Reply To: iPads in Music Composition

[nafmeadmin]

Hi, JMay,

Dr. Patricia Riley (University of Vermont; patricia.riley@uvm.edu) attempted to reply to your question, but encountered some difficulties with this site. She sent me the following message and asked me to post it for you; I hope it’s helpful!

Hello jmay – This past week I presented a session at the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) National Conference about a composition that my undergraduate music education majors with a concentration in music composition created specifically for iPad performance. My presentation included perspectives and reactions of the composers, performers, and audience members regarding the composition’s creation and performance. The composition was created for and performed using the GarageBand apps instruments (keyboard, bass, guitar, and drum set). Although all of the different types of participants said that creating/performing/listening to the composition was “fun,” there were also some challenges and drawbacks – including that multiple octaves couldn’t be accessed on the keyboard without scrolling, and also the keyboard’s smaller keyboard size was problematic. In general, performing on the iPad’s touchscreen was also somewhat difficult, and the timbres of the guitars and drum set were not as good quality as traditional instruments. So – these are some things to keep in mind as you move forward. I hope this helps – Pat