We used to have this whiteboard at the front of our room, but then we got this incredible SMARTBoard. It’s an enormous touchscreen monitor that’s rigged up to our iMac. It’s like Star Trek, the future is now 🙂 … But then what were we going to do with this old whiteboard? Well, we just put it off to the side on, really, the only … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Inspiration Board
“Still Alive” from Portal, by Jonathan Coulton and released in 2008. Talk about being late for the party! So, after four years, I’ve finally played/beaten Portal. I use those two words in the same sentence because I beat it in one sitting. I just couldn’t stop 😐 I thought that the 19 test chambers were some sort of “teaching the game” sections of the game. And then, … Continue reading VGM Wednesdays – “Still Alive” from Portal
“Zero’s Theme ~Medley~” from Mega Man X, performed by “The Plasmas.”. One of my earliest prominent memories of video games was going to my aunt and uncle’s new house in St. Rose du Lac. They had Mega Man 2 and, like most who grew up with it, it was a transformative experience. Then I got Mega Man 3 and 4 a little while later, and they were cool… but then … Continue reading VGM Wednesday – “Zero’s Theme” Medley – The Plasmas
“Almost every song” from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, by GaMetal, posted by January 9, 2012. I don’t have words… Actually, his comments say everything for themselves, so here they are: Almost EVERY song from the soundtrack is featured. This song itself is split into 7 ‘acts’ as I’d like to call them, combined together to form this enormous tribute. Over 40 different … Continue reading VGM Wednesday – “Super Mario RPG Medley” by GaMetal
This is one of my favourite one-liners. It just says so much in so little (the mark of a good one-liner, I say!): – It tells the musicians to ramp their awareness. – It encourages them to focus their attention on something. – It reinforces them to take a greater responsibility for the whole… And more! As musicians, it’s so easy to get lost in … Continue reading Music Ed Mondays – Listen Harder Than You Play
So, Spring Break is done and we’re back to real life now. Teachers reading, I hope that you’ve had some chance to rest; students reading, welcome back 🙂 About two weeks before, we went to the Brandon Jazz Festival in Brandon, MB, Canada. The playing is fabulous and the clinics are usually good (like any festival, some clinics are good and others… not so), but … Continue reading Music Ed Mondays – They Just Aren’t Scared
“Prologue” from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, by Michiru Yamane and released in 1997. This piece has so many aspects that I’ve loved from music throughout my life: Music, 80s guitar, Romantic Era-esque arpeggios overtop of thick choral and string chords… it’s like my whole musical career wrapped into one piece. All it needs are cadential resolutions to IVadd9 chords and we’ll be set. (I really, … Continue reading VGM Wednesdays – “Prologue” from Castlevania: SOTN
This past week, I took my Senior Big Band to the Brandon Jazz Festival in Brandon, MB, Canada. It’s a fantastic festival and I hope that you all go 🙂 In which case, we played Count Basie’s “Hayburner,” an arrangement of Chick Corea’s “Spain” and then a local tune called “Hobgoblin” by Moses Mayes (and arranged by my bass player, which is fabulous). In our … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – Count Basie Eighth Notes
“Mushroom Kingdom” from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, composed by Yoko Shimamura and released in 1996 Why isn’t there more bassoon in VGM? Seriously, its bouncy woodsiness sells me immediate in “Mushroom Kingdom.” I love what Yoko Shimamura (or Parasite Eve and Kingdom Hearts fame) does here. Instead of adapting a theme from Mario for the iconic Mushroom Kingdom, she puts pencil to paper and creates … Continue reading VGM Wednesdays – “Mushroom Kingdom” from Super Mario RPG
“Staff Roll” from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, Koji Kondo and released in 2003 It feels strange to use a game that I’ve never played for VGM Wednesdays, but I once did a St. Patrick’s Day interview with Radio Free Gamer and this game came up. I’ve never forgotten its since. It’s the second Koji Kondo game in two … Continue reading VGM Wednesdays – “Staff Roll” From “LoZ: Wind Waker”
