May 3rd, 2011
This spring, i was invited to present the topic of “Music Education in Interactive Media”, at the well-known SXSW festival in Austin 2011. I joined a panel that consisted of two specialists: Ben Long, a musician / composer / sound engineer, and Shane Vitarana, developer of the Drumkit app for the iPhone.
The three of us shared unique angles on the topic of music in interactive media, and we collaborated to produce an interesting discussion. Ben presented an overview and highlights of creating audio for mobile devices and other interactive media, as well as his method for establishing his place in the industry. Shane discussed his experience working with audio for the development of his Drumkit app. My angle in the discussion was generally how the apps / interactive media can be used for legitimate musical purposes, and for teaching purposes in the musical world.
The panel went great and was well recieved, and attracted attention from reviewers, including a reporter from NPR who had questions for us regarding music education through digital games. I was fortunate to also participate in a panel given later that day by a pair of professional music educators, and learned much about new and upcoming technology, and the pros and cons of music education formats available currently online.
All in all, it has been a successful year thus far, and I look forward to more public speaking and music education opportunities!
