Virtual Symphony

The Internet is full of all kinds of interesting tools and simulators. It seems no more than right that musical performance should fall into the category of disciplines represented by the overwhelming existence of digital counterparts. A quick Google search for “virtual musical instruments” will lead a user to a host of sites that are some how associated with digitally simulated instruments.

Wesleyan University offers an entire online museum of virtual instruments of all sorts from across the globe. The Department of Canadian Heritage hosts an online museum with an entire section devoted to a grid of virtual music-makers. Jim Doble maintains a site called Elemental Design that is dedicated to various percussion instruments. The site contains a section devoted to uncommon virtual instruments filled with various virtual, such as the pipe harp, the pentatonic aquarion, and such experimental instruments as a wrenchaphone (a xylophone made with wrenches). David Holmes has compiled an entire Museum of Sound Toys that provides a large collection of links to musical instruments online.

Part of the Finished Product

Well, this is part of the finished product: my poster of Bady Dorzhu. I took every single graphic from the Alash site...I am NOT going to use it for profit, but have instead used it for study. After thinking about it, maybe this is copyright infringement. I hope not. But, if it is, I don't know what I have that they would sue me for. I wouldn't think of these guys to be the sue-crazy kind anyway. They seem much too intelligent and honorable.

Anyway, I'm pleased with it. It's an interactive poster that requires physical interaction between the students and the information. Studies show that this is one of the best ways to help students retain information. The idea is not mine, but a spinoff from one of last semester's assignments. It's made of 5 little books with a little bit of information about Bady, Alash, throat-singing, Tuva, and some of the lyrics to some of the folk songs that Alash has used in their albums. I'm considering adding a few more components before next week's class.

I couldn't wait to present my poster today. This is really saying a lot. I haven't been...so me lately. I'm assuming that it's due in part to the recent death of my aunt. She was 93 years old, and we had just taken a trip to visit her only four weeks ago. She was 93, but you wouldn't know it. She drove and grocery-shopped, and conversed as well as any...well, as any 50 year-old. So when I saw her, the evidence of human frailty in this once vital body, impending mortality throughout the physical portion of my loved one - I broke down and cried. I loved her so much, and this hurt a lot. But I know that she was well-prepared. She is in Heaven, rejoined with loved ones forever, in the presence of the Creator eternally.


Anyway...
I couldn't wait to present my poster today...but that was before I realized how late I was. I couldn't find the sense in leaving home, depleting my reserve of gas, sitting down for three minutes, and then leaving. So I stayed home. I've got other assignments to work on as well. But before I can complete anyone of them, nature has assigned me the need for sleep. I think I'll complete this before I worry about any of the others.