In addition, our band has also performed at our own full school assembly which we call Whanau Time. That's a combined audience of over a thousand people already.
Think of the impact that would have had on you as a child. My son is in the band and is only nine years old. He had to introduce himself, and play a solo riff before performing with his seven peers in front of around 250 Principals and Deputy Principals etc. All eight children took it in their stride.
One of the issues we face as "generalist" primary school educators is that we are not specialists in many of the areas which we are required to teach. Nor do we have specialist (or sufficient specialist) equipment with which to teach in those areas.
If I want to teach my class of 28 children the drums, I'll be lucky to be able to afford 28 sets of drumsticks let alone 28 drum kits. Ditto with guitars, bass, electric guitars and keyboards.
And yet, with a class set of iPod Touches I can provide all those class sets of musical instruments and more. Harpsichord, organ, harmonica (yes harmonica - though for hygiene reasons I wouldn't recommend it), marimba, ukelele, tambourine, shakers, rattlers (but not rollers) and so many more, are all available to our children.
In many cases it requires a step back from what is ideal, but in all cases, it offers a step up from what would otherwise be the norm (where most children have little or no access to most of these instruments).
I have been privileged to witness two awesome lessons recently involving iPod Touches and music. Mr George set up a drum kit and an electric guitar in class. He provided 30 iPod Touches with headphones and taught the children how to drum using Digidrummer as his application of choice. Children listened to Dan, then replicated the particular part of the drum kit, the rhythm and pattern, and with one ear piece in, and one out - could compare what they were playing with what they were hearing.
Children then used GuitarStudio to learn chords - major and minor - and used a Capo (virtual clamp) to set the tone. They modeled the strumming and plucking patterns they could hear from the live guitar, while they listened to themselves through their earpiece again.
The major difference here is that they select a chord by its letter rather than by holding a series of strings down. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful introduction to music theory, song construction, and strumming and plucking (as these actions are basically the same on an actual guitar).
Before long children were drumming an accompaniment to a song playing from iTunes on the teacher's iPod and connected to an amp. Soon after that they were playing the four chord song "Price Tag", again as an accompaniment to the song playing live through iTunes.
The engagement levels for these children were through the roof. One of these lessons was a model demonstration lesson for 30 visiting principals - all crowded into the studio (our name for classroom - and quite relevant in this context) along with the drum kit, the guitar kit etc. The children were year 5/6 and had never worked with Mr George before. Two have serious ADHD issues, not that you would ever have guessed, so involved were they.
As a classroom teacher, I found music an all but insurmountable challenge to teach. Sure I could do a few one off lessons on beat, rhythm, appreciation etc, but my children largely missed out. With a set of iPod Touches, even I could have provided my children with meaningful, challenging and rewarding music learning.
Back to the iPod Band. Our band comprises a male and a female lead vocalist, a bass guitarist, a drummer, three electric guitarists and a keyboardist. The applications we use are Bassist; Digidrummer; Guitar Studio and Virtuoso.
I purchased a five slot Belkin Hub from Harvey Norman for $25 - it has five 3.25 ml sockets. I also purchased five expandable 3.25 ml stereo cables for $10 each from Dick Smith. Plug the stereo cable (with a 3.25 to 6 ml adaptor on it) into an amp and you can have five i-Devices (iPods and/or iPads) playing at the same time with no distortion, interference or loss of power. Adjust the drum and bass up on the applicable iPods, and the guitars down a bit on the applicable iPods, as the two former have to carry the beat for the others and therefore need to be a little louder. Our amp has slots for two microphone inputs as well as the 6 ml input so it allows for seven performers to be connected to one amp. Space, transport and cost effective.
My son has been teaching himself on a number of guitar applications and just this week, picked up his mum's guitar and began transferring the new iPod based guitar skills he has been learning to the real thing.
I am tremendously excited by the power, possibilities and potential this iPod Band offers. I believe one of the most valuable by-products will be that a number of children will take their initial fascination with and fun found in playing iPod based instruments, and transfer that to an interest in trying out the real thing. If (and when) this happens, we will have made (yet another) life-changing impact on children's lives through these magnificent mobile devices.
I'll keep you posted.
