I began thinking about the concept of a “Continuum of Creativity” after watching Adam Neely’s video “Why No Rap Covers?” In the video, Adam Neely, and Ethan Hein examine the idea of why rap covers are so rare. It comes down to an unwritten rule throughout hip-hop culture that dictates, lyrically and sonically speaking, that covering (biting) other rappers is disrespectful and should not be done. Of course “covering” is common in jazz and in rock music culture, as well as a number of other Western musical traditions. As Adam points out in the video, there is a book of songs that every jazz musician needs to know how to play. In rock music, there are tribute bands devoted to copying entire recordings note-for-note.
Podcasts have become popular, and it seems today that everyone and their dog has a podcast worth listening to. I often think about starting one of my own but am in awe of the shear amount of work it is to find good guests, topics, and to keep a steady schedule of recording. Regardless, I … Continue reading 3 Podcast Episodes You Might Actually Need
So, you've learned about Google's new Blob Opera. It's fun, right? This online machine-learning app is more than just a fun time filler. It has the potential to enable creativity, and can give learners the opportunity to play with the concepts of not only composition, but also arranging, blend and vowel formation, ear training, voice types and ranges, computer programming, and even theory! Here are some ideas for including Blob Opera into your lesson plans.
2020, of course, will be the year we all talk about as the year everything changed. This list of the 10 most popular blog posts on Steve's Music Room from 2020 will go down as one of the most diverse and most interesting to date. Reading through some of these titles will certainly tell a … Continue reading Top 10 Blog Posts on Steve’s Music Room for 2020
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and I have enjoyed doing Christmas and winter concerts with my learners... once I moved away from traditional Christmas songs. I mean, many of those have stood the test of time for a reason but they are overly religious and let's face it--if I hear "Hark, the Herald … Continue reading Winter and Christmas Concert Songs that Don’t Make Me Want to Rip My Ears Off!
