Musician Francis Moore-Colyer talks about some of the ways technology has helped us through lockdown.

“I find that making music can be light relief from ‘work’ – household chores, schoolwork, shopping for groceries, etc.

Taking part in music can be a release from these mundane or stressful things, because it sets off lots of sparks in our brain — a very different combination of sparks to normal. Musical activity, or even just listening to a song, can refresh our mind and centre us for whatever’s next — it can be like a ‘detox’ for the mind.

Technology has stepped up to make lots of musical activity possible during lockdown; it has been a really useful tool!

Streaming services and concerts have given us access to music from home. Listening to music can help us to work through our emotions, unleash our imagination, and even escape to a dream world for a bit. You may find you need this even more during this time.

Remember, your friends and family are sharing this forced ‘home time’ experience, so send them videos of you playing music and get them to send you theirs. You could always call them to discuss your favourite music or host a listening party. Or, if you are desperate to play together, get together on Zoom and have one of you muted.

Not only have we been able to see each other on video calls and laugh together (often about how our long hair has become), but we’ve also been able to share ideas. I’ve particularly enjoyed sharing ideas with other teachers about how to help young people with music activities.

One of the many websites I’ve been using is Chrome Music Lab.

The Chrome Music Lab helps us to learn how we can build music from the inside, out. It shows us the ingredients of music and helps us build it up from there – a great way to approach learning anything! Best of all, you have the chance to put some music together yourself. I love it when games give you the space and time to explore independently. Music is all about creating something of your own and this site shows us a way to do that.

We’ve had to get creative over Zoom and other apps, as they make us play separately (the internet doesn’t let us play together as we normally might). This means we are learning great lessons in turn-taking. We play ‘your turn, my turn’, or ‘you say, I say’. This exercise highlights the communication element in music. Music is, after all, a language.

Phew! So much to do. So much to create. I am very thankful that we live in a technological age that makes all this possible.

Whatever you do, enjoy.”

You can find lots of videos helping you to use apps and music technology over on the Drake Music Scotland website: https://drakemusicscotland.org/resources/ Take a look at the ‘Tutorial’ and ‘Training’ pages in particular.

ThumbJam is undoubtedly one of the greatest apps of all time! This much has always been known amongst music botherers. With over 40 exclusive real instrument samples and hundreds of ready-to-load scales, the flexibility and sensitivity of the app allow for a level of musical expression equal to a traditional instrument. Perfect for beginners and virtuosos alike. S

Here are just a few of the features:

“ThumbJam makes use of tilt and shake to add vibrato, tremolo, note bends, and volume swells for more realistic and expressive results. It supports up to eleven (or five on iPhone) simultaneous touches and up to 24 voice polyphony per instrument. You can even load more instruments simultaneously and split the screen to play them. Delay and lush stereo reverb add depth to the sound. Put on your headphones or plug in to your home stereo and prepare to be blown away.”

In fact, ThumbJam was so good upon first release, it has survived a long stint without any need for drastic changes and updates.

Until now! And guess what they decided to pop into their latest update? Figurenotes integration!! That’s right, now you can add Figurenotes shapes. colours or both to your ThumbJam session. It only takes a few clicks.

Here is Karen, a member of Drake Music Scotland ensembles and fantastic iPad musician, explaining how it all works:

Why not try ThumbJam and Figurenotes in your music sessions?

For more information give us a call on 0131 659 4766 or drop us an email figurenotes@drakemusicscotland.org

Watch this beautiful video of Clare Johnston’s performance of her own composition for Thumbjam.

“I feel sorry for those people that couldn’t make the training today, as I think they’ve missed out on something great!”

It is always wonderful to get a glowing review from our training sessions. Over two days, this one combined both Figurenotes and demonstrations of the technology that Drake Music Scotland use in their work. If you are interested in booking a bespoke training session or workshop, you can find more details and contact information on our website. 

Last week, we packed up our kit bags and headed off to the University of Aberdeen to train students and recent graduates. The group was wonderfully enthusiastic and full of questions, which we love! We did tonnes of rhythm games, from body percussion to vocal work. Some really interesting pieces were created from modern artworks, all with audience participation! There were brilliant improvisations using the technology, but the sound effect switches were a particular hit. Squealing pigs, anyone?

Working with people who are totally new to Figurenotes is particularly rewarding, especially current students and new teachers. The enthusiasm and imagination that the group brought to the sessions gives a lot of hope for the future of music education.

If you’d like to receive some training in Figurenotes, you can either book a training day for your organisation, or come to one of our Music Teacher’s Toolbox days. The next Music Teacher’s Toolbox takes place on Saturday 24th November, 2018. As usual, it will take place at our space in Edinburgh.