,441 HISPANIC ENROLLMENT - 91%
91% ENDOWMENT (FY20) - $103,771,763 ANNUAL BUDGET (FY21) - $633,145,784 RESEARCH EXPENDITURES (FY20) - $53,663,365 TOTAL FACULTY (FALL 2020) - 1,789 TOTAL STAFF (FALL 2020) - 2,794
UTRGV SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT A GLANCE FALL 2021 NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 512 CHARACTERISTICS UNDERGRADUATE- 398 MINORS - 82 GRADUATE-32
NUMBER OF FACULTY: 58 RANKS PROFESSORS- 12 ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS- 14 ASSISTANT PROFESSORS- 11 LECTURERS- 21 100% 51% 45%
JOB PLACEMENT AFTER GRADUATION OF UTRGV STUDENTS PAY $0 OUT OF POCKET STUDENTS PERFORM AND COMPETE AT CONFERENCES NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
UTRGVSOM
OCTOBER 2021
ISSUE NO.1
SoM I N T H E N E W S : Alumni Success Stories
Rosalinda Ramírez Rosalinda Ramirez graduated from UTRGV with her Bachelors in Music Performance with a concentration in percussion where she studied with Dr. Joe Moore III, Dr. Marco Schirripa, and Dr. Mark Ramírez. During her time at UTRGV, she has played in the Valley Wind Symphony, the UTRGV Wind Ensemble, & the UTRGV Orchestra. She has competed and performed with professional organizations such as The Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps and The Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. Rosalinda has also been a part of an all female consortium group with composer, Molly Joyce. She has performed with the UTRGV Percussion Ensemble at the Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA) and placed 2nd at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) Chamber Ensemble Competition. Currently she is an educator for Porter Early College High School and is a finalist for the Honors Performance Series at Sydney Opera House. Rosalinda will be continuing her master’s in Music Performance with Dr. Brett W. Dietz at Louisiana State University.
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UTRGV SOM AT A GLANCE LEARN IN A UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT SPANS TWO CAMPUSES AND OFFERS THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:
BACHELOR OF MUSIC BM(EC-12 TEACHER CERTIFICATION) BACHELOR OF MUSIC - PERFORMANCE CONCENTRATIONS:
VOICE:
PIANO:
OFFERED ON
OFFERED ON
BOTH
BOTH
CAMPUSES
CAMPUSES
GUITAR:
WINDS, BRASS AND
100%
OFFERED ON
100%
PERCUSSION:
BOTH
OFFERED ON BOTH
CAMPUSES
CAMPUSES
100%
100%
OCTOBER 2021
UTRGVSOM
ISSUE NO.1
SoM I N T H E N E W S : Alumni Success Stories
Jesus Cervantes, Jr.
awarded
McAllen ISD's 2021 Teacher of the Year Award Jesus Cervantes, Jr. graduated in 2012 and has committed himself to developing and fostering future music students at Reynaldo Garza Elementary School. Jesus is humble and feels a sense of responsibility to make a difference in the life of his students and our surrounding communities. When asked about his achievement, Jesus said, "I hope this award will bring attention to the importance of music and arts education in general as being a moral imperative in the development of our children. I also have a great sense of gratitude to express to the UTRGV School of Music and its legacy institutions for providing me an opportunity and the resources to develop into the educator I am today. I especially wanted to express my thanks to Dr. Mark Ramírez for teaching me more than just percussion studies. He taught me how to be disciplined and how to push even when things were not going well. People like Dr. Ramírez, who push their students beyond what they think they can achieve, is what drives me to do the same."
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UTRGV SOM AT A GLANCE
NEW PROGRAM OFFERINGS
MINORS IN JAZZ STUDIES, MARIACHI, AND POPULAR MUSIC.: AS OUR NEW PROGRAMS GROW, THEY WILL BE OFFERED ON BOTH CAMPUSES. STRINGS:
MARIACHI:
OFFERED IN EDINBURG
OFFERED IN
100%
OFFERED IN BROWNSVILLE
EDINBURG
82%
100%
MUSIC
JAZZ STUDIES:
TECHNOLOGY:
OFFERED IN
OFFERED ON
BROWNSVILLE
BOTH CAMPUSES
100%
100%
MARIACHI:
POPULAR MUSIC:
OFFERED IN
OFFERED IN
EDINBURG
EDINBURG
100%
100%
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ISSUE NO.1
OCTOBER 2021
SoM I N T H E N E W S : Alumni Success Stories
Anthony Flores A n t h ony Flores g r a d u a t e d f r o m t h e U n i v ersity of Te x a s R i o G r a n de V a l l e y w i t h a bachelo r ’ s d e g r e e i n m u s i c e d u cation with a c o n c e n t r a t i o n i n p e r c ussion. Wh i l e a t t e n d i n g U T R G V , A n t h ony studie d w i t h D r . J o e W . M o o r e III a nd Dr. Mark R a m i r e z a n d p e r f ormed with t h e U T R G V W i n d E n s e mble, Mari m b a R e y n a D e l V a l l e , T i m bre Indoor P e r c u s s i o n E n s e m b l e , R i o Bravo/UTRG V P e r c u s s i o n E n s e mble, Perc u s s i v e A r t s S o c i e t y In t e rnational Co n v e n t i o n S o lo a n d E n s e mble com p e t i t i o n , a n d th e T e x a s M u s ic Educator s A s s o c i a t i o n . A n t h ony will n o w b e a t t e n d i n g N o r thwestern S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y a s a g r a d uate stude n t w h e r e h e w i l l b e w o r king under t h e D i r e c t i o n o f D r . O l i v er Molina an d K e n n e t h Gr e e n .
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SCHOOL OF MUSIC EXPAND YOUR BOUNDARIES EXPERIENCE MORE DISCOVER YOUR PATH
START NOW
UTRGVSOM
OCTOBER 2021
FACULTY PROFILES
DR. MATTHEW COFFEY
ISSUE NO.1
Faculty
Profiles
Dr. Matthew Coffey Assistant Professor of Choral Studies
During his 11 years as a high school choral director in the Houston area, 45 of his students were named to a Texas AllState Choir. While at Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend ISD, he oversaw a 346% increase in enrollment in choral programs and the institution of a yearly Masterworks concert with professional chamber orchestra. Dr. Coffey has given lectures and presented interest sessions on developmentally appropriate repertoire selection, preparing an ensemble for a successful state adjudication experience, community building, and recruitment at conventions and universities in Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. His speaking engagements this year include the Ohio Music Educators Association, the North Dakota Music Educators Association, and the Southwest division of the American Choral Directors Association. His current research interests include the sacred music of Michael Haydn, pre-service music teacher education, and rehearsal pedagogy. He has studied conducting with Joe Miller, Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, and Allen Hightower and participated in conducting masterclasses with Simon Carrington, Donald Nally, Joshua Habermann, Louis Langrée, and Dale Warland. When he’s not buried in a score, he can be found on the couch rooting for the Houston Astros with his wife, Ashley, a grant writer for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and their dog, a lab-pitbull mix named Penny Lane. His other passions include hot wings, Mexican food, and iced coffee.
Matthew Coffey joined the faculty of the School of Music in the fall of 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he conducts the University Choir and teaches coursework in conducting and secondary choral methods. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati (CCM), a Masters of Music Education from the University of Houston, and a Bachelors of Music Education from Sam Houston State University. SOUND | 25
While studying at the University of Cincinnati, he served as the conductor of the University of Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, a 100-year-old ensemble which comprises students from all 14 UC colleges. He also supervised undergraduate Music Education students in their student teaching placements, taught private conducting lessons to undergraduate and graduate students, and served as the assistant conductor of the undergraduate opera. He continues to sing professionally with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, which is conducted by GRAMMY award winner, Craig Hella Johnson.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC CHORAL STUDIES
OCTOBER 2021
UTRGVSOM
Faculty
Profiles
Dr. Teresita Lozano Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology
ISSUE NO.1
She served as the music director for the UndocuAmerica Project and as a vocal soloist and co-“artivist” for the Salsa Monologos and Salsa Loteria immigrant women’s project with MOTUS Theater in Boulder, Colorado. Additionally, Teresita’s passion for music education and cultural exchange afforded her a position as the director of Banda MUSE, a children’s Latin American instrumental and vocal ensemble with the Boulder MUSE program at Columbine Elementary School in Colorado. Teresita is an active flutist and vocalist both professionally and in the larger community. A co-founding member of the Colorado-based traditional Mexican women’s chamber ensemble, Las Dahlias, Teresita fuses her background in both Western classical and world music performance practices. She has performed in a variety of ensembles, including various world music traditions and Early/Baroque music (flauto traverso), and has collaborated in multicultural recording projects with transnational artists, including the newly released Balkan Harvest (Petar Teodosijev 2019). Teresita graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University where she studied flute with Helen Ann Shanley and was awarded the Presser Foundation Award in performance and academia. In 2018, Dr. Lozano was awarded the prestigious Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for academic work in religion and ethics.
Teresita Lozano joined the faculty of the School of Music in the fall of 2021 as an Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology. Prior to her appointment, Teresita served as a PostDoctoral Fellow in Ethnomusicology at West Virginia University. A native of the El Paso, Texas – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua borderland and daughter of Mexican immigrants, Teresita engages in music research that explores the relationship between music, Diaspora, and inherited memory in the construction of transnational identities. Teresita has a strong interest in applied ethnomusicology, including civic engagement and outreach. SOUND | 26
In 2013, Teresita was awarded a graduate fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where she worked in residence as a Latino Museums Studies fellow. She has presented several papers in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including the annual Society for Ethnomusicology, ICTM Applied Ethnomusicology Study Group, and the Latin American Studies Association international conferences. Teresita is an advocate for musical activism in the community and utilizes her academic and performance background for public education and human rights movements.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC ETHNOMUSICOLOGY MUSICOLOGY
OCTOBER 2021
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Faculty
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Profiles
Dr. Shayna Tayloe Lecturer I, Voice and Lyric Diction
She has appeared as an artist in the Concert Studio at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and was an artist at the Tallis Scholars Summer Institute in Seattle, WA., where she performed under the baton of Peter Phillips. Shayna appears on the 2011 Grammy Nominated recording of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem as a member of the Professional Choral Institute ensemble, a collaboration with Seraphic Fire. Dr. Tayloe co-presented the session “Write it Down: An Opera Singers’ Guide to Character Paperwork” at the National Opera Association Texoma Regional convention in September 2019, and presented her research, “Analysis of Fluctuations in Vibrato Rate and Extent Using Affect in Operatic Repertoire” in January 2019 at the National Opera Association Convention Poster Session in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Susan Graham, Barbara Bonney, Silvia McNair, and Sherrill Milnes. Dr. Tayloe received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Graduate Certificate in Opera Studies from Texas Tech University. Dr. Tayloe currently serves as Lecturer of Voice and Lyric Diction at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
A native of Boca Raton, Florida, soprano Shayna Tayloe’s most recent roles include Lucy in The Billy Goats Gruff and Adele (cover) in Die Fledermaus with Amarillo Opera, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Monica in The Medium, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Flora in The Turn of the Screw, and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. S SOUND | 27
he has recently appeared as a soloist with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and with the CornishAmerican Song Institute (CASI) as a Vocal Fellow. With CASI, she appeared in recital at Oxford University in Oxford, England and was the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Regina Coeli in Falmouth, Cornwall.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC VOCAL STUDIES
OCTOBER 2021
UTRGVSOM
Faculty
ISSUE NO.1
Profiles
Marco Guerra Adjunct Faculty Percussion
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas Pan American, Marco Guerra spent subsequent years working in New York City as an Afro-Caribbean percussion facilitator in after-school programs and Integrated Arts Program where he gave applied drum-set lessons, served as consultant for professional drummers while working at Drummer’s World in Manhattan’s Broadway Theater District, SOUND | 28
and performed on a regular basis in NYC and surrounding areas. Upon returning to the Rio Grande Valley, Marco served as a graduate assistant in the UTRGV School of Music while working on a Master’s in music performance. He performs regularly with in with his jazz trio, an R&B group, a flamenco duo, and he freelances throughout South Texas.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC PERCUSSION STUDIES
UTRGVSOM
OCTOBER 2021
SOUND THINKING DR. KRISTINA WEIMER
ISSUE NO.1
I WONDER...?
By Kristina Weimer Assistant Professor of Music Education
In Wait, What?: And Life’s Other Essential Questions, James E. Ryan posed five questions that draw awareness to the important things in life. For those curious, the five questions are: Wait, What? I Wonder…? Couldn’t We at Least…? How Can I Help? What Truly Matters? Since reading the book, I have regularly implemented all five questions in my personal and professional life. However, I return to one far more frequently than the others: “I wonder…?” Ryan described the “I wonder” question as the first half of a series of questions, and the heart of curiosity; a question that keeps us interested and focused on ways to improve ourselves and our corner of the world. He stated “if you don’t ask, you miss possibilities you don’t even know exist.” Through the pandemic, many have focused on what we are missing—particularly in music and other performing arts—due to physical distancing, limited in-person interactions, and an abrupt move to online teaching.
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However, as I first shifted my courses from an in-person to online modality, considering how I could still give students a relevant and valid learning experience, I reflected on the “I wonder…” question quite a bit. Rather than seeing this shift as adversity, I saw it as an opportunity for growth. I wondered if instead of focusing on what we were missing, we took time to shift our perspective to what we could gain—new and innovative ways of teaching and learning music, of expanding our definitions or expectations of coursework and performances, of connecting with other musicians and educators in different but still meaningful ways. I wondered how I could focus more on connection, helping students feel connected to me, to each other, and to course materials. I wondered if making wellness (physical and mental) a more significant portion of class structure would positively impact students. I wondered if incorporating wellness tips and strategies in organization, time management, stress reduction, mindfulness, gratitude, and goalsetting in my courses would lead to overall higher student success, professionally and personally.
RATHER THAN SEEING THIS SHIFT AS
SAW IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH.
I WONDER...?
ADVERSITY, I
UTRGVSOM
OCTOBER 2021
I WONDER...? Even as we start shifting back to a more face-to-face structure, I continue to wonder if we could reimagine what a truly well-rounded music education looks like for students, one that includes opportunities to be immersed in rigorous yet creative and engaging experiences, that centers on student wellness, and promotes success in ways as varied as the individuals. I wonder if and how we will take the lessons learned over the past year and a half of teaching and learning through a pandemic and expand them, to continue exploring and implementing new and innovative ways of music teaching and learning as we continue navigating online, hybrid, and in-person course settings. I wonder if and how this shift in perspective will change the structure and nature of music courses in the future, and what meaningful implications for music will continue to emerge. I wonder, as we navigate a post-pandemic world, if we can continue shifting our perspective to examine new and innovative opportunities to collaborate, perform, learn, and grow. I wonder what incredible possibilities exist in music to live UTRGV’s mission statement of transforming the Rio Grande Valley, the Americas, and the world through an innovative and accessible educational environment that promotes student success, research, creative works, health and well-being, community engagement, sustainable development, and commercialization of university discoveries. Dr. Kristina (Krissie) Weimer is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, specializing in instrumental music education. She has presented at multiple state, national, and international conferences on a variety of topics including sound before sight pedagogies, creativity and improvisation, teacher wellness, recruiting and retaining students, teaching music with autoimmune disease and chronic illness, student practice habits, effective modeling strategies, and presence. Her research focuses on music teacher mentoring and professional development. She has published in Visions of Research in Music Education, General Music Today, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, and Journal of Music Teacher Education (in press). She is an active member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Instrumental Music Teacher Educators (IMTE), and Society for Music Teacher Educators (SMTE) where she will begin serving as cofacilitator of the Music Teacher Educators: Recruitment, Preparation, and Professional Development Areas of Strategic Planning and Action (ASPA). SOUND | 33
ISSUE NO.1
I WONDERED ... WHAT WE COULD GAIN—NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING MUSIC, OF EXPANDING OUR DEFINITIONS OR EXPECTATIONS OF COURSEWORK AND PERFORMANCES, OF CONNECTING WITH OTHER MUSICIANS AND EDUCATORS IN DIFFERENT BUT STILL MEANINGFUL WAYS.
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OCTOBER 2021
SOUND THINKING
TO PREVAIL JASON MITCHELL LECTURER I MUSIC TECHNOLOGY & COMPOSITION While COVID-19 has created a tremendous disruption to our daily activities and has brought about an uncertainty as to when we will be able to return to some kind normalcy, Dr. Jason Mitchell has tried to find a silver lining through it all. In this installment of SOUND Thinking, Dr. Mitchell shares some of his perspectives. "Prevail: This is a word that I have contemplated often during the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we overcome the overwhelming challenges and difficulties that have arisen due to COVID? The pandemic has thrown an incredible number of obstacles and terrible amounts of pain at each of us, and it is difficult to escape its overshadowing presence. There have been bright spots though. While the shelter in place and move to online learning have presented new professional and educational challenges, opportunities have presented themselves for creating and sustaining community from within and beyond our region. During this time, we have had the chance to hear concerts from artists from all over the world, and we would never have had this opportunity if not for COVID.
As educators, we have also had the chance to test new pedagogical ideas that were difficult to pursue before the pandemic due to a lack of computer access for many of my students. The move to online has also allowed us to create new friendships and renew old friendships with friends and colleagues from the US and overseas. Over the last eleven months, I have used this as an opportunity to dig deeper into passion projects and have enjoyed working with the SoM Curriculum Committee in designing a new degree in Music Business Entrepreneurship, which I hope will be available in Fall 2021. I have also made it a point to spend at least one evening a week in a Google Meet, Zoom, or a Facebook Room talking with friends and colleagues. While COVID-19 continues to overshadow our lives, there is an end in sight. As we gain more access to vaccines and get closer to the opportunity to roll up our sleeves, we can look forward with hope and optimism that this situation will not last forever and that we will, prevail." -Jason Mitchell SOUND | 36
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THERE HAVE BEEN BRIGHT SPOTS THOUGH. WHILE THE SHELTER IN PLACE AND MOVE TO ONLINE LEARNING HAVE PRESENTED NEW PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES HAVE PRESENTED THEMSELVES FOR CREATING AND SUSTAINING COMMUNITY FROM WITHIN AND BEYOND OUR REGION.
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JAZZ TIMES
DR. JOSIAH BOORNAZIAN
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FEATURED ARTIST
Assistant Professor, Applied Saxophone and Jazz
As a recording artist known for using the saxophone with electronic effects, Josiah is featured on multiple studio and live albums as a leader, sideman, and collaborator. Releases as a leader include Intersection, Live at Frost, Live at the UTRGV PAC, and ÌKAN ÌPÀKÓ Live, which feature Josiah's original modern jazz compositions and improvisations with duo partner Mark Ramírez. Josiah is also prominent as a composer and improviser on the collaborative studio recordings Simply Begin Again and A Dark and Stormy Day (Fresh Sound New Talent Records), which feature a quartet Josiah co-leads with New York-based Italian pianist Alessandro Fadini.
JOSIAH BOORNAZIAN
Links to hear and purchase Josiah's music can be found here: Josiah's electronic music alias is "tymebrayker," and his releases, which are available here and on BandCamp, include New Amsterdam, Gables, Life Of, Grind, Time, Fabrik, Souplesse, Gravity, Refract, Icons, Codes, Crank/Shift, Effect, Talk, Tour, Symbols, Luft, Switch, and Apart.
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FEATURED ARTIST A registered ASCAP composer, Josiah has written for a wide variety of musical contexts. His output includes works for large jazz ensemble, string quartet, solo keyboard, solo saxophone, small jazz ensemble, electronic ensembles, and symphony orchestra. Josiah has been commissioned to compose works for ensembles in California, New York, Texas, and Istanbul, Turkey. For more information, please visit Josiah's online shop and contact Josiah directly to purchase his scores or to commission a new work. https://www.josiahboornazian.com /contact Josiah performs regularly in South Texas, New York, and Miami. He has also toured California and Europe, where he has performed at venues such as Blue Train and Le Ginestre Jazz Club in Turin, Italy; the Galerie Depardieu in Nice, France; and CinemaPRO in Bucharest, Romania. New York performances include appearances at venues such as the Jazz Gallery, the 55 Bar, Rockwood Music Hall, the Firehouse Space, Trinity Wall Street, the ShapeShifter Lab, NuBlu, Zinc Bar, the Triad Theater, Somethin’ Jazz Club, The Shrine, Silvana, Caffe Vivaldi, and Club Bonafide. In New York, Josiah has performed with artists such as Drew Gress, David Binney, Wayne Krantz, Ari Hoenig, Donny McCaslin, Dan Weiss, John Escreet, Jacob Sacks, Fima Ephron, Jonathan Crayford, Obed Calvaire, Will Vinson, Matt Brewer, Ben Wendel, Eivind Opsvik, Ferenc Nemeth, Alan Ferber, Brad Mason, John Daversa, Kenny Wollesen, the Gil Evans Orchestra, Mark Egan, Lew Soloff, Miles Evans, Mike Clark, Gil Goldstein, Yana Bibb, Jerry Watts, Nir Felder, Andrea Veneziani, Alessandro Fadini, and Massimo Biolcati.
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In Miami, Josiah has performed with a variety of artists including Mark Farina, Dave Liebman, Dave Holland, Nick Smart, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Arturo Sandoval, John Faddis, Jimmy Heath, Ignacio Berroa, John Beasley, the New York Voices, Tom Scott, Cyrille Aimee, Dafnis Prieto, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Will Downing, John Daversa, Errol Rackipov, Svet Stoyanov, John Yarling, Kate Reid, Melvin Butler, Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin, Brianna Thomas, David Ake, Chuck Bergeron, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Janis Seigel, and Shelly Berg. In South Florida, Josiah has performed at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz in the Gables, Jazz at Jackson, the GroundUP Music Festival Miami, Lagniappe, Le Chat Noir, The Arts Garage, Ball and Chain, The Anderson, The Globe, Sunset Tavern, The Fish House, Coco Walk, The Standard, Pinecrest Gardens, Books and Books, Space Mountain Miami, the Open Stage, the University of Miami's Gusman Concert Hall, and The Breakers. In addition to in-person performances, Josiah has performed for live broadcasts on South Florida's public jazz radio station, 88.9 FM - WDNA, and the University of Miami's radio station 90.5 FM - WVUM.
FEATURED ARTIST
Josiah has also performed in many of Los Angeles's premier venues, including the Valley Performing Arts Center, the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the Jazz Bakery, the Blue Whale, the Baked Potato, Catalina's Jazz Club, the Curve Line Space, and Vitello's. Additionally, Josiah has toured northern and central California. He has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival (2010, 2011), the California Jazz Conservatory (formerly known as the Berkeley "Jazzschool”), the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop, the Bakersfield Jazz Festival (2005, 2006, 2007), the San Joaquin Valley Jazz Festival (2010), and the Pasadena Jazz Institute, among others. In the Rio Grande Valley, Josiah has performed jazz and electronic music and given public lectures at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Complex, Dodici, the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center, Las Ramblas, Broken Sprocket, El Hueso de Fraile, Sidebar, Angelita's Casa de Cafe, and Bodega Tavern and Kitchen. Dr. Boornazian will be presenting and performing at the following conferences in 2022: January 5, 2022 13th Annual Jazz Education Network Conference Live Presentation by Dr. Josiah Boornazian: “Jelly Roll” Morton Vs. Nick LaRocca in the “Tiger Rag” Authorship Controversy: What does it mean to “compose” jazz? 10:30-10:55AM, Shawnee Trail Room, Hyatt Regency, Dallas, TX 300 Reunion Boulevard | Dallas, TX 75207 Visit the 2022 JEN Conference Event Page Here February 9, 2022 Texas Music Educators Association Convention Live Clinic with Dr. Josiah Boornazian: How to Practice and Perform Using Digital Audio Workstations, 12:301:30PM, CC 214 B, San Antonio Convention Center 900 E Market St. | San Antonio, TX 78205 February 10, 2022 Texas Music Educators Association Convention Live Clinic with Dr. Josiah Boornazian: How to Teach Jazz Students to Authentically Swing 4-5PM, CC 221, San Antonio Convention Center 900 E Market St. | San Antonio, TX
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FACE TO FACE
DR. DAVID SADLIER
ISSUE NO.1
INTERVIEW
DAVID SADLIER
Associate Professor of Voice Associate Director of Engage Scholarship and Learning
WHAT HAVE WE SEEN, AND WHERE ARE WE GOING? SOUND: With all that our students, faculty, and staff have
David Sadlier: I think the big challenge obviously has been
endured during the last year and a half of the COVID-19
being disconnected. However, I think if there's one thing
pandemic, what do you feel we have gained as an
we've learned during this is the strength of our institution.
institution and how can this serve as a major stepping
While I think University has struggled at times, in terms of
stone for the evolution of how we engage and experience
how we connect our distributed campuses, we have
higher education?
actually gained a better workflow, connection, and sharing of ideas and philosophies utilizing a virtual platform. I mean it's not ideal, but I think it certainly bridges the gap for students, faculty, and staff, and I think for our
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institution.
INTERVIEW David Sadlier: Specifically, virtual learning has some some very real and lasting implications, so I hope that we continue developed and utilized the virtual platform. Not perfect and obviously gaps that will continually need to be filled in, but with music it is a whole other conversation, right, particularly talking about applied music or performance music or ensemble music. In terms of logistics, being able to interact as faculty members regularly in a more personal way, rather than on a phone call, has also been another positive form of engagement. SOUND: Well said, DS! SOUND: What have you and your students found to be effective when engaging in a virtual environment? David Sadlier: In terms of creating an effective virtual platform for teaching and creative exchange, as a voice teacher, I haven't had that many struggles sharing pedagogy and artistic conceptualization through this medium. I felt very comfortable teaching, seeing what students were doing physically, hearing what they were doing with their sound, language, and diction. It really didn’t present very many unsolvable issues. You know the biggest challenge I have experienced in the virtual classroom as a voice teacher is understanding and working with whatever sound comes through microphone, no matter how high the quality of equipment you use. It is very difficult to virtually simulate a 1000 seat hall with over 40 to 50 instruments in the orchestra. SOUND: What strategies have you found to be effective in preventing and/or dealing with Zoom fatigue? David Sadlier: With regards to Zoom burnout, I think that's absolutely real! I think that there's a general feeling right now, where there's this pressure for everybody, not just the university students, to push on and grow as though nothing has changed, yet a lot has changed and there were a lot of limitations put in place as a result of the pandemic.
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INTERVIEW
David Sadlier: The tension that exists between working and living in a virtual space worlds is where that burnout happens. It was important to me to acknowledge the limitation so that we could create realistic and obtainable outcomes. To be really in touch with reality and to acknowledge limitations we were dealing with was key to making progress. I think we have this pressure that our entire culture of academics has been unwilling to yield, and I think that that is causing, often times, undesirable outcomes. SOUND: As Associate Director of Engage Scholarship and Learning, can you share with us any current and upcoming projects you're excited to see implemented. David Sadlier: Yeah, we're doing a lot to improve engagement for creative works and scholarship in the Fine Arts. It was very important for us to increase engagement so I made it a point to reach out directly to our faculty and student communities encouraging them to become more involved with the Office of Engage Scholarship and Learning. We have certainly seen an increase in the number of students applying for the Engaged Scholar award for Creative Works and as a result, we will be launching an Arts ED Conference as a part of the Engaged Scholars Symposium, which happens every year. With a number of student and faculty speakers from the University from throughout the United States, it really will be considered a national conference. As a part of a pilot program, ESL will be hosting Patrick Hanson spring 2021. Patrick is the Director of the Opera theatre at Mcgill University in Montreal and is considered the most amazing operatic Renaissance man in the field. I hope to open up more opportunities and retool our calls to be more inclusive of the Arts. We also hope to see more interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaborations as the funding available opens up to groups of four and will range from $2,000 to $4,000. I think ESL is going open up the floodgates for what our students are going to be able to do and there will be some really cool Creative Work projects created as a result! SOUND | 46
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OCTOBER 2021
RESEARCH NOW
DR. SUSAN HURLEY-GLOWA
ISSUE NO.1
Musical VISIONS By Susan Hurley-Glowa Professor of Music -Ethnomusicology
Songs for Cabo Verde: Norberto Tavares’s Musical Visions for A New Republic focuses on musician Norberto Tavares, but also tells a larger story about postcolonial nation building, musical activism, and diaspora life within the Lusophone sphere. Written by Susan Hurley-Glowa, Ph.D., Professor of Music (ethnomusicology) at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, it follows the parallel trajectories of Cabo
(L to R)Former Prime Minister Pedro Pires &
Verdean independence and Tavares’s musical career
Junior Gregor
over four decades (1975-2010), based on twenty years of collaborative fieldwork. Tavares lived and
Tavares’s music serves as a lens to view Cabo
worked in Cabo Verde, Portugal, and the United
Verde’s transition from a Portuguese colony to
States, where he died in New Bedford, Massachusetts
an independent, democratic nation—one that
at age 54.
was shaped in part through the musician’s persistent humanitarian messages. Tavares was strongly influenced by Amilcar Cabral (19241973), a brilliant African political revolutionary leader, theorist, and leader who masterminded the opposition during the Portuguese Colonial War (1962-1974), resulting in independence. Tavares and peers included Pan-African ideas in a musical style called funana, which was popular throughout the Cabo Verdean diaspora. The book includes description of Cabo Verde’s musical tradition, with a focus on Tavares’s songs, which were consistently aligned with the concerns of his countrymen to reflect changing national zeitgeists. The manuscript contains a Foreword by Abel Djassi Amado, Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations at Simmons University, a specialist in Cabo Verdean culture and postcolonial Africa politics.
Zerui DePina
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“SONGS FOR CABO VERDE” (UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER PRESS 2021)
FOCUSES ON MUSICIAN NORBERTO TAVARES BUT ALSO TELLS A LARGER STORY ABOUT POSTCOLONIAL NATION BUILDING, MUSICAL ACTIVISM, AND DIASPORA LIFE WITHIN THE LUSOPHONE SPHERE.
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TECHNOLOGY NOW
DR. ANTHONY MARASCO
HOW TO CODE A SYNTHESIZER FOR THE WEB
SCI BUZZ >
B
efore we start making sound, let’s first talk about the core components of a typical synthesizer and learn how they work in tandem to create sound. The first component of a synthesizer is
called the oscillator. The oscillator is responsible for producing a repeating cycle of electricity that causes our headphones or laptop speakers to vibrate and produce a musical pitch. On its own, an oscillator produces sound that drones on endlessly at a continuous volume, so to shape the duration and volume of a sound, synthesizers feature a set of components known as the envelope generator and the amplifier. Together, these two components allow our synth to play pitches at different durations of time and at different levels of volume. We can produce short and plucky loud pitches, long pitches that gradually fade in and out of silence, and every combination in-between! Finally, we can mold the sound of our synthesizer even further by passing the audio through a filter. Just like water and air filters you’d find in your home, a synthesizer’s filter removes high or low frequency content from the sounds it creates before they arrive at our ears. If we filter out the low-end content of our synthesizer, the pitches it creates will sound very breathy and nasally; if we filter out the high-end content instead, the pitches made by our synth will sound hollow and less bright.
By Anthony T. Marasco, Assistant Professor of Music Technology & Composition
DETAIL >
Synthesizers are incredibly versatile
instruments. From imitations of
N ow that we’ve learned the basics about how
Once you’ve logged in, use the next two
acoustic instruments to mind-
synthesizers work, let’s play around with
links to head to our playable web
bending sonic outbursts,
one! I’ve built a virtual synthesizer that can
synthesizer in a new browser tab and the
synthesizers can be used to create
run in any web browser to go along with the
code that we use to generate the
musical material and sound effects
rest of this article. You can spend some time
synthesizer in another browser tab:
for any genre of music. While synths come in many different shapes and sizes, most of them generate audio
playing it before continuing on for an
Playable Web Synthesizer (Fullscreen
interactive exercise in customizing the way it
version, no code):
sounds by modifying its code. To find a copy
https://editor.p5js.org/amarasco_utrg
of the finished synthesizer and the code that
v/full/j7u0u3j_7
through a similar process, and in
was used to make it, follow the instructions
Editable Synthesizer Code:
this article, we’ll break that process
below:
https://editor.p5js.org/amarasco_utrg
down and demonstrate it using a
Head to https://editor.p5js.org/ and click
synthesizer that runs in the web
on the “Sign-Up” link found in the upper
If you’re logged into your own account and
right-hand corner of the page
you’d like to save a copy of this code for
Fill in the blank fields on the next page,
yourself, click on the “File” menu at the top of
then head to the email account you
the page and then click the “Duplicate”
submitted in this step to activate your
option. You should now see a new version of
free P5 web editor account.
the page load up when the page refreshes
Use the link in the first step to head back
that lists the title of the project with your
to the P5 web editor and choose the “Log
username next to it.
browser on your laptop or tablet. Best of all, you can learn how to edit the code that runs this web synth in order to change and customize how it sounds!
v/sketches/j7u0u3j_7
In” link this time (also found in the upper right-hand corner of the page)
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THE FULLSCREEN VERSION OF OUR WEB SYNTH IN ACTION
Before we move on and customize our synthesizer, take a few minutes
to play with the Fullscreen version to hear how it sounds. When you click or tap on one of the keyboard keys, you’ll hear a corresponding musical pitch, and you’ll also see a repeating pattern of shapes appear in the white window above. This window is an Oscilloscope, and it lets us visualize the sound of our synthesizer’s oscillator by drawing a shape known as a waveform. When you play higher pitches on the right side of the keyboard, the oscilloscope shows a waveform that contains more repetitive cycles than when you play lower pitched notes using the left side of the keyboard.
This process emulates the way the strings on a violin or the vocal cords on a singer vibrate in a repeated pattern multiple times a second to create musical pitches. The height of the waveform shrinks as the envelope generator and amplifier kick in to lower the pitch’s volume as you hold down the key. When you let go of the key, the pitch gradually decrescendos and the waveform disappears. Now that you’ve heard what our synth sounds like, let’s start changing
specific portions of the code to modify the sonic characteristics of what we play. Head to the browser tab that has the Editable copy of the code in it . You’ll see that the page is divided down the middle into two sections: the left section is called the Editor, and it contains the written lines of code that generate our
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This window is an Oscilloscope, and it lets us visualize the sound of our synthesizer’s oscillator by drawing a shape known as a waveform.
S ynthesizer and the graphical keys and images we saw in the Fullscreen
version, while the right section (labeled Preview) is currently blank. Check the small box next to AutoRefresh above the Editor section, click or tap the large button with the triangle in the center of it just to the left, and you’ll see the Preview portion of the screen change to include our playable synth! You can now click or press the piano keys again while in this split screen mode to play the synth while also looking at the code that creates it. This Editor view will let us make changes to the code on one side of the page and then instantly hear the sonic results of those changes by clicking on items on the right side of the page. SOUND | 52
THE EDITABLE VERSION OF OUR WEB SYNTH, READY FOR US TO CUSTOMIZE
B e careful with these next steps: changing any
code aside from the portions listed in the steps below could cause your synthesizer to stop working! When you do change the instructed parts of the code, type words exactly as you see them spelt in the article, watch your spelling, and avoid using capital letters. If you do make a mistake and get a red ERROR message at the bottom of the code editor, don’t worry! You can press CRTL/CMD + Z to undo what you just did, or you can use the links from earlier in this article to start back with a working copy of the project.
If you do make a mistake and get a red ERROR message at the bottom of the code editor, don’t worry! You can press CRTL/CMD + Z to undo what you just did, or you can use the links from earlier in this article to start back with a working copy of the project.
The first part of our synthesizer that we’ll modify is our oscillator’s wave type. In the Editor window, scroll down in the code until you see the number 38 listed on the left vertical row of numbers. On this line, you’ll see a portion of code that says oscillator: “sine”, . To change the tone quality of our oscillator, click to place your mouse cursor inside of the parenthesis around “sine” and replace that word with one of the following: square, sawtooth, or triangle. M ake
sure whichever work you choose is encased in a single pair of quotes and that you don’t add any extra spaces or symbols. Once you’ve replaced “sine” with a new option from our list, your Preview section should refresh, and your synthesizer will reappear looking the same as if did before.
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To test out your new oscillator type, click the piano
keyboard to hear how the tone color of your instrument has changed and watch the waveform that appears in the oscilloscope to see a visualization. A square or triangle oscillator will make waveforms that mimic those shapes in the oscilloscope, and a sawtooth oscillator will generate a shape that looks like a buzzsaw blade.
These new oscillator types might make your synthesizer sound like Sonically, synths that use square wave oscillators tend to sound like classic 8-bit video game scores and clarinets, triangle wave synths tend to sound like flutes and high-pitched bells, and sawtooth waves make your synthesizer sound like trumpets, trombones, N and tubas. ext, lets change the duration of the notes our synthesizer plays. We can do this by adjusting the components of our envelope generator located by scrolling down to line numbers 47-50 in the Editor section.
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Here you’ll find the envelope’s attack, decay, and release properties available to customize, which will result in the shape of each note’s volume curve over time. If we change the attack property to a value smaller that 0.8 seconds (such as 0.3 or 0.1) the notes we play will start with a loud, strong volume as soon as we press a key. If we use a larger value such as 1.5 seconds, the sound of our synth will gradually fade in from silence each time we press a new key. The decay value determines how long each pitch stays at its maximum loudness after the attack before dropping to a lower volume, and the release determines how long our pitch continues to ring out after we release or mouse or lift our finger off a key. Test out different values that are multiples of 0.5 higher or lower than the starting values next to all three envelope components to craft some plucky or droning articulations.
Finally, lets remove some high- or low-end strength from our synth’s tone color by modifying the filter settings (hint: this makes a significant sonic change on any oscillator type that isn’t “sine”). In our code, scroll down to lines 58 and 59 to find
the type and frequency properties. First, let’s change the value to the right of frequency: to reduce the amount of high-end present in our synth’s sound. Try out values around 2000 (all numbers with no comma!) to emphasize the low-end a bit more, and then try values around 200 to almost completely cut out any bright qualities of the sound. You can also make our filter work in reverse by changing the word to inside of the quotes to the right of type: to highpass. After changing the filter type, go back and change the value next to frequency: to increasingly higher numbers such as 2000 and 17000 to reduce and remove any low-end from our pitches.
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These are just a few ways in which we can modify core components of a synthesizer to create an endless amount of sonic material. If you’re interested in learning more about how synthesizers work, check out Ableton’s free online textbook “Learning Synths”, which was built using similar programming techniques to what you and I just practiced together!
Anthony T. Marasco is a composer and sound artist who takes influence from the aesthetics of today's Digimodernist culture, exploring the relationships between the eccentric and the everyday, the strict and the indeterminate, and the retro and the contemporary. These explorations result in a wide variety of works written for electroacoustic ensembles, interactive computer performance systems, and multimedia installations. An internationally-recognized artist, his music and installations have been presented across the United States as well as in Norway, Italy, Brazil, Denmark, and Canada. He has received commissions from performers and institutions such as WIRED Magazine, Phyllis Chen, the American Composers Forum Philadelphia, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Toy Piano Composers, the Rhymes With Opera New Chamber Music Workshop, Data Garden, Maureen Batt, and the soundSCAPE International Composition Exchange. Marasco was the grand-prize winner of the UnCaged Toy Piano Festival's Call for Scores, a resident artist at Signal Culture Experimental Media Labs, and a grant winner for the American Composers Forum’s “If You Could Hear These Walls” project.
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if you have any questions about this article or would like to learn more about the our Music Technology course offerings, please reach out to me at anthony.marasco@utrgv.edu
His works and research have been featured at festivals such as New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME), the Web Audio Conference, the Toronto International Electroacoustic Symposium, the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the U.S. (SEAMUS), Electroacoustic Barn Dance, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), the National Student Electronic Music Event (NSEME), Mise-En Festival, Montreal Contemporary Music Lab, Electric LaTex, and Omaha Under the Radar. Marasco is an Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Composition at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His research focuses on topics such as web audio, hardware hacking, and creating hardware and software tools for networked music performance practices. He is a co-developer of Collab-Hub.io along with Nick Hwang and Eric Sheffield. His dissertation research centered on extending mediated and networked performance techniques to circuit-bent readymade devices through the creation of a hardware/software framework called Bendit_I/O.
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SHOP TALK
DR. MARCO SCHIRRIPA
ISSUE NO.1
H O W
T O
S E L L
I T
TECHNIQUES FOR HEIGHTENED STAGE PRESENCE AND AUDIENCE ENJOYMENT
P A R T
I
By Marco Schirripa Assistant Professor of Percussion As musicians, our primary goal in performance is to captivate audiences by delivering a highquality musical product, utilizing our years of study and experience to develop a coherent and compelling musical interpretation, while using our well- developed technique to control our sound quality and most effectively communicate our ideas. In the 21st century, however, it is no secret that one’s other senses also play a significant role in how one perceives music. Any rock, pop, or rap concert I have ever attended has been a true multisensory experience, incorporating visual stimuli such as dancing, lighting, huge projector screens, and the spectacle of thousands of people enjoying the same performance. While a production of this magnitude would not necessarily translate well to a performance of Bach’s violin music in a concert hall, it can serve as a reminder that most concert music is intended to entertain, and we, as performers, can take into consideration the visual elements of our performances to create a more multisensory experiences to our audiences, even if on a m u c h s m a l l e r s c a l e t h a n B e y o n c é .
Even the smallest physical subtleties can make a world of difference in how an audience perceives a performance of concert music. Elements such as one’s professional dress, stage organization, or body language may all contribute, positively or negatively, to the product the performer delivers. Something seemingly insignificant like the position of a performer’s music stand can still have some effect over what the audience can see and experience. As someone who has always been painstakingly detail-oriented, especially when it comes to live performances, my experience as an educator has shown me that not all musicians are the same. Discussions with students about the visual elements of their performances have led me to compile a sort of “stage presence checklist,” including elements that can be controlled in most performance situations for any instrument, voice, or ensemble. These suggestions are derived from my personal practice and experience, along with several texts I have found influential over my career, including Karen A. Hagberg’s Stage Presence from Head to Toe (2003) and What Every Body is Saying (2008), by Joe SOUND | 58 Navarro.
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IT ALL STARTS WITH THE SETUP OF THE PERFORMANCE SPACE. IS THE STAGE ORGANIZED? WILL YOU OR YOUR INSTRUMENTS BE PLACED SUCH THAT THEY CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN, PROJECTING THE BEST POSSIBLE SOUND TO THE AUDIENCE?
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I. Before the Performance Throughout my years as both a student and teacher, I have witnessed some absolutely brilliant performances dragged down by awkward stage presence or an inattention to visual details of the presentation. Not everyone has an eye for organization or feels comfortable outwardly expressing themselves beyond the score, myself included, but it was so clear during these performances that simple changes to the performer or space’s appearance could have provided a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for the audience. If you purchase a Salvador Dali original painting for 22 million dollars, I highly doubt you are going to tack it, free hanging, to your bedroom wall. Most likely, you would also plan to obtain a custom frame to display the masterpiece with the respect it deserves. We should treat our musical performances the same way following our tireless hours of practice, presenting it in the “frame” which best complements their quality! It all starts with the setup of the performance space. Is the stage organized? Will you or your instruments be placed such that they can be clearly seen, projecting the best possible sound to the audience? Can you utilize different lighting schemes to highlight each individual work on the program? The audience will notice chairs, instruments, personal items, open doors, or any other visual stimulus unrelated to the work being performed. It is important to plan ahead and scrutinize these details to prevent the audience from focusing on anything but the performance at hand.
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A comment I often receive from friends and relatives who watch my personal performance videos is how they wish they could see me up closer and in person. Percussion instruments tend to be one of the more interesting to watch someone play, so it is even more important, as percussionists, to allow our audiences to see us clearly. This means one should consider the angle of the instruments, their positions toward the front or back of stage, and, something often overlooked, the placement of music stands. Unless you are playing from memory, it is important to place the music stand(s) you use such that it doesn’t end up being a wall between you and the audience. This could mean turning your instrument 45 degrees to change the viewing angle, lowering the stand far enough to avoid visual obstruction, or possibly even devising some alternative stand to solve the issue. I always practice with the music stand and instrument set up the exact way I plan to do it in performance, as making a change like that close to a concert can be problematic after months of practicing a different way. Just like stage organization, the audience will also notice details about your personal appearance. Do your shirt/pants/dress match your shoes? Should you be wearing a belt, and does the belt match? Like many, I am no fashion expert, but that does not change the impact of how one presents oneself. It is worth making the investment towards well-fitting “concert black,” or whatever one chooses to wear in performance. If you feel you truly do not have an eye for clothing and what fits well, seek out the opinion of a friend or professional who does. Your clothing and personal grooming are an opportunity to express your individuality, but that individuality should be the most professional and presentable version of you. However you look, it should be clearly intentional. Show the audience that you put the effort toward each and every aspect of their concert experience.
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Editor Mark Joseph Ramírez Creative Team Kristina Weimer, Rachel Mann, Stacy Kwak, Jennifer Lemanski, Marco Schirripa, Anthony Marasco, Colin Charlton, Mark Joseph Ramírez SoM News Stacy Kwak & Mark Joseph Ramírez First Person, Opinion Pieces Anthony Marasco, Kristina Weimer, Marco Schirripa, Jason Mitchell, Features: Interviews, Research Now, Technology Now Rachel Mann, Anthony Marasco, Kristina Weimer, Mark Joseph Ramírez Shop Talk Rachel Mann, Anthony Marasco, Mark Joseph Ramírez Student and Alumni Profiles Stacy Kwak & Jason Mitchell
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SCHOOL OF MUSIC