Chad Criswell's Blog

Posted by Chad Criswell

Buying rechargable batteries is a great way to help conserve resources. Instead of tossing used batteries into the trash bin you can recharge and reuse the battery dozens of times. The problem with such batteries (until now) is that you had to carry around a recharging station with you otherwise you would be left with no other option than to go buy a new set of dry cells at the local convenience store. With the USB Powercells you never need to worry about taking along a charger, the charging mechanism is built into the battery itself!

By flipping open the positive end cap on a USB powercell you expose a standard USB device connector. By plugging that connection into your computer the computer will then recharge the NiMH battery to full power in an hour or two. The web site claims that even a short recharge will allow you to power your AA devices for several hours. Cool!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Lower power, lower carbon footprint, and ecologically friendly materials go together to make the Simpletech [re]drive a star for the green minded geeks among us. Sporting a recycled aluminmum and bamboo (yes, Bamboo!) enclosure and a 150gig capacity the [re]drive is impressive yet also very expensive by comparison. Still, for those that want the most environmentally friendly PC components, this new hard drive bears some attention.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Musicians that use a single MIDI device with their computer will normally purchase a USB powered MIDI converter to connect their keyboard or other musical instrument to their PC. For more advanced artists that have multiple instruments this may not be the best bet. Brando has introduced a very economical four port standard MIDI cable based interface (with a single USB connection from the box to the PC) that allows amateurs to pump up the instruments without pumping up the budget. It sells for $38.00 and is available now.

Posted by Chad Criswell

No need to carry around a bunch of different gadgets when the USB 4-in-1 Web Cam rolls four often used toys into one convenient, if moderately ugly, package. The device uses a single USB connection to supply the user with a web cam, an LED light bar (for lighting up your smiling face), a small fan (to keep you cool of course), and of course, a microphone to record the hum of the fan whirring next to it. While it is not a gadget that will wind up in everyone's shopping basket it is still a very novel and useful rethinking of some very common USB accessories. It is currently selling for $23 over at Brando.com.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Okay, I don't think I would want this giant thing sitting in front of my computer all day long, but the idea is in general a good one. This high tech treadmill connects to a PC to allow a user to walk through the environment of your favorite games while still being able to control the various parts of the game by using attached hand controls. It is similar to an idea called the GamerSize PC Sport that fits quietly under your desk, but unlike the FPGameRunner the GamerSize PC Sport does not provide you with the ability to interact with any games as yet. It will, however keep track of your exercise routine and is a lot easier to move around the office.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There is nothing worse than the horror of having a hard drive fail and losing all of your precious digital photos or videos that were stored on it. Backing up is not a huge hassle, but for many people remembering to do so and then followign through with it are still difficult to do. Memorex has now come out with a special DVD that they are calling the SimpleSave which has backup software already on it. When a user pops the SimpleSave disc into their computer the backup software automatically loads and begins to copy all of the photos and videos on the hard drive to the DVD. The disc can hold thousands of photos or hours of compressed video files. For those who have trouble remembering to back up their hard drive the new SimpleSave may be just the ticket to save those previous memories with little or no hassle involved.

Posted by Chad Criswell

HP is a great company that has come out with many useful innovations over the years. They are most well known for their printers (and a dismally unsuccessful PC line) but now they have come out with a printer that has one more feature that you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else. They have combined a traditional multifunction printer with copy, fax, and printing capabilities with a high speed, dual layer DVD burner. All of which are controlled by buttons on the printer or through software on the connected PC. The burner is able to use Lightscribe technology to burn labels onto specially designed blank media discs. It also has ports for all of the common media card formats as well. No idea if you can burn directly from these cards to the burner or not. Although it may seem strange at first the idea of combining all of these devices into one is actually a very good thing. I'd love to get ahold of one to do a review on it, but sadly I bet these are going to be a very hot commodity over the next few months.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Each time a new generation of media storage comes out it takes a while for the technology to mature. In the case of Blu-Ray DVD burners, until now 2x write speeds have been the norm. At that rate it takes as much as 45 minutes to burn 25 gigabytes of data to a standard Blu-Ray recordable disc. Now a few manufacturers have come out with 4x burners, effectively halving the amount of time it takes to burn a full BD-R disc. LaCie is one of the most recent, with their new "d2" drive burns both 25 gig and 50 gig Blu-Ray Recordable discs and comes with ports for both Firewire and USB connections. Of course, that degree of speed and convenience will cost a pretty penny. Street price at the moment is in the neighborhood of $649.00.

Source: Lacie.com

Posted by Chad Criswell

One of the easiest ways to use a traditional telephone with Skype is to use a USB based adaptor such as the CU Free Echo Free USB Phone Adaptor. This matchbook sized USB key has two standard telephone ports on one end, allowing the user to connect a traditional telephone as well as connect to an incoming land line circuit. Using the adaptor and included software, calls coming into the home on the old land line are routed to the telephone handsets as normal, but outgoing long distance calls are automatically routed through the computer and the Skype service. The Echo Free adaptor also includes other useful functions such as 3 way conference calling and call forwarding to a cell phone or any desired phone number.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Skype and other Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services use a person’s computer to make cheap long distance telephone calls using a high speed Internet connection. New accessories are now available that allows a person to use their traditional land line phone in conjunction with the computer based Skype services instead of a computer headset or dedicated Skype phone. There are many different options available for users that want to connect a land line phone to a computer, all with varying degrees of features.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Have you ever had the problem of running out of space on your DVR's hard drive? Having to make the choice between continuing to record Oprah each day or deleting your husband's classic Indiana Jones movies can lead to frustration and possible divorce. Seagate announced today a new device that one might call a long overdue accessory for many different DVR systems. A one terrabyte external storage drive that will plug and play with many existing DVR units adding days of additional recording time to the unit.

Seagate is calling the new storage drive the Seagate Showcase, and is working with manufacturers such as Motorola to update software to be able to utilize the new drives simply by plugging in an enhanced serial ATA cable into the back of the existing DVR. Seagate hopes to ship the unit sometime after June of 2008.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Using a media center computer with a full sized keyboard and mouse is not the most convenient solution. Even wireless keyboards can be difficult to deal with as their size and useful range can be a great hinderance on someone who simply wants to watch a movie or play a quick game of solitare on a 42 inch LCD screen (who wouldn't?) Now Logitech has come out with a great solution that fits in the palm of your hand.

The Logitech diNovo Mini is a small, clam shell style keyboard with a built in mouse that connects via Bluetooth to a computer. The convenience and small size of the DiNovo make it a great choice for anyone that has a media center computer. Moreover, because it works with Bluetooth it also works with portable devices as well. Windows Mobile computers and smartphones can connect with the DiNovo to allow the user to quickly enter information on a keyboard that is actually comfortable to type on. The price is a rather hefty $145 from vendors such as Brando, but you can't put a price on convenience, can you?

Posted by Chad Criswell

For amateur podcasters, musicians, or anyone that needs to record high quality digital audio and download it quickly and easily into a computer, the PockeTrak 2G from Yamaha is an excellent choice. I've been playing around with a demo unit for a week now, recording conversations, meetings, and professional music concerts and have been very impressed with not only the ease of use but also the overall quality of the recording that comes from the unit's diminutive stereo speakers.

The PockeTrak is only slightly longer than an iPod nano and about twice as thick. Inside this small package can be stored up to three hours of high quality WAV format recordings recorded either through the built in microphones or through an external microphone using a 1/4 inch jack. The unit has multiple folders built into the software, allowing a user to file recordings in different places according to their subject. Users can also use the recorder as a portable media device, uploading MP3 tracks to the unit for playback either through the tinny sounding internal speaker or through external headphones or a stereo system. Music can be played through a computer's media software directly from the drive which includes a slide out USB connection.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Podcasting is incredibly popular these days and getting started as an amateur broadcaster could not be easier. Using the equipment and software that comes bundled with your computer a person can produce a decent quality podcast with almost no difficulty. For those that want a little more quality and control however, Behringer has released its Podcast Studio, an all-in-one podcasting package that includes headphones, microphone, stand, mixer, and cables for around $150. The audio quality is probably far better than what a user would get with Microsoft Sound Recorder or if using the cheap microphone that comes with most PCs.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There are hundreds of things that should and can be incorporated into USB based devices. There are also many hundreds of things that shouldn’t be, and the USB Pregnancy Tester is one of them. Perhaps borrowing a cue from the latest in electronic pregnancy tests that are now available at your local pharmacy, the O-Tec USB Pregnancy Test costs less than $20 but works the same way traditional tests work. Now the question is, do you really want to put this thing in your thousand dollar computer after you have done your business on it?

Posted by Chad Criswell

With all the high technology that went in to creating the first thumb sized flash drives a person would think that someone would have considered just how vulnerable they are to losing the cap. I carry an Ultra FlyDrive with me everywhere I go, and on more than one occasion I have lost the protective cap that goes over the connector. Without the cap a flash drive is vulnerable to dust, dirt, and accidental damage so it is really important to keep the cap on it when not in use. For those of us that seem to lose the caps on a daily basis a company named RooKaps has come to the rescue with stylish and vibrantly colored replacements.

The RooKaps come in multipacks of four for as little as $6. Other options are available including caps that come already attached to lanyards. While the caps are cool, the lanyard idea leaves me worried. I would rather have a cap fall off of my thumb drive and be lost forever than my thumb drive fall off of the cap. They are also quoted as being made from an electrostatic disapative material, to help prevent data loss due to static discharge, but to my knowledge I have never seen this as a problem with thumb drives. Still, if you need a replacement usb drive cap these little caps will help keep the lid on your precious data.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Most thumb drives come equipped with a small cap to protect the USB connector from damage while not in the computer. The problems with these little caps is that they are so... LITTLE! It is very easy to forget about the cap or have it fall off entirely as it hangs around your neck. I have used several different methods of preserving my caps (such as supergluing a small piece of string between the cap and body of the thumb drive). None of these methods work for very long and eventually the cap goes missing. Not long after the end of the thumb drive inevitably gets damaged.

SanDisk and other vendors are now coming out with thumb drives encased in a retractable shell (similar to a utility knife setup) where the USB connector can be pulled back into the body of the drive when not plugged into a computer. The SanDisk Cruzer Titanium comes with the U3 software suite installed on it to provide quick and easy access to portable applications such as your email and browsing software. The Cruzer sells for more than thumb drives of comparable size, but the durability of the unit adds to its value and overal attractiveness.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For anyone to be willing to pay $100 for a computer mouse it must be packed full of features that go beyond simple scrolling or page navigation. The new Microsoft Mobile Mouse 8000 does its best to make the buy a good deal, but even so, it still may not be worth a Benjamin in order to put this thing on your desk.

The Mobile Mouse 8000 does have some very interesting additions to it's package. The small, ergonomically designed wireless mouse is comfortable while still offering a variety of user assignable buttons and rechargable NMH batteries. Unlike many other wireless mice the batteries are recharges through a magnetic dongle that retracts into the 2.4 gigahertz receiver. To bolster the high price tag Microsoft has incorporated optional Bluetooth connectivity into the unit as well as the ability to mouse on almost any surface including glass.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Silly and idotic uses for USB computer connections abound. I have written in the past about such mindless diversions of a person's time and money, items such as the USB aromatherapy diffuser and the all important USB beverage warmer. But at least these items had a purpose...

The new USB Punch Head is a device that claims to help you release some of that ugly stress that is clogging your life, but in truth it is just plain ugly. Punching the little plastic head sends a signal to the computer which in turn lets out a shreek of pain and distorts a photo of your choice. The web site includes a video demo and shots of Bin Laden and Bush as examples. All in all a complete (and ugly) waste of time. Still, you have to give the company credit, it is definately a "unique," little gadget.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Not too long ago I blogged about a new accessory called the Eco-Button, essentially an external sleep button that when pressed tells your computer to go to sleep to conserve energy.In that post I pointed out that most keyboards now have a sleep button on them somewhere and to be honest, a special hotkey combination will do the same thing.Now however there is a new cousin to the Eco-Button that might actually have some merit to buying it.

The ProxMat USB Mat can perform the same function as the sleep button on your keyboard (or Eco-Button) but it does it automatically when you get up from your computer.The mat rests under the user's feet and is pressure sensitive.The mat can be set to send almost any keypress or sequence to the computer when the mat is stepped on, and a different combination when the user leaves.This would be incredibly useful for public access computer terminals to prevent identity theft.When a user leaves the station the ProxMat can automatically log them out, preventing someone else from walking up and having access to whatever programs or files they forgot to close when they left.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Now that the Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD war is over with companies are beginning to push to market the latest and greatest in PC based high capacity BD-Rom drives.The newest Blu-Ray burner from Buffalo promises to be able to burn a full BD-R disc in around 50 minutes, and is capable of using rewritable media as well.Other new Blu-Ray drives are also being shipped by companies such as Phillips and Lite-On.The Phillips drive is not a burner, but it can read Blu-Ray and standard DVD-Rom discs at comparable speeds to the Buffalo model.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For anyone that is considering buying a new keyboard and has over $1500 to spend on it you might want to take a look at the new Optimus Maximus keyboard from Russian artist Art Lebedev. Each of its 113 keys is a tiny 32x32 pixel OLED screen. The images on the keys are controlled by a memory card that is inserted into the back of the keyboard. In this manner the keyboard can be reformatted for almost any application or use.

As of right now no one but the people that preordered the keyboard will be able to get ahold of one except for those willing to pay an even greater premium for buying one off of Ebay. The keyboard itself sells for $1564 but one unit recently sold on Ebay for $2700!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Following on the heels of products such as the Eco-Strip and Belkin’s new green oriented power strip, the Eco Button is being marketed as a strong visual reminder to help you save electricity every time you leave your computer sitting idle. Although the Eco Button is quite eye catching it is essentially a glorified Sleep button which performs a function similar to the sleep button that is already built in to most computer keyboards. One has to wonder if in the future keyboard manufacturers will seize on this obvious point and begin tailoring their sleep buttons in a more eye catching manner.

The Eco Button web site provides a very eye catching flash movie showing just how much CO2 it believes could be saved if everyone in Great Britain used its product. On a global scale the estimates are even more impressive yet one has to wonder just how much of a carbon footprint the manufacture of these devices would have on such a global scale? In the end, it is probably much more effective to make a nice big colored sign to remind you to hit the sleep button rather than shell out a penny on such a redundant device.

Posted by Chad Criswell

If you are tired of the boring old box style speakers sitting atop your computer desk or if you just want to make a statement that your musical tastes are more stylish than all of your friends, take a long lucious look at the new MidiPod speakers from Scandyna. Your guests will definately notice the smooth, curved lines and cool colors put the MiniPod speakers in a class by themselves. Each unit comes with a wallbracket and stand, and is available in white, black, blue, silver, yellow, or red. The active version of the Micropod speakers includes and integrated amplifier and sells for $299 a pair. The standard Micropod comes without the amplifier and sells for $199 per pair.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Traditional hard drives waste energy by keeping the platters inside them spinning, even when the drive is not actively accessing data. New solid state hard drives that are based on newer high speed flash memory chips remove this mechanical problem and also require less power to transfer data. These new drives are already showing up in the newest laptop computers due to their promise of extending battery life in those devices.

Other Green Technologies on the Horizon

The future of green computing may lie in OLED displays as well as in other technologies not currently on the radar screen. In any case, it is obvious that consumers are demanding energy efficiency and are willing to pay a premium for it. As long as this trend continues we will continue to see manufacturers invest in green technology research and development.

Posted by Chad Criswell

One can only wonder how much energy the computer sitting beneath their desk wastes each day. When not being activly used it sits there sucking electricity, even when it is turned completely off. Manufacturers have begun to respond to the desires of both corporate and private America by producing new, highly efficient computer products. While change is occuring across the board, several developments stand out from the pack.

Killing The Energy Vampires

Almost every electonic product, even when turned off, consumes energy. When a computer is off, power still flows to the circuit boards to power the ethernet card and internal clock. Other peripherals such as the printer, scanner, router, and cable modem all draw power even when the computer is not in use. The most effective way to combat this problem is to use a power bar to completely turn off the electricity at the source. Rather than dealing with this hassle, some companies are now producing "green" power strips that automatically shut off power to all unneccessary appliances when the computer enters the shutdown process in Windows. When the computer is turned on, the power strip restores power to the peripherals. Communication is maintained between the power strip and computer via a USB port.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Why do technology companies continue to innovate while their current technology offerings continue to sell like crazy? Once again supply and demand makes itself known, but not in the way one might think. You see, as more and more companies begin to offer the same or similar products the price for that kind of produce begins to drop. This is why prices on such products as HD-DVD and BluRay players are falling as more and more companies churn them out for the masses to purchase. As the prices drop, the profits that these companies receive begin to drop as well even though they are selling more of them. In order to boost their bottom line a company has to innovate and push forward with new technology to get the public to buy into the next big thing.

One of the more recent examples of this has been detailed by Infoworld. It was recently published that many flash memory companies are seeing the bottom fall out of the prices for their memory chips that are used in digital cameras, recorders, and a host of other portable devices. At about the same time, Micron and Intel recently announced that they had designed a new type of flash memory that is up to four times faster than current flash memory designs for both reading and writing speeds. With all of the talk these days about green technology (low power usage) this advance could make solid state computer hard drives an even more prevalent part of mobile computing. Because of this big jump in capabilities expect the new memory chips to be sold at a premium once they hit the market. Thus the cycle begins again, at least until other companies start cranking out their own knock-offs.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Motionbox is an online provider of video storage and streaming. Their streaming product has been reviewed here on Suite101 and in general is a good alternative to YouTube, especially for those who want to share videos privately and be able to edit them as well, all on the same online web site.

Today, in the spirit of Valentine's day, Motionbox has announced a special contest titled "Motionbox Video Valentine Contest: Your (Not-So) Secret Admirer." By going to the Motionbox web site and opening a free account a member can then upload raw or edited video of their significant other that hopefully shows their mate in the best possible light. Beginning on February 1st and running through the 29th (yes, this is a leap year!), the site is requesting that users upload video clips such as:

• Talking head confessions of love captured on a webcam
• Footage of the entrant's better half playing with the kids or belting out a tune
• A "highlight reel" of moving memories from the past year
• Any other video that demonstrates why their loved one is the best valentine ever

So if you are a shutterbug that would REALLY like to get in good with your honey this Valentine's Day, check out the contest and you might win big.

Posted by Chad Criswell

In the electronics world smaller is almost always better, but I doubt that many people considered that one day we might be able to carry a cell phone with an embedded video camera. The 3M company recently demonstrated a new prototype video projector that can be fitted into portable electronic devices. While the unit is not incredibly bright, it sounds as though it might be ideal for showing a stored video or other program to a small group of onlookers instead of having them view it on a tiny cell phone size LCD screen.

Other reports state that several electronics companies are interested in the technology and that cell phones with embedded video projectors might be available as soon as late 2008.

Source: InfoWorld

Posted by Chad Criswell

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the largest and most well known of all electronics exhibitions. The vast majority of new product announcements and major press releases come out around and during the CES convention, usually during the first weeks of January each year. At the convention over 2700 electronics exhibitors from thirty different categories pack into Las Vegas to display their wares and get a little free publicity from the thousands of reporters, analysts, and freelance journalists that swarm the booths that cover the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Venetian Hotel, and the Las Vegas Hilton.

What's the catch?

You probably can't get in.

The Consumer Electronics Show is generally closed to the public. The convention is aimed at media and members of the electronics trade. Registration and costs for some of the events that occur during CES can run into the thousands of dollars, not including lodging and meals. Still, for those that make a living on the electronics trade, CES is akin to making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Nowhere else on the planet will a person be able to find so many exhibitors and so many new gadgets to look at at one time.

Don't feel bad though if you can't get in the door. For the next several months the media will be avidly discussing and displaying the newest and greatest in gadgets gleaned from the booths at the Consumer Electronics Show. All you have to do is look around on the web this month and you'll be able to get at least a peripheral glance at what is truly the biggest geek convention on the face of the planet.

Posted by Chad Criswell

According to an article posted at Digitimes, networking giant D-Link is planning to lower the prices of its latest 802.11n wireless routers by as much as 35%, making the street price under $50. When you consider that most of the new 802.11n routers from other companies cost in the $80 range, the discount will likely be very attractive to consumers. Should you bother with purchasing an 802.11n router right now though? Compatibility issues could be coming down the pipe for brands such as D-Link that have signed on to a specific version of the new "n" standard. This latest version of Wi-Fi has not yet been standardized by the international community, but it appears that D-Link is hoping to drive up demand in any way that it can.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Due to capacity and manufacturing issues it has been reported that at least one manufacturer of TFT displays is expecting there to be shortages in the first half of 2008. Thanks to good old supply and demand that means that prices on medium size LCD screens may be on the way up (or at least remain stagnant) for much of next year.

What does this mean to you as a consumer?

If you have been putting off making an LCD television or larger LCD computer monitor purchase now may be the best time to go ahead with it, especially with the seasonal influx of special offers and discounts. Although the manufacturer is predicting only a small rise (3-5%) it still might warrant some consideration if you know you will be in the market within the next few months.

Source: Digitimes

Posted by Chad Criswell

The Wall Street Journal and others are stating that Internet icon Google may be getting set to add online file storage to the suite of free online applications that it already provides such as a free word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation system. Google is being very quiet about the whole idea, leading some to wonder if the idea will ever come to fruition or if it is simply a potential vaporware candidate.

Like the other Google applications, the storage component would be free for a certain amount of space. Additional storage would be available for a fee. No word as to whether the service would allow file sharing.

Some people wonder if this new option is wise for Google or if it is even needed. Many people already use Google's applications as a type of online storage by emailing attachments to their spacious Gmail inboxes. Regardless of the competition, if Google does open this component up to the masses one can expect it to become very popular simply because of the brand name associated with it.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There is no longer a need to settle for a boring cold gray laptop case. Unlike the laptop cases reviewed here on Suite101 in the past, this new addition makes a statement using a different form of style. Instead of utilitarian these cases are actually quite comical. Thanks to the guys over at Barry's Farm, you can now own your own (or give as a gift) a laptop sleeve that is as unique as the recipient. They come in six different colors but are all basically the same style, a cuddly little google eyed monster that wants to devour your precious laptop. Each case is lightly padded, but don't expect it to provide protection from anything but the most minimal of damage. For those that want something different or to use as a great gift for a high school or college student these new laptop sleeves are fun and entertaining.

Source: Coolest Gadgets.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There are dozens of examples of strange computer mice. I have seen mice wade in the shape of a realistic human hand (for the gross out factor I guess) and I have seen mice with actually useful additions such as retractable cords for the laptop toting traveler. The new USB Label Mouse Printer is one that seems more a question of what strange and almost useless gadget can we cram into a common everyday item.

If you are the type of person that likes to label everything in your office and prints tiny little half inch wide labels on a regular basis then perhaps this mating is of use to you, but the printer appears to be sub-par in the clarity department, and you can only wonder how much the tiny little rolls of label material will cost. Add to this the fact that the mouse itself is of the standard mechanical variety and you really have to stretch to see the allure of this new product. Come on Casio, what were you thinking?

Source: Engadget

Posted by Chad Criswell

Most flash drives these days come in sizes ranging from 1-12gb. While this is enough for most people, there are always those that need more space and are willing to pay for something that will meet their needs. Thanks to EDGE Corp., you can now fill your need for portable flash drive space with the beefy 32gb DiskGo Flash Drive. Only slightly thicker than a traditional flash drive, the 32gb flash drive from DiskGo still transfers data at up to 480MB/sec. It also includes a free but limited trial of a cryptography package to safeguard your stored data. The new 32gb model is available now through the EDGE Corp web site, but be prepared to plunk down nearly four hundred dollars for the luxury of using this new gadget.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Video projectors are great ways to show off your computing talents. They are staple now of presenters and school classrooms, but one problem has always persisted. To get a big picture you had to place the video projector far away from the projection screen. BenQ has come out with a new video projector that promises to solve that problem for many users, producing a huge 74 inch picture from a distance of just three feet away. Public speakers, teachers, and others that commonly use projectors to get their point across will also love the eye popping 3000 lumen brightness and a 2000:1 contrast capability of this unit. It even features something called Wall Color Correction for when you have to use a blank wall for your presentation rather than a standard white projection screen. The other goodies under the hood are equally tasty, with such things as a detachable keypad and a presentation timer to warn you when you have exceeded your welcome.

The BenQ MP771 is set to be available in November.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Until now, if you wanted to connect an extra SATA hard drive to your computer you had to buy a USB adaptor kit or a hard drive enclosure. While these work fairly well for most users some of us seem to have several old drives laying around and want to put them to good use. Using the new USB SATA docking bay you can simply insert an old SATA hard drive into the docking cradle and access it on your system with no fuss or bending over to plug in cables. The SATA hard drive plugs into the base much like an old style video game cartridge and allows you to easily swap one drive for another. It isn't exactly the most stylish and eye pleasing accessory to add to your desk, but it does the job and does it well.

Found via Everything USB

Posted by Chad Criswell

All electronic components create heat. For some applications that might be a good thing, such as keeping a beverage hot, but in general heat plus your computer equals a very bad combination. Unfortunately for decades now the common method for keeping your computer's CPU cool has been to hook up a large, occasionally noise fan to dissipate the heat created by the components and move it outside the case. Liquid cooling systems change all that. By replacing your computer's CPU fan with a liquid cooling unit such as the Freezone Elite CPU Cooler from CoolIT Systems you can not only remove the ambient noise of the old fan but you may also be able to give your computer a speed boost. Many computer gurus overclock their systems to give them additional performance above and beyond what their CPU is rated for. This is only possible if you have a really good cooling unit, otherwise the additional heat created by overclocking can actually fry the CPU leaving you with a very expensive lesson learned. If you are comfortable working inside your computer's case, or if you are considering upgrading your CPU, converting to a liquid cooled system may be a good idea. Liquid CPU cooling systems such as the Freezone are useful, stylish, and interesting conversation pieces when your techie friends drop by to play World of Warcraft on the weekend. If nothing else, the futuristic black box and coolant hoses look pretty "cool," in a glass sided computer case.

Posted by Chad Criswell

While I often ramble on about silly or mindless toys to plug into your computer today I have found something that may actually be practical for many people. How many times have you sat down to work at your computer with a luke warm beverage? If you are like me and sometimes have to spend hours staring at my LCD monitor, it can happen quite often and there is nothing worse than having to drink a tepid glass of brew. Thanks to CoolIT Systems, you can now avoid that problem with their USB Beverage Chiller. Sure, beverage warmers have been around for a long time (it's pretty easy to use electricity to make something hot), but this is one of the first I have seen that goes the other direction to make your glass stay cool. Not ice cold mind you, but 45 degrees is still a lot better than room temperature.

Posted by Chad Criswell

There are lots of strange and exotic USB based gadgets out there that use your computer for their power supply. This new aromatherapy diffuser available through electronics importer Brando is just one of many such gadgets. Simply plug the diminutive device into an empty USB port and add your favorite scented oil to the metal cup. Flip the switch on the back and within minutes you will be in your own personal fragrant bliss. Sarcasm aside, this product does have its advantages. Unlike traditional aroma diffusers this USB based aroma diffuser does not require lighting a candle and creating a potential fire hazard. The unit's on/off switch is also connected to an indicator light to let you know whether it is operating or not. If you are looking for a unique stocking stuffer this Christmas season you might want to consider it. No aroma oils are provided with the device.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Free Wi-Fi is becoming more and more common, but unless you know that a particular location has an open access point finding out often meant watching for posted signs or sneakily carrying around a handheld Wi-Fi finder to sniff out the best spots near you. If however you are proud of your skullduggery, you can now broadcast to everyone the fact that you are a true Wi-Fi geek by becoming a walking (and flashing) Wi-Fi billboard.

ThinkGeek.com now sells a t-shirt that comes complete with a light up display on the chest that visually shows you and everyone else when there is an active Wi-Fi connection in the neighborhood. The stronger the signal the more lights light up. Here are the specs for this truly geeky shirt.

• Glowing animated shirt dynamically displays the current wi-fi signal strength.
• Shows signal strength for 802.11b or 802.11g
• Runs for hours off three AAA Batteries (not included)

Sadly the shirt is currently out of stock, but when it is available it sells for $30.

Via JKOnTheRun

Posted by Chad Criswell

Many companies have come up with interesting (and slightly kooky) ideas for seasonal computer accessories. The most popular time of year to dress up your PC is traditionally Christmas, but now you can get a little festive for Halloween as well with some cool Halloween computer decor.

The USB Halloween Decoration Kit is sold by the guys over at USBfever.com and features several pieces of eye candy for your local goblins and ghosts to decorate with. A festive witch covered mouse pad and party hat start things off. Once the kit arrives you can download a special Halloween screen saver for free from the manufacturer's web site. The best part of the entire kit though is the small set of jack-o-lantern mini-lights that plug into your computer's USB port for power. Buy one today and you can have the coolest/spookiest computer in your building for Halloween this year.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Lexmark is one of the largest sellers of consumer inkjet printers and all-in-one multifunction printers. They have also been criticized (as have many inkjet manufacturers) for selling their printers very cheap while charging a lot of money for replacement inkjet cartridges. This problem is often compounded by the fact that many printers come with color inkjet cartridges that combine all three colors into one unit. When one color runs dry the entire cartridge has to be replaced.

Lexmark has apparently taken some of the complaints to heart by starting an online customer loyalty program for those that purchase authentic Lexmark ink cartridges and then return them to the company when they are empty.

From the Lexmark press release:

The program is simple: customers buy five ink cartridges from Lexmarkstore.com within a 12-month period, and they get one ink cartridge free. In addition, after they return five empty Lexmark ink cartridges to Lexmark within a 12-month period, they can get a second ink cartridge free. Therefore, customers are eligible for two free cartridges for every five bought online and returned to Lexmark.

This deal excludes the Lexmark No. 2 and No. 3 cartridges.

For more information and to read the reasoning behind the Lexmark decision you can read the complete press release at their web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I am privileged to work in a school district that is incredibly aware of its energy use. Through a series of energy saving initiatives the district has saved millions in energy costs over the few years that the conservation program has been active. One of the major areas of energy waste that remains has been faculty members that leave their power strips turned on at night even after the computer itself has been powered down. Across a large organization with thousands of computers this seemingly small amount of energy can add up to a huge amount of wasted money and resources. Luckily a new product may soon solve the problem completely.

The new Ecostrip is essentially a smart power strip. It works like any other power strip, but also connects to your computer via a USB cable. This cable tells the power strip when you are shutting down the computer and tells it to automatically turn off the power to any of the peripherals that are plugged into the same strip. Although no price has been set and the new strip is not yet available for purchase, when it hits the market it is certain to return its investment, especially when used in situations such as the corporate or school settings mentioned earlier.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For years getting a decent looking full color label for your freshly burned CD or DVD meant having to use a specially equipped inkjet printer or printing on a full size adhesive CD label and stamping it down onto your disc. Back in 2005 LightScribe was invented, allowing users to burn greyscale labels onto their discs but the results are very slow and less than ideal (and obviously not in color). Today however, a new home based method for inking your own custom CD's is available from the company that has been stomping out CD labels for years, Dymo.

About the size of a small toaster, the Dymo DiscPainter prints full color labels directly onto the top of your blank CD's (special ink jet printable CD blanks are required). At its lower resolution the process takes barely a minute, far superior to the 20 minutes plus that some LightScribe burners can take. Reports say that the included ink cartridge will print around 100 CD's.

Posted by Chad Criswell

BenQ is well known for their LCD displays and video projectors. One area that they are not as well known is in the market of digital cameras. This may be the consumers loss however, as BenQ continues to pop out some very sleek and well designed digital cameras. The newest of these is the new 8MP T800.

Measuring less than 15mm thick the T800 packs in a large 3 inch touch screen LCD. There is no traditional optical viewfinder on this camera, instead most functions and adjustments are made through the touch screen interface. The camera also packs the ability to record MPEG4 video at 640x480 at a smooth 30 frames per second. If the reviews of its older sibling the T700 are any indication, this new camera is poised to be a hot seller this coming Christmas season.

Posted by Chad Criswell

If you are in the market for a small office sized multifunction printer look no farther than the new HP LaserJet 4345. This fairly compact machine will fax (on some models), scan, copy, and print all of your documents, plus print in black and white at a minimum speed of 45 pages per minute and a maximum blazing fast speed of up to 69 pages per minute for some documents. Think about it, that's more than one page per second!

In addition to the fast print speed and the exceptional quality that one comes to expect from an HP product, the HP LaserJet 4345 also has a built in ethernet print server, and the ability to scan to email (send scanned pages directly to an email account). There are four models of the 4345 available, ranging in price from $2600 to $4800. Higher end models come complete with storage pedestals, double sided printing, and faxing capability, while all come with an internal hard drive and HP Smart print technology. True, for home consumers the price tag is a bit extreme, but for home based businesses or small business owners the 4345 might be a worthwhile investment.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The laptop computer is named such because it sits... Well... On your lap. The biggest problem with this setup is that heat from the computer builds up over time and is transferred through the bottom of the laptop on into your body. After a while this can be quite uncomfortable, and in the case of male users perhaps even dangerous (see this BBC News article on laptops affecting male fertility). There have been many attempts by manufacturers to create laptop pads that transfer the heat away from the body, but Belkin has done one better to create a stylish, firm support laptop pad that will fit almost any size laptop. Dubbed the CushTop, the cushion has two sides, one to fit a 15 inch laptop, the other to fit a 17 inch laptop. It comes in two different color schemes that match the other pieces of the Laptop@Home ensemble, including the previously reviewed Belkin PocketTop Storage Case. The CushTop comes in steel/orange or chocolate/tourmaline color schemes, and while these are not exactly the first pick for most people, the muted tones are quite at home in most people's living rooms. Note that this is not exactly a portable laptop cooling solution. The fairly rigid construction of the CushTop prevents it from folding down to fit in luggage or a briefcase. Still, for versatility (also makes a good laptop writing desk), durability, and ease of use the CushTop is a great way to keep yourself from getting overheated as you surf the Internet.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The new Logitech AudioHub seems to be aimed more at the home user or business user that uses their laptop to play various types of multimedia. Since most speakers that are found on laptop computers are tinny and shallow sounding, Logitech went to lengths to try to cram high quality sound rendering into a fairly compact package. The reviews seem to say that the audio quality coming from the two diminutive black speakers is acceptable, and for the most part worth the $100.00 investment.

On the down side it's kind of ugly, but that's just my own personal opinion.

Along with the upgrade in audio quality, the Logitech AudioHub also sports a built in three port USB hub, integrated subwoofer, and a removable web cam stand. The two speakers are adjustable to fit almost any notebook PC. No shipping date was given in the official Logitech press release, but expect it to be available in the fall of 2007.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Wireless USB hubs by Belkin an D-Link have been on the market for several months now, but a long anticipated wireless USB hub from IOGEAR has been slow in coming. First announced over a year ago, IOGEAR has finally stuffed the boxes and sent them out the door.

One of the biggest differences between the IOGEAR and other wireless gadgets is that IOGEAR's new wireless USB hub does not use the 802.11 standard, opting instead for a more current technology that reportedly allows the hub to operate freely without causing interference with other household appliances.

The IOGEAR GUWH104KIT comes with a small dongle style adapter that plugs directly into your computer while up to three USB peripherals are plugged into the wired hub. The most likely candidate for using this product therefore are laptop computer users. The printer, scanner, and other items can be on the other side of the room (up to 30 feet away) and still communicate with the host computer. For some home users this may be a nice convenience to have, but with the growing number of networked printers out there that can be plugged directly into a wireless router, I tend to think the new wireless USB hubs are a little overkill. Still, the reviews on the new unit are positive, and if you have the need to cut the cord the new IOGEAR wireless USB hub bears some consideration.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Every computer has one or more fans inside that circulate air past the processor and other parts to keep them cool. In the process these same fans pull in tiny particles of dust that eventually stick and build up on the electronic components inside the case as well as on the exterior grill around the fan's ports. Computer processors produce a lot of heat, and even a thin coating of dust acts like a blanket, insulating the processor and making it heat up higher than it should. If the processor gets too hot it simple shuts down or, worse yet, fries itself. Luckily keeping your computer clean is a very easy task.

To clean up your computer you need a vacuum cleaner with a detachable hose, a bottle of compressed air (available at any computer or discount store), and possibly a screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to remove the computer's case after unplugging the computer's power supply. Without touching the components, hold the vacuum hose close to the dusty parts inside, turn it on, then use the compressed air to gently blow the offending dust off of its perch. The vacuum should collect most of the dust as it is blown off. Before replacing the cover use the vacuum hose to clean the grills on both sides of the computer case as well. Replace the cover, plug the power supply back in, and you are done.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Well known for their electronics and computer accessories, it may surprise you to know that Belkin is now producing several useful non-electric accessories aimed at the home user. One of these is the new Belkin C-Clip Cable Manager. Available in packages of two, the simple looking clamps slip over the edge of your desk, locking your computer's power, printer, and other cables inside.

While cable clips and clamps may not be anything new to computer society, the ease of use of these clips is. Most cable clamps work by means of an adhesive, stuck to the bottom or back of your desk or workspace. The beauty of the new C-Clips is their easy on, easy off usability with no adhesives needed. They work much the same way that a table cloth holder does to keep your lunch from blowing off the picnic table, but before slipping them over the edge of the table you fit your wires inside. While the clamp itself is very rigid and strong enough to hold a variety of cables, the interior of the clamp is made of a much softer, pliable rubber that will not bite into your wires.

For those users that are frustrated with a spaghetti-like mess of wires and cables dangling from beneath their work area the Belkin C-Clip Cable Managers are a great little investment that will save you time and frustration.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Belkin has announced its release of a new Keyboard/Video/Mouse switch (KVM) that is one of the more stylish and attractive that I have seen. The new design has already received some good press, starting with inclusion in the Pasedena Museum of California Art's biennial design exhibition. Until now KVM switches tended to be hidden away behind your desk, often controlled by a clunky selector box or a series of keypresses to switch between computers. The new Flip KVM switch from Belkin brings the controller front and center with simple curves and an attractive color scheme.

Priced at between $50-$150, the Belkin Flip (F1DF102U) has models that switch the keyboard, mouse, and monitor plus optional sound as well. Higher end versions of the Flip feature a wireless remote control (F1DG102W) or the ability to switch between DVI-D connected LCD monitors (F1DG102D). The remote control on all models is barely the size of a quarter, so one has to wonder how easily the wireless version might get buried or misplaced on a busy desk. Regardless of which model of Flip you purchase the kit comes with all required cables and an optional fastener strip. All models are also covered by a generous three year warranty direct from Belkin.

I recently completed a full review of the Belkin Flip KVM Switch.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Each time you add a new accessory or other piece of equipment to your computer you are adding another story to a very tall and wobbly building. As the building grows taller there are more things that can go wrong. A new graphics card can have drivers that conflict with your sound card. The new network card could be attempting to share the same IP address as another one in your home. These and a million other things can make the happy transaction of buying a new accessory for your computer turn into a nightmare.

Preventing Disaster: Make A Backup

Every parts and accessory manufacturer will tell you to make a backup of your data before installing the new hardware. Take their advice and make sure that you do it before you plug in the new equipment. If you have it in your budget to buy a new portable USB drive to use as a backup device so much the better. If not, at least back up your documents that cannot be restored from other discs.

Diagnosing your hardware problem: Driver vs. Physical Issues

When you have a problem with a new piece of hardware the problem is probably due to one of two things. Either the new accessory is defective, or the software based device drivers are incompatible with some other part of your system. In the majority of cases, the latter is the most likely culprit. However, always check the new hardware for obvious signs of distress such as cracks, scratches, etc. just to be sure.

• Normally a physical problem with the hardware will be obvious in that the new component simply won't work at all.
• If using the component causes system crashes and blue screens of death then you can assume the problem is with the drivers or software.

Fixing Hardware Issues and Driver Conflicts

If you know that your problem is software or driver based then be sure to download and install the most recent updated code from the device manufacturer. Install the new drivers, reboot the computer, and see if the problems subside. If the problems persist, remove the device or disable it in the computer's settings, and reboot again. Unfortunately most driver conflicts simply cannot be fixed. If you determine that your problem is a device driver conflict then your only option is to return the accessory to the store and try to find a reasonably priced item made by a different manufacturer.

Posted by Chad Criswell

In a recent article I talked about the benefits of purchasing a portable USB hard drive for your home or office computer. I went into detail about what to look for and why they are important to your overall setup. Today I am going to share with you some hints on how to build your own USB hard drive on the cheap.

The first thing you need to purchase is a portable hard drive enclosure. It so happens that just this evening I found a great little USB/Firewire enclosure on sale at TigerDirect.com for less than $20. This particular hard drive enclosure is made by Ultra Products, but there are similar enclosures out there from other retailers for roughly the same amount.

Once you get your new enclosure you need something to put inside it. The enclosure by itself won't do anything, it needs a working hard disc hooked up inside. You can buy a hard drive online, but you can also use an old one, scavenged from an old computer or one that you have laying around (or am I the only person that has hard drives laying around my desk?). One caveat about using an old hard drive is that the older the drive is the more prone to failure it is. If you are using this new portable hard drive as a backup or if you are storing very valuable information you might want to invest in a new drive instead.

The enclosure will have instructions on how to open it up and mount the hard drive inside. You may need to set the jumpers on the hard drive to set it as a slave device before screwing it into the new case. Again, check the instructions and follow them precisely. Once the drive is assembled you may have to format the drive, but in general this is a pretty easy little way to create extra storage space for your computer. The best part is that by reusing old equipment and looking out for sales you can save a ton of money by building a USB hard drive on your own.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For those of you that seek the dream of a truly wireless office, technology has taken another step forward with the introduction of wireless USB hubs from several different manufacturers. A wireless USB hub is simply a USB hub that transmits data to the host computer through a radio frequency transmission instead of the old standard USB cables. Don't get too jumpy though, while these new wireless USB hubs cut the cord between your computer and the hub, the old corded connections still exist between the hub and the peripheral. As a result, these new hubs make the most sense for avid laptop users. With a charged laptop a user can now venture as far as thirty feet from the hub and still be able to print, scan, or connect to your PDA's docking cradle.

Already D-Link and Belkin have released for sale versions of their own wireless USB hub technologies. The D-Link® Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Wireless USB Kit (DUB-9240) and the more generically named Belkin Wireless USB Hub (F5U302) both connect to your computer by means of a small thumb drive size adaptor that plugs into an available USB 2.0 slot. Plug the hub into the power outlet, connect your peripherals to it and you are ready to go for a stroll untethered. The Belkin is already on sale for just under $200 while the D-Link is ready to go on sale but not quite in the stores as yet. Other companies are stating that they also have wireless USB offerings in the pipeline. IOGear hopes to release a unit in the near future but no price estimate or release date is available at this time.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Canon has been a powerhouse in the arena of document imaging for decades. Canon printers, copiers, and other office machines have always been some of the most reliable and cost effective on the market. In terms of multifunction printers, Canon has apparently struck gold with their Pixma line. In the August edition of PC World Magazine, Kalphana Ettenson has ranked four Canon multifunction printers as the top four in the category. The Canon Pixma MP600 garners the top spot at $179, followed closely by its more expensive sibling the MP960 which adds support for film scanning and 2400x2400 dpi scanning resolution.

Next in line is the Canon Pixma MP510, the cheapest of the three at $149. With the price cut you also cut out some features, the MP510 has a slower print output speed and smaller LCD display. Rounding out the top four is the Canon Pixma MP530 at $200. The MP530 adds a duplexing sheet feeder to the scanning bed, allowing it to scan both sides of a sheet of paper without help from the user. The MP530 is primarily a small office printer. It has built in fax capability, but no built in networking.

One of many nice things about the Pixma series is that all four of the reviewed printers boast individual ink cartridges. The more expensive of the printers have seven independent ink cartridges while the MP510 has just four. Regardless, this differentiation will likely save you money in the long run as it is much cheaper usually to replace a single color cartridge than to replace cartridges with multiple colors.

The moral of the story appears to be this, if you are in the market for a new multifunction printer for your home or your small office, the Canon Pixma series is a great place to start.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I was in our local Target today doing some shopping with my family whilst also pondering what I should do for my first official blog post in this category. As I grudgingly pulled out a shopping cart and pried my two year old into the kiddie seat I saw the wonder of all Target wonders, the Dollar Bin. To my amazement what should I find along with the other trinkets and wastes of money but a bin filled with USB coffee cup warmers. Resisting the temptation to drain my laptop battery in order to keep my favorite cup of joe piping hot I decided to instead take a look around and see what other mindless, pointless, and just plain silly USB gadgets were to be found on the Internet. Here is a list of three of my "love-to-hate-them" favorites.

Stupid USB Gadget #1: The USB Powered Missile Launcher

Is your neighbor in the cubicle next door driving you nuts with his constant off-key humming of "Sweet Child of Mine?" Maybe you have a stalker that likes to sneak up behind you and breathe heavily until you agree to notice him? Imagine the satisfaction you will get by pelting them with your little foam rockets from hell!

Stupid USB Gadget #2: MyPet Dog or Monkey Shaped Web Cams

If you have it in mind to hide your web cam amongst your three year old's stuffed animal collection (perhaps to catch that darn baby sitter sneaking into your liquor cabinet) then this might actually be of practical use to someone. Each MyPet houses a standard 640x480 webcam and has a fairly cute look to it, but be honest, what childless computer geek would be caught dead with one of these sitting on top of their desk?

Stupid USB Gadget #3: The USB SnowBot

Along the same vein as the popular seasonal creation the USB Christmas Tree, the ThinkGeek USB Snowbot ranks highly on the strange but cool scale due to its very Battlestar Galactica style scanning eyeball. Imagine walking into a dark room this Christmas and seeing this thing staring back at you with that sinister red eye and otherworldly noises. Merry Christmas human, you will be assimilated!

Posted by Chad Criswell

I have been using music notation software for over a dozen years now, dating back all the way to my college days pecking out basic melodies on antiquated computers in the University's music lab. Thankfully the technology has made great leaps forward in usability and function, culminating with the recent release of the Sibelius 5 music notation software package. Of the major music notation software vendors, Sibelius Music and Finale are the two major players. I recently did a first look at Finale 2008 by MakeMusic, and have done my best to not compare the 2 in the article. Debating the merits of the two competing systems will be reserved for a later date. For now, let's take a look under the hood of this new import from across the pond.

First, allow me to tell you how I went about evaluating the Sibelius 5 software. I installed the program on two PC's, one being a desktop with plenty of RAM and disk space, and another on a laptop with a configuration typical of what you might find on a school band director's desk. Out of the box you notice that the program is shipped on a single DVD-ROM rather than multiple CD's. This is convenient, but could also prove a problem as there are still school districts that do not have DVD drives in every machine. The install went smoothly, but on the laptop I was required to download and install a separate package from Microsoft before I could proceed. The installed Sibelius software clocks in at over three gigabytes in size. The vast majority of this bloat is caused by the special MIDI sounds fonts that are included. These sound files are optional, but the quality of the music playback is unquestionably superior to the standard MIDI voices that most computers have available.

The first thing I did with Sibelius 5 was to read through the handbook to familiarize myself with the changes that had been made to the program since my last encounter (Sibelius version 3). I then proceeded to create a very basic concert band score and attempted to enter in an arrangement of the traditional song "London Bridge." Manual note entry was very easy and intuitive, but I have always had a problem with mouse based input in that Sibelius is very sensitive to where in the measure you click. If you are too close to the previous note the program places your new note on top of the old one, sometimes kicking you into an alternate voice in the process. Using a MIDI keyboard greatly speeds up the note entry process, but I had some major problems with the Flexi-time music input settings at first. Notes that I was attempting to play in as quarter notes came out as strange, convoluted lines of note heads. I eventually fine tuned the preferences to match my personal playing style and the accuracy greatly improved.

In future articles here on Suite I will jump into the very handy worksheet creation utility that comes with Sibelius 5, the many useful plugins that ship with the full version, and the great improvements in part handling and extraction.

Posted by Chad Criswell

For many years I have been an avid Finale user for printing high quality music notation for use in my classroom. Each year the folks at MakeMusic come out with a new version with more bells and whistles to play with. This year's release spouts a number of very desirable additions, but can it shake off the ideosyncracies that have plagued it since its first release over a decade ago?

I began my analysis of the new Finale 2008 software by giving it a fairly simple test. I used it to create a very simple transcription of the traditional children's song, London Bridge, for use with my fifth grade band this fall. Using the simple entry tool and number pad on my keyboard I plopped down the melody in short order, selected it, copied, dragged, and pasted the melody into all of the needed staves. The layout and overall design of the interface remains unchanged from other recent versions, but I admit to being slightly confused at first by being placed in Studio View when I exited the setup wizard. Had I not taken the time to look at the many tutorial videos in advance of starting my session I would have wondered what exactly I was looking at and how to get back to the more familiar scroll view or page view that I had been accustomed to.

One very nice addition to the Finale 2008 product is the use of Garritan Personal Orchestra Instruments for the playback of your compositions. These synthesized instruments are incredibly lifelike, so much so that when I first had the computer play back my simple composition I was visibly surprised. The Garritan sound fonts are unlike any that I have heard in a software notation product before, and add a lot to the experience. I in turn opened one of the many sample files that are found in the Finale 2008 folder and found that the Garritan sounds are everything that MakeMusic has touted them to be and are a fine practical addition to the overall program.

I ended my first session with Finale 2008 by printing out my new London Bridge score. It is only here that I found that Finale's old nemesis still remains. Since Finale was first introduced I, and many others, have lamented the fact that the printed output is not what is often considered "engraver" quality. In this category it appears that Finale has not attempted to make any inroads against the much more pleasing print quality of other competing music notation software products.

In future weeks I will publish more thoughts on this new version of the Finale music notation software and delve deeper into its many features.

Posted by Chad Criswell

American Express, a USA based credit card company, has announced its list of fifty semi-finalists to be voted on by card members in its "Member's Project." The list of fifty was selected from thousands of community based suggestions for charitable funding. An advisory panel narrowed the list down, and among the semi-finalists is an initiative to:

• “Preserve Music Education in Our Schools – While the infrastructure of music programs in schools already exists, this project proposes that The Member’s Project supplements adequate funding to strengthen music education.”

A more detailed look at this specific project is available courtesy of the Member's Project web site:

Young Audiences (YA), the nation's leading source of arts-in-education programs and services, is committed to providing music education to young people. Among our national initiatives is the groundbreaking Arts for Learning project, which includes a substantial music education component. YA's Arts for Learning project provides an effective way to implement the "Preserve Music Education in Our Public Schools" idea for the American Express Members Project.

Arts for Learning is a two-year-old YA project designed to improve students' reading and writing abilities in grades 3-6, using music and other art forms. An independent evaluation of the fall 2006 field test of the first two Arts for Learning units of instruction in four school districts within three local YA chapters demonstrated positive, measurable effects of the Lessons on students' reading and writing.

To read the rest of the article please visit the project site.

American Express card members can go to the Members Project web site and register their vote. Each vote cast will add one dollar to the donation to that cause. The winning project will receive at least one million dollars in donations and up to five million dollars depending on card member response.

“Our Cardmembers are passionate about making a difference, expressing their ideas and supporting causes that are important to them, which was clear from the more than 7,000 project ideas submitted to The Members Project,” said Jud Linville, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Consumer Business, American Express. “We’re encouraging all Cardmembers to make their voices heard by voting for the idea they want American Express to make a reality -- the power is in their hands.”

If you are an American Express card holder get out there and register before the deadline on August 5th! It's easy, free, and a great way to help bolster music education in our country.

Posted by Chad Criswell

When a person thinks of music education he or she often does not think about heavy metal music or any currently popular musical genre. While heavy metal may not be the most educational genre in terms of musicality there can be no doubt that heavy metal musicians have had a significant influence on current musical styles and interests. Names such as Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osborne are big right now, decades after their prime has passed. More and more music students are becoming interested in these performers and in their music simply because of the media coverage that they are receiving of late on reality shows such as Gene Simmons' Family Jewels and The Osbornes. Should music educators embrace these performers as an integral part of our musical history? Maybe that answer will be clearer in another fifty years or so, but for now, VH1 has made it possible for all of us to witness a bit of the history of these mega groups in a special documentary titled Heavy: The Story of Metal.

From the VH1 Music Studio Web Site:

This episode of VH1 Music Studio features VH1’s original documentary series Heavy: The Story of Metal, which traces the evolution of heavy metal music and culture from its dark, grim beginnings in Birmingham, England to the worldwide force that it remains to this day. Metal is rude, crude, irreverent, and irrepressibly loud, which is why throughout the years everyone from Black Sabbath to Slipknot have been hated by critics, feared by parents, attacked by politicians, and blamed for most of the world’s ills. Heavy: The Story of Metal, explores four decades of heavy metal music, examining this powerful and often misunderstood genre.

If you would like to brush up on your appreciation of heavy metal music or simply want to impress your kids with your amazing trivial knowledge of Metallica, consider watching this program. If you are a night owl this will not be a problem. If, however, you are like the rest of us and can't bear to stay up past midnight any more you will need to set up your DVR to record the program. Heavy: The Story of Metal Part 2 will play on VH1 on July 3rd at 4am Eastern Time.

To preview the show ahead of time visit the VH1 Music Studio web site. Lesson plans are also available for teachers to use to incorporate this video into your curriculum.

Posted by Chad Criswell

It has long been said that participating in music increases academic achievement in other areas. Anecdotal evidence of this ideas has been touted by dozens of officials, even by President Bush. True research based evidence of this positive effect has been less prevalent, leading to what some consider a lack of true music advocacy in our public schools. Schools in which music, despite the perceived benefits, continues to be considered a non-essential subject. Now it appears that a new study made public by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has found data that may help change this perception. But the study goes beyond simply stating that music has a positive academic benefit. This study provides evidence that high quality music education programs increase the academic benefits by a larger margin than low quality music education programs.

In a study of 4,739 elementary and middle school students the results were very interesting. Among elementary schools:

• Students in top-quality music programs scored 22 percent better in English and 20 percent better in mathematics than students in deficient music programs. These academic differences were fairly consistent across geographic regions.
• Students at the four elementary schools with high-quality music programs scored better than students participating in programs considered to be of lower quality.

At the middle school level the study shows an even stronger correlation:

• Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 19 percent higher in English than students in schools without a music program, and 32 percent higher in English than students in a deficient choral program.
• Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 17 percent higher in mathematics than children in schools without a music program, and 33 percent higher in mathematics than students in a deficient choral program.
• Students at schools with excellent music programs had higher English test scores across the country than students in schools with low- quality music programs; this was also true when considering mathematics.
• Students in all regions with lower-quality instrumental programs scored higher in English and mathematics than students who had no music at all. Students who participated in low-quality choral programs generally scored the lowest.

These results reiterate the need for top quality music educators in our schools. Better music programs result in better academic achievements. For educators seeking ways to improve their teaching techniques, now is the time to do so. The benefits for both teacher and student can no longer be denied.

The complete results and commentary on this study is available on the NAMM web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Is your band room old and tired? Do the sousaphones look like they have seen one too many low doorways? Are you tired of piecing together your drum set from parts you found under the percussion cabinet? If so then Peavy and InTuneMonthly.com want to help you pimp out your band room with a $25,000 makeover.

Think about it, what could your band buy with $25,000 in free equipment and instruments? Past winners have bought enough stuff to start several new rock bands including high end guitars, amplifiers, and microphones. On top of all that great loot they went on to buy instruments that most schools have to beg for like tenor saxes and four valve euphoniums. They even went so far as to get some great music education software from Notion, and a whole ton of new drumsticks, mallets, and other toys.

Entering the contest is easy, just send an email to info@intunemonthly.com with "Ultimate Music Room Makeover" in the subject line, and then tell them exactly why you think they should choose your music room as the winner. The winning school will be notified by August 1st, which for most schools is in plenty of time to celebrate before classes resume this fall. They'll even come to your school to deliver the goods, take pictures, and do a little happy dance with you to show off your good fortune. Students, can you think of a better way to get in good with your band director than to win him or her $25,000 in equipment and supplies? Who knows, maybe he will even let you have a little input on what color the band's new bass guitar should be.

Hurry though! The submission deadline is June 15th, 2007!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Finding fun and entertaining musical activities for kids during the summer months can be a lot of fun for the entire family. I have compiled a list of several online activities that you can share with your kids while helping them learn more about music!

1. Dragon Tales sing-along at PBSKids.org. For the younger kids in the house that are a fan of the Dragon Tales series, what could be more fun than singing along with their favorite tunes from the Dragon Tales Singing Springs? There are several different songs for each of the main Dragon Tales characters plus there are many other fun activities on the site as well. In order to play the music you will have to have RealPlayer installed on your system.
2. Does your child envision himself as a DJ one day? With the Turntables web site you can create your own basic beat and scratch patterns to listen to. Scratch away!
3. If you have the free Shockwave Flash plug in installed on your browser your kids will love playing with Aaron Siegel's drum and bass application. Drag any of the various parts (including the big target itself) around the screen to play with the various pieces of the ensemble. The closer the individual pieces get to the center of the target the louder they become.
4. All kids love playing in tents! On a rainy day, make a big tent in your living room from bed sheets and chairs and have an indoor camping trip! Sing a few songs like the ones detailed in my article about traditional summer camp songs and let your kid's imagination run wild!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Patriotic music for your fourth of July celebration is easy to find if you know where to go looking. There are many different places around the Internet that you can find recordings and sheet music to various pieces of traditional patriotic music, but the quality and variety of their information varies greatly from site to site. Take a look at these suggested web sites for all of your flag waving, toe tapping, patriotic needs!

The Wikipedia Songs Project- American Patriotic Music

All the information and links you could need to dozens of pieces of patriotic music from the United States. The landing page is not incredibly useful, but scroll to the bottom to see the listing of all cataloged patriotic songs in the Wikipedia database. Each of the individual song pages has a list of additional references that you can use as well.

Play a game of Name That Tune with your kids or other family members.

All the information and links you could need to dozens of pieces of patriotic music from the United States. The landing page is not incredibly useful, but scroll to the bottom to see the listing of all cataloged patriotic songs in the Wikipedia database. Each of the individual song pages has a list of additional references that you can use as well.

Kid's Pages at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Play a game of Name That Tune with your kids or other family members. Visit this NEIHS page and you will be treated with a list of audio files. Play each file in your browser, name it, and then check to see if you were correct! The songs start out pretty easy but get more difficult as you go down the page.

Free Patriotic Sheet Music At MusicEdMagic

If you are simply looking for sheet music to sing or to play on your clarinet, flute, trumpet, or any other concert band instrument, check the collection of full size printable sheet music available on this site. Current sheet music includes the Star Spangled Banner, Yankee Doodle, My Country Tis' Of Thee, and many others.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Everyone has heard the hallowed notes of a bugler performing the song "taps," for a veteran's funeral. Although the song , and bugle playing in general, is used on many other occasions, the most reverent and most honored is when this simple melody is played in respect to those who have given their lives in the service and protection of our country and our way of life.

Over the years, buglers have become a very rare commodity, so much so that in 2003 the United States Government approved the use of an electronic bugle, known as a ceremonial bugle, to stand in whenever a real bugler was unavailable for a veteran's funeral. While not ideal, these electronic bugles still provide a sense of honor and respect during a family's time of sorrow.

One can only hope that none of these electronic instruments will be used at 3pm on this coming Memorial Day (May 28, 2007) during the National Moment of Remembrance. In fact, the Music Educator's National Conference (MENC) is putting out a call for any and all interested buglers that might be interested in playing for an event in our nation's capital on that hallowed day. Musicians that are interested in this opportunity should contact stephaniej@menc.org for further information.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I has been announced the the Music Educator's National Conference (MENC) has extended its deadline for accepting audition materials for the 2008 All-American Marching Band from the original deadline date of April 8th to the new date of May 25, 2007. Interested music students that will be high school seniors next January are eligible to apply. Only ninety musicians from the entire United States will be accepted into this honored group.

Students must complete an application form and submit audio recordings of selected musical etudes as well as a solo of the student's choice. PDF copies of the required music are available on the All American Marching Band information page located on the MENC web site. Students may audition on most common marching band instruments, including piccolo, clarinet,alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, mellophone, trombone, euphonium, tuba, snare drum, or multi-tenor drum. Interestingly, acceptance into this group is not based solely on musical talent. Applicants must complete an application which includes information regarding their personal scholarship, community citizenship activities, and community service activities. The MENC also offers a basic list of frequently asked questions regarding the application and admission process. There is a $20 non-refundable application fee.

Sponsors of this event include Drum Corps International and American Musical Salute, the coordinators of the National Anthem Project which concludes this summer. The primary sponsor is Sportslink, in conjunction with their organization of the 2008 All-American Bowl to be held on January 5th.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The Canadian Brass have been around for many years. Over the decades their members have changed, but from the very beginning the group has mixed fun and frivolity in with their amazing musical talents. Having performed everything from classical to contemporary and from the Can-Can to country western, the Canadian Brass has come up with a new way to get a little audience participation.

By going to the Canadian Brass web site you will find a link to a special YouTube group in which fans are invited to produce and upload their own renditions of any of the Canadian Brass' repertoire. Current submissions run the gamut from serious to silly. In one video, a man plays a very respectable performance of "She's Leaving Home," however the venue leaves a lot to be desired. I have heard that bathrooms are often some of the most acoustically perfect rooms in a house, so maybe that was his reasoning.

In another video, two youngsters "lipsync," to the Flight of the Bumblebee, while in another, some latin based musicians jam out in the back seat of a moving car to the strains of Bach's Toccatta and Fugue. A personal favorite, however, would have to be the stirring Ode To Joy performance by two gentlemen on the "Nose Flute."

To participate in this novel little contest, simply visit the Canadian Brass web site and follow the links to the YouTube group page titled "DoTheCanadianBrass." So far as I can tell there is no prize for the best video, aside from being forever immortalized as a Canadian Brass groupie.

Posted by Chad Criswell

MakeMusic Inc. has released its newest version of the popular SmartMusic Studio Accompaniment System. This newest version boasts several new improvements, mostly in terms of newly added repertoire including Book 2 of the Standard Of Excellence band method series and a large selection of concert band titles. Over two hundred popular concert band titles have been incorporated into the SmartMusic system, allowing students to practice their large group ensemble selections while also opening the door for the possibility of small, unbalanced ensembles to fill in the missing parts during a performance.

Another new addition to the SmartMusic Studio package is an online assignment system called Impact. Using a web based interface teachers can create gradebooks for their students, complete with assignments to be practiced with SmartMusic at home. Using a $25 student subscription a student can practice their assigned scales, etudes, solos, and concert band pieces and have the SmartMusic system report back to the teacher about their practice time. Students also have the ability to record and send their practice sessions to their teacher for evaluation. In extremely rural areas where professional instrument teachers may not be available it is possible that Impact, coupled with SmartMusic's built in assessment abilities, may finally make it possible for a professional oboe or bassoon teacher to teach a gifted student via the Internet in whole or in part.

In testing the software I downloaded and practiced the beginning band arrangement of Legends by Clark/Feldstein. I had expected the accompaniment to be MIDI based as previous accompaniments had been prior to version 10. Instead I was treated to a full, professional recording of the piece. The tempo can be altered, exactly as with the solo accompaniments, however at significantly slower tempos the time shifting causes audio artifacts and distortion to appear. For the most part though I was impressed with this new feature and can only hope that additional concert, jazz, and other titles will be added in the future.

SmartMusic Studio is published by MakeMusic Inc. and is available for purchase and download (150MB) from their web site http://www.smartmusic.com.

Posted by Chad Criswell

This is the time of year in many schools when music and drama departments come together to produce the annual school musical. While in many schools the productions tend to be 'low-key' affairs, there is a growing trend for bigger, better, and more detailed musical performances. Simply painting a backdrop and throwing together a few moving props seems boring in most schools as larger, more detailed, and much more expensive set pieces begin to show up on school stages. Having been involved with many different levels of high school musical performance I have seen and directed the gamut from shoestring budgets to big bucks productions. In retrospect I can honestly say that while my students always seemed to enjoy the show, the ones where the effort was made to make 'over the top' set pieces, special effects, and high quality costumes are definately the most memorable. In addition, such marvelous spectacles served to get the buzz going in the community about the upcoming performance. This in turn sold more tickets and allowed us to have an even bigger budget for the next year's musical.

In this day and age where bigger is often equated with better we should not be surprised at the direction the high school musical has gone in. The nice thing is that in this respect bigger and better often goes along with more participation and more excitement among the cast and crew (including those musicians in the pit ensemble). All these things go together to create a memorable and exciting high school musical event that will be remembered by everyone for years to come. If you have the chance, find out when your local school is holding their next performance and go check it out. You might be surprised at just how good it can be.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Recently the legislature of the state of Michigan proposed a bill that was said would have put an iPod or other style of MP3 player in every student's hands for the next school year. The uproar and negative comments that the announcement brought with it has since influences lawmakers to backtrack a bit, saying that the whole proposal was being misconstrued. Regardless of their real intent, the issue has brought up some interesting conversations, most of them focused around whether or not the use of iPods and other kinds of individualized digital media have a positive or negative impact on student learning. In the music classroom I think there can be no doubt that, if properly planned and carried out, the use of recorded music on MP3 players can help to teach many important concepts, and more importantly, allow students to progress through this learning at their own pace. Other attempts and studies in individual classrooms other than in music have also show very positive results, but these occurrences are fairly rare and seemingly restricted to only the most technologically savvy of classroom teachers.

My point in making this observation is that iPods, laptop computers, and other kinds of educational toys are only as good as the teachers providing the instruction on them. Most teachers would agree that they have no idea how to make an iPod be anything more than a distraction in class. To push such an initiative would require far more than simply giving the iPod to the student, it would require a complete and total retraining of the educational staff to help them come up with meaningful, productive ways to use the technology. Until that happens, the idea of an iPod for every student in a school district is a very expensive pipe dream.

Posted by Chad Criswell

As summer approaches I tend to get excited about the coming Drum Corps International (DCI) performance season. Drum corps are essentially professional marching bands made up of brass, percussion instruments, and auxilliary members that perform highly technical and impressive shows each summer at hundreds of events scattered all across North America. These corps consist of young musicians, all under the age of 22. The amount of work, dedication and passion that these young people put into the preparation and performance of their selected literature is perhaps the most impressive part of the endeavour. But then again, the music is awesome as well!

On April 26th, DCI afficianados will have the opportunity to see a presentation of the Classic Countdown at any of dozens of selected theaters. A trailer to give an idea of the impressive nature of this event is also available at the DCI web site. The event is scheduled to include historical footage of the top eight performances of the last thirty five years as selected by the fans through a voting process that ended in February. Despite the thirty five year history of the organization you can expect the majority of the performances to come from the last five to ten seasons. Admission to the Classic Countdown is $12.50 and is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm local time at all of the selected theaters.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The triangle, for all intents and purposes, is simply a piece of bent metal. Triangles are used in many different orchestral and concert band pieces of music, and are often disregarded, even by the percussionists that play them. In truth, the triangle has a very long history, dating back to its first use in the modern orchestra by Mozart in his work, Abduction from the Seraglio, in 1782. The triangle in some form or another dates back even farther to an instrument called the sistrum which was essentially an ancient Eqyptian instrument similar in function to a hand held wind chime.

Today, triangles are quite literally precision instruments. Made from special bronze or nickel alloys, triangles come in a variety of sizes and styles. Professional models can be purchased in hand hammered varieties that can sell for hundreds of dollars each. What makes a simple piece of bent metal so valuable? Triangles are selected for their tone quality and pitch. More expensive triangles are fine tuned to reduce unwanted overtones and harmonics, leaving only the tone quality that the performer desires.

Almost as important as the triangle itself is the beater with which it is struck. Again, a large variety of triangle beaters are available, with the major variant being the diameter of the beater. Smaller diameter beaters are used to play softer passages, larger diameter beaters for louder passages.

When playing the triangle you can get a great variety of tones depending on where the instrument is struck. The sweet spot on most triangles is on the bottom edge, away from the open end. Contrary to popular American lore, a triangle roll is never played in the "dinner-time" fashion as you see in old movies. Rolls on the triangle are most often played in one corner, usually on the bottom away from the open end as well.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The polling results for the MENC Music In Our Schools Showcase contest have been announced. This poll based competition ran during March in celebration of national Music In Our Schools Month. A large variety of entries were submitted, and the final selections chosen from three finalists in each of three categories: High School, Middle School, and Elementary School Bands. Polling closed on March 15th and the winners announced shortly after. The winning entries are still viewable on the YouTube video sharing site. Links to the individual videos are included below. Congratulations to the winning schools.

The finalists in the competition were selected based on several criteria including an introduction by a school administrator and a perceived dedication to a strong message of music advocacy. The submitted videos were permitted to have only one musical selection from a preselected list of appropriate music. In a statement from the MENC president, “The videos created for the Showcase all demonstrated wonderful examples of how music touches lives and how music programs are making a difference in the lives of young people. MENC leaders, members and staff are proud of all our teachers and their students who are learning and making music in classrooms around our nation.”

The winning schools for the Music In Our Schools Showcase competition are:

High School: Green Bay East High School, Green Bay, WI (Kimberly Seidl, music teacher)

Middle School: Western Branch Middle School, Chesapeake, VA (Linda Darden Boles, music teacher)

Elementary: Buffalo Ridge Elementary School, Cheyenne, WY (Mary Ann Fritz, music teacher)

The complete press release and accompanying information is available at the MENC web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Most people don't even realize that the larger brass instruments such as the tuba and euphonium all have their own special kind of mutes. We are used to seeing the smaller, fist sized mutes sticking out of trumpets or trombones, but there are mutes made for the larger instruments as well. Although not used very often, and normally only in music intended for more advanced or professional ensembles, straight mutes for the tuba and euphonium are much more common than one might expect.

Mutes of this size do not fit into one's pocket. A tuba mute is usually only half the size of the tuba it is used with. The euphonium mute is equally difficult to move around, but both are constructed in the same basic way as the more common trumpet and trombone mutes. These larger mutes can be made of many different materials from wood to fiberglass to metal. In a video at banddirector.com professional tuba plaer and tuba mute maker Ron Apperson provides an interesting and educational look at these mammoth mutes, their uses, and their handling.

Posted by Chad Criswell

It is not often that the decisions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service affect the careers or lives of musicians, but the decision to expand export restrictions on certain kinds of wood has many in the music community up in arms. Three kinds of wood are on the chopping block, Pernambuco, Honduras Rosewood and Nicaraguan Rosewood. All are used to make various musical instruments including various styles of string instrument bows, guitars, banjos, and even mandolins. If the rules are put into effect musicians with instruments made of these kinds of wood could be forced to get special permits to take their instruments outside of the United States. Good luck if you forget to get the permit in advance!

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) has issued a statement about the potential ban and is urging musicians and music store owners to file comments and complaints with the Fish and Wildlife Service prior to the deadline of April 20, 2007. They are suggesting that a stipulation be put in the rules to permit certain finished wood products including musical instruments that would be banned if the rules are put into effect.

For more information visit the NAMM's press release on this topic and let your voice be heard!

Posted by Chad Criswell

It has been over fifty years since band leader Glenn Miller's plane disappeared on its way to Paris in 1944. Since that time conspiracy theorists have claimed a number of different theories about the whereabouts of Miller and the nature of his demise. Some stories had Miller surviving and spending his last days in a Paris bordello. Others claimed that he actually survived the trip and later died in an American hospital.

Now another theory has been hatched, but this one comes with a full out deathbed confession.

In a book recently published by Author House Publishing Co., author Clarence Wolf confesses that the crash was no accident and in fact an accidental shoot down by United States military near Folkestone, England. Mr. Wolf reports that under instructions from radar monitors he participated by sending the order to shoot down a small unidentified plane. Upon realizing what they had done, his superior officer ordered him to never reveal the facts of the case, a secret that he has faithfully kept for the last sixty years. In his book titled "I Kept My Word," Clarence Wolf attempts to tell his story and set the record straight.

Whether or not you believe his account of the events of that day in 1944 this new book appears to be an interesting read that anyone fascinated with the life and disappearance of Glen Miller will want to see. I Kept My Word is published by Author House. More information is available at www.authorhouse.com. http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~41462.aspx

Posted by Chad Criswell

Frederick Chopin's life was one of discovery and brilliance. His works for piano and other instruments survive today as some of the most beloved pieces of music of all time. Please visit my articles on Chopin for more information:

Frederick Chopin- His Childhood

Posted by Chad Criswell

The RIAA released the hounds on a new round of illegal file sharers this week. Thousands of individual students and dozens of universities and colleges have received official complaints for sharing or downloading as little as one single copyrighted song over their school's network. Larger violators may find themselves on the receiving end of major civil lawsuits.

The consequences for students who are identified in these lower priority complaints receive anything from a stern warning to the disconnection of their dorm room's network access. Repeat violators risk additional consequences including mandatory anti-piracy training sessions to academic suspensions.

In this latest round of complaints the Associated Press reports that Ohio University tops the list with nearly 1300 complaints. Purdue ranks a close second followed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Tennessee, and University of South Carolina. The realization of this report is significant. Efforts by the RIAA and higher education to combat illegal music piracy have been ineffective. It is the belief of this author that the battle against music piracy needs to be fought in the younger grades, to instill a set of morals and ethics to build student's respect for copyright from a younger age.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Do you know of a young musician in your community that deserves national recognition? If so, convince that student to consider auditioning for the 2007 All American Marching Band. Only ninety of the nations best high school musicians will be invited to participate, and the competition for those spots is expected to be fierce. Of course, the audition materials themselves are some of the most difficult parts that most high school musicians will ever see. To download the audition materials for the All American Marching Band visit the Music Educators National Conference Web Site. Even if you are not interested in auditioning for the group simply seeing the audition materials gives a new respect for the hard work and dedication of these students.

Students selected into the band will receive significant recognition and a chance to perform with the band at the U.S. Army All American Bowl in San Antonio in January of 2008. Audition materials are due by April 6, 2007.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Five years ago music educators across the United States began bracing for bad news. There were very few in the music education community that believed that the new No Child Left Behind Act could bring about anything but pain and anguish for music education programs in the public schools. Despite repeated cries for its repeal, the NCLB seems destined to be reauthorized this year. This comes even as members of Congress openly admit that the NCLB has been less than kind to music education, forcing school districts to to make financial decisions between the core curriculum and the fine arts. Traditionally music has lost these battles.

Today, there is a bright spot on the horizon. More and more often the realization that the NCLB Act has serious flaws is coming to light. Several members of Congress have come out and stated that they will not vote to approve any extension of the NCLB unless it is amended in some way to reduce this negative impact on the arts. In an excellent article by journalist Daniel Axelrod, many of the complaints against the NCLB and its effect on music education are detailed, as well as some interesting statistics on the negative impact the NCLB has had on music education in general.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Music advocacy is a hot topic these days. Each year dozens of music education programs are eliminated in school districts across the United States and world wide. Often these program cuts are made with little consideration as to the long term consequences for overall learning and stability in the school's educational program. Without statistical evidence of the positive benefits of music, this trend is likely to continue. The NAMM, a national trade organization of music instrument and products vendors, has created a special SupportMusic Community Action Kit, available free to parents and community organizations.

This music advocacy kit consists of twenty four pages of information, along with a compact disc containing information and templates for creating documents to use in support of any argument for music education in the schools. Other documents on the CD include press releases, petitions, and handouts for use in community action campaigns.

This free kit is available both to member organizations of NAMM but also to individuals by contacting Mary Luehrsen, the public relations director for the NAMM. To request this kit contact her at info@namm.org.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Mutes are used to alter the sound of brass instruments. All brass instruments from the trumpet all the way to the tuba can use a mute, although trumpet and trombone mutes are most common. Mutes can be made of many different materials, the most common ones being made of metal. The specific sound that a musician wants will determine the type of mute that is to be used.

The Straight Mute:

The most common kind of mute for brass instruments, the straight mute is also the most widely used. The straight mute produces a muffled, tinny sound that is commonly called for in classical literature as well as in jazz band ensembles. The straight mute is also the most commonly used mute for the larger instruments such as the baritone, euphonium, and tuba.

The Cup Mute:

The cup mute is essentially a straight mute with a cup added to the end to reflect and soften the metallic edginess of the sound. Composers most commonly use this type of mute in jazz music although it is also common in classical and wind band literature.

The Harmon Mute:

The Harmon mute is the quintessential jazz band mute. It produces a gravelly, brassy sound that is highly desired in certain styles and passages of jazz band literature. The Harmon mute is adjustable as it comes in two pieces, the mute itself and a removable stem. Inserting or removing the stem changes the quality of the sound.

The Bucket Mute:

Unlike the mutes mentioned previously the bucket mute clips to the end of the brass instrument. Inside the bucket is a sound absorbent material that helps produce a very soft, muffled sound, almost as if playing into a pillow.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Teachers are human beings. We yearn for acceptance and we will often change our lives and our actions to pursue it. When we fail to gain that instant acceptance we often become dissatisfied with our careers. Many will change professions as a result. No where is this more evident than in education. Enter the "Tweener."

Many teachers, especially music educators, will at some point in their career take over for a retiring teacher that has built up a program with significant prestige and visibility. When that experienced, well respected teacher leaves, the new teacher is left to fend for themselves in a difficult and often hostile environment. If this type of situation is the new music teacher's first job the likelyhood of success for that new teacher is 50/50 at best. In our profession I have often heard these poor, unsuspecting new teachers referred to as "Tweeners." This unflattering term signifies their predisposition to giving up and moving on to another school after a year or two rather than continue to deal with the constant reminder that they just are not doing things as well as the old, retired teacher did. The Tweener moves on to another position and is replaced again, this time by a person who luckily does not have to live up to the same high expectations that the students and parents expected of the first.

Dealing with the Tweener syndrome is not easy, but this cycle can be broken if the new teacher has the courage, self-respect, and determination to see it through. I have contributed an article to the education section of Suite101 on the topic of how to cope with the shadow of a former teacher, and my hope is that it may help other band directors, new or old, to ultimately succeed and prosper in their new programs.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Schubert wrote hundreds of songs throughout his lifetime with more than 300 completed when he was barely into his 20's. To learn more about Franz Schubert and other Romantic Era composers visit the other articles I have written on this subject.

Posted by Chad Criswell

In the late 1980's a movement began in education to move secondary schools from the traditional seven or eight period day to a new schedule format known as "The Block." Block scheduling promised the benefits of more class time, more classroom opportunities, and less cost to the school district. From the very beginning most music educators were against the idea, worrying that it would destroy their programs as they were forced to move from daily contact with their students to longer classes at less frequent intervals. It has always been a premise of being a musician that daily, focused practice is the best way to guarantee improvement. Block scheduling slapped this idea in the face. With the reality that most instrumental music students simply do not practice outside of the school day, the idea of block scheduling appeared to be a horrible idea for our music education programs.

Now, twenty years later, the majority of schools in the United States have switched, or are planning to switch, to block scheduling. Many of these schools have been living in the block for a decade or more and in general the overall quality of the music programs in most schools seems to have remained steady while enrollment in the overall program suffers. In many schools teachers have adjusted and found new ways to thrive in this new format. In others, the change to block scheduling has indeed initiated a decline in their programs. It is my opinion, however, that in most of these cases block scheduling is not the culprit so much as the overall climate of the school and the administration that are pushing the block schedule format.

If the overall climate of the school toward music education is positive and everyone in the district has an honest and vested desire to see it succeed, music education in that school will survive and continue to flourish even while on block scheduling. If the program does not have this unwavering support from the community,administrators, and staff, moving to the block is often the first nail in the coffin for that school and for its fine arts programs in general.

Posted by Chad Criswell

On Friday, February 2nd at 3pm and Tuesday, February 5th at 7:30pm, the web site BandDirector.com will host a free, online jazz clinic and band concert at Wayne State University during the Utah Music Educator's Conference. On February 2nd there will be a free jazz clinic, featuring Professor Christopher Collins, Director of Jazz Studies. The clinic will also include a question and answer session with members of the Utah Music Educator's Conference.

On the following Tuesday, noted composer and conductor Frank Ticheli will take the baton to conduct a concert of his music played by the Wayne State University Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band. For more information on the concerts please visit banddirector.com.

Posted by Chad Criswell

On the outside, a person watching a conductor direct a band, orchestra, or other music ensemble may think that little skill is required. After all, all the conductor is doing is flapping his arms and pointing! Beyond the obvious physical requirements of the job however, lies a immense degree of work, especially if you are the conductor of a major, nationally known group. In terms of notariety, the television series American Idol does not get any bigger, but until now the show has used nothing but pre-recorded music. This season however, the show's music director has convinced the network to use live musicians to accompany the American Idol contestants. Sounds simple, right? In an excellent article in the New York Times by columnist Nat Charles, the true complexities of conducting a live, nationally televised band come front and center.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Some people have WAY too much time on their hands. This statement however does not often apply to teachers who, despite the commonly held belief that we get three months off every summer, work harder during the other nine months than most people do all year. But in the case of this music education video I found while browsing through You Tube, I fear that the composer has some issues... It's not a bad song... But what kind of a person would go to the trouble to put the MENC standards to music?

In any case, take a look! If you are like me you will find yourself singing along with it even though you REALLY don't want to.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Music education news happens every day of the year. Stories abound on the news wires and buried inside local newspapers about incidents that have shaped the programs of dozens of schools and music programs across the country. MusicEdMagic has recently published a two part article cataloging many of the more interesting and thought provoking news stories related to bands and music education in the public schools. As is pointed out in the article, it becomes obvious that schools all over our nation and world have many of the same problems with money, public support, and a myriad of other issues. While these stories may not result in earth shaking changes to the way we teach music, they do at least serve to pull our community together to know that we all walk the same path.

Posted by Chad Criswell

One of the highest points in a high school band's life is when it is invited to perform in a major event in another country. In Fort Meyers, Florida the local school board nearly destroyed that once in a lifetime opportunity for the Fort Meyer's High School Band when it put the kybosh on their performance trip to London to lead off their New Year's Parade. Luckily, the parents and community had the final say when they raised over five hundred thousand dollars and effectively vetoed the school board's decision to cancel the trip on the grounds of terrorism and security concerns. To read the full article visit the BBC News Web Site or visit a more in depth article at The Independent.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Any professional musician can tell you that having a happy, excited audience is almost as important to the success of a performance as is the talent of the performer himself. A pumped up audience will pump up the excitement and atmosphere in the venue while a dead, bored audience will drag down the intensity of even the most seasoned performer. This simple fact is why most professional touring musicians will employ an opening warm-up act to get the crowd in the mood for the big show to come. These things are fine for loud, pop music style concerts, but even more subdued school music concerts benefit from an audience that is happy and that pays attention to good concert etiquette. In a recent article by Steve Aboroa, the significance of how much an impact concert manners and etiquette can play becomes quite apparent.

Posted by Chad Criswell

First performed in 1781, one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first operas, Idomeneo, was not really a "smash hit." In 2006 however, the performance of the opera in Berlin has become a flashpoint of censorship versus racial and religious harmony. Although not in the original version of Mozart's opera at one point in the story King Idomeneo enters holding the heads of several people, one of whom is suggested to be the head of the Islamic Prophet, Mohammed. For a period of time the opera company called off the performance amid concern of violence. Today it opens for the public, and as NPR news reported, tickets are fairly easy to come by.

Posted by Chad Criswell

If you are looking for some simple, traditional Christmas carols to play with your family or friends you will be rather limited unless you look really hard on the Internet. At MusicEdMagic you now have the opportunity to download PDF formatted music of many traditional carols in for all of the major instruments of a standard concert band. Have Uncle Bill pull out his old trumpet while you play along on the sax! Let cousin Sally play her flute while Grandpa Owen plays his old rusty trombone.

Whatever kind of makeshift ensemble you might put together this fun and easy Christmas sheet music will help you "Deck The Halls!"

For a listing of sources for free classical sheet music check out my article here on suite101!

Posted by Chad Criswell

I was playing some classical music in one of my classes the other day when one of my students made a comment that classical music is "sooooo boring!" Well, those of us that appreciate all forms of music realize that that statement simply isn't true and that there is plenty of very powerful and moving classical music out there to listen to. The simple fact is that a vast majority of people do not know about it or have any interest in discovering it for themselves.

To combat the idea that all classical music is made up of "fat ladies singing," I am writing a series of articles to introduce people to some of the more powerful and expressive pieces of classical literature, music that makes your blood start pumping and produces a high probability of getting goosebumps. The first of these articles is on my personal favorite, Ottorino Respighi's "Pine's Of Rome." Feel free to start a discussion about this topic and suggest your own favorite pieces of exciting classical literature.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The illegal downloading of music and other media ran rampant for many years until the RIAA and MPAA threw down the gauntlet and began taking legal action against the worst offenders. The tactics of the industry have been both hailed and condemned since one of the first lawsuits against Napster brought the lawsuits to the publics attention. There can be no doubt that they have the legal right to protect their interests, however the methods that they use to get to the offenders is a little troubling.

In a recent article on Wired.com the MPAA is said to have been able to kill a bill in the California legislature that would have made it illegal to pose as someone else for the purpose of obtaining information on that unsuspecting person. The MPAA and RIAA routinely pose online as illegal downloaders, using the information they obtain from other downloaders to prosecute them in court for copyright infringements. I have no problem with governmental authorities posing as someone else to catch a thief, but when a non-governmental entity does so it poses a bit of a quandry. Am I wrong to worry when an organization can be so powerful that it can kill a piece of very strongly supported and positive legislation solely to preserve a revenue stream?

Posted by Chad Criswell

Everything else in our lives has moved online so it was only a matter of time until music instruction moved to cyberspace as well. Computer aided music instruction has been around for decades, going back to crude music theory tools played on Apple II computers. Recently though the technology that drives computers and the Internet has advanced enough that many people are staking a claim and trying to profit from their own versions of computer based/online music instruction.

• SmartMusic Studio by MakeMusic Inc.- MIDI based intelligent practice and accompaniment system. In use for several years in schools around the world, it is a very popular and useful tool.
• In The Chair - A new take on the computer based accompaniment system it does one better than SmartMusic by providing video and live audio clips rather than through MIDI.
• eJamming- A MIDI based service that allows instrumentalists to play with each other in real time via the Internet. Users must have a MIDI based instrument, standard acoustic instruments do not work.
• WorkshopLive-Online guitar instruction with videos. Of the guitar sites I have visited this is the most promising and professionally done.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Over the years more and more school districts have started to ban religious music as a part of musical instruction. While this hard line approach to the church versus state argument is not the predominating view in American schools, it is having a ripple effect even in the more right-wing areas of the country. The simple fear of litigation or outcry from atheistic or non-Christian parents has driven many school music, choir, band, and orchestra directors to simply avoid the confrontation alltogether and not program sacred music into their school music programs.

As a high school band director I subconsciously found myself programming increasingly large amounts of secular Christmas music into my "holiday," concerts. It was not until a very religious student of mine came in one day and handed me a copy of a document outlining why it is constitutionally okay to use sacred music in the schools that I realized just how lop-sided I had become. Although I had never been told by anyone that I could not use the sacred music in my holiday program I subconsciously avoided them and in turn I feel now that I was doing my students a disservice.

The simple truth about sacred versus secular music in the public schools is that it is perfectly legal and in many cases preferred to use sacred music to teach students about music. Without the sacred music of our past our repertoire would look and sound quite different today. I discovered a wonderful and very frank article on this subject in the Lansing State Journal yesterday and it started me thinking about this whole messed up topic. Music teachers need to get back to their roots and cast aside their fears. If programmed correctly, and not in a worship setting, sacred music has the right to return to all schools in the United States. Without sacred music we are casting aside a very important part of our musical heritage.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Following in the footsteps of the SmartMusic Studio Intelligent Accompaniment System by MakeMusic, "In The Chair," attempts to encourage students to practice while helping them learn their music at a faster pace. According to a recent news story from Wired Magazine, "In The Chair" received numerous positive reviews including being featured at the recent Web 2.0 Conference. But is the hype just a lot of hot air or does the application pose as a serious competitor to SmartMusic? I am currently testing the application and putting it through its paces. Look for an update here at Suite101 in the near future to see what I have discovered.

Posted by Chad Criswell

"The President's Own," United States Marine Band has created an interesting flash based information site for children to explore. The site covers the history of the Marine Band as well as of the White House itself. Interactive photographs and musical selections accompany the tour which allows a student to roam through the halls of the White House viewing famous artwork, photos of important events, and other interesting facts about our President's home.

To visit the Marine Band's Kid's Corner go to:

http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/kids_corner/index.htm

Posted by Chad Criswell

I am constantly looking for good online tools to help teach my students the concepts of music theory and how to help them play their instrument better. Today I found a VERY nice site called MusicTheory.net that has many different tutorials and mini-quiz generators to help students and adults learn a variety of different things. My personal favorite is their brass instrument fingering game. It shows you a note and using the cursor keys the same way you press the buttons on a brass instrument, you enter your response. You can even choose how hard or easy to make it so even a new beginner can make use of this and many more tools on this great music theory web site! Most of the tutorials and applets are built in Macromedia Flash so a current Flash player must be installed on your system to run them.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Over the centuries there have been occasions when two seemingly different parts of our lives have intermingled in astonishing ways. One of these strange marriages bound together politics and music during the days of the Russian revolution under the pen of Dmitri Shostokovich. Shostokovich's music was often ridiculed and demeaned by the Russian official media. Still, Shostokovich's works from this period are some of the most cherished by music lovers today.

The Cincinnatti Symphony this season will be presenting a concert filled with Shostokovich's Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad," as well as several others by other noted revolutionary Russian composers such as Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2. For an excellent article on the subject of Shostokovich and the music of this unique time period, including personal comments by the Symphony's conductor, Paavo Jarvi, visit this wonderful Cincinnati Post online article by Mary Ellyn Hutton.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I have never been a big fan of tutorial DVD's or self-help books to teach a person how to play an instrument. They never live up to thier promise and often leave students struggling with poor habits or incorrect ideas. Your local band or orchestra director is always the best place to learn to play a new instrument, but now that teacher has a great tool that will help you learn more, and learn faster while practicing at home. That tool is a piece of intelligent software for your computer called SmartMusic Studio.

SmartMusic by MakeMusic Technologies is a program that listens to the student play their instrument and shows them where they went wrong, visually, on the computer screen. Common problems such as rhythmic accuracy and playing the correct note are instantly visualized allowing the student to realize their mistake and correct it properly. Music can be slowed down or speeded up as necessary to allow the student to work at his or her own pace. An immense amount of music is available inside the software to go along with dozens of lesson books, solo albums, and popular songs. For more technical work SmartMusic also has access to hundreds of scales, arpeggios, and other technique builders for the student to practice.

The point of SmartMusic is not to replace a professional music teacher. The intent of SmartMusic is to provide constant feedback and reinforcement to the new student, helping him or her to excel on the new instrument. The best part about the program is that when properly used it actually seems to help encourage students to practice more often and to use that practice time more effectively. If you have not tried the SmartMusic Studio consider asking your local band director or music store for a demonstration. Try it at home and see exactly what it can do for you and you family of musicians!

Posted by Chad Criswell

Karl King was notably one of the most famous American composers and band directors of his time, second only to the immortal John Philip Sousa. King's hometown of Fort Dodge, Iowa is today dedicating a life size bronze statue of King in the middle of Karl King Memorial Park.

King's music, although not as well known as Sousa's, included timeless compositions that are still played today. One of his most famous compositions, Barnum and Bailey's Favorite, was written during his time as a euphonium player in the Barnum and Bailey Circus Band in 1913. Other compositions such as the Ragged Rozy, Iowa Corn Song, and The Big Cage are less well known but still pieces of classic Americana.

See a photo of the statue and more biographical data about King and his legacy by visiting the Karl King web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I went out and bought my tickets tonight for Blue Man Group's How To Be A Megastar Tour when it comes to Hilton Colleseum in Ames next month. Several years ago my wife and I attended a performance in Chicago at the Briar Street Theater and had an absolute ball. Sitting only two rows back from the action we were in what was considered to be the splatter section and provided with plastic ponchos to keep us from getting too messy. Now, at the Tour show my tickets are not as great, nearly at the back of the stadium, but I have to say that I am still looking forward to it with much anticipation.

Blue Man is more than just a sideshow act in my opinion. The music is addicting, the antics on stage are hilarious, and overall the concept for the show has always been refreshing. I had never been at a concert like it before and have eagerly awaited the opportunity to see it again. I'll let you know my opinion of the show after it rolls through central Iowa next month, but all indications are that this high intensity show will be every bit as fun as the more cramped confines of the Briar Street Theater. Will it be worth the hefty price tag? We'll wait and see.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Open source software has brought us many great products, some that have changed the way we use the Internet. For music lovers Songbird may be one such product. Songbird is essentially a web browser, built on the code of the popular Firefox browser, formerly called Netscape. Songbird is more than just a browser, however. Songbird has features that are specifically intended for music lovers. Any page that you visit while using Songbird will be scanned for audio files. When music is found on a page a window opens at the bottom of the browser window allowing you to download and play the music without leaving the page. If you regularly visit blog sites where music is reviewed Songbird can take the work out of searching for the links and save those links for you to access at any time.

The default interface for Songbird is, to put it bluntly, boring. It essentially looks like iTunes slapped on top of Firefox with a dull black and grey color scheme. The other included set of feathers is equally boring on the white side. Songbird also accepts extentions the way Firefox does but in my tests I could not get it to work. Tabbed browsing is also not included with Songbird although it appears there are plans to add it in future releases.

From all the hype about Songbird I was expecting to see a product that would enhance and empower my musical travels on the Internet. After testing it for a few days I can say that while the music searching capabilities and audio player functions are nice, they are not enough to make me switch to Songbird for my daily browsing. I have to wonder if it would not have been possible just to put these features into a standard extension for the existing Firefox browser and then be able to have the best of both worlds.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Any true music lover owes it to himself to make a pilgrimage to Austria at some point in his life. Among the many historical landmarks that can be found in Austria, one of the must see attractions is the simple, humble home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Dubbed the Mozarteum, Mozart's birthplace is on the third floor of a simple Salzburg apartment building but the memorabilia found inside this historical site are much more intriguing. A recent "interpretation" by American artist Robert Wilson has altered the traditional setting and layout of the birthplace, and in some ways seems almost blasphemous. Regardless of the way the apartment is currently being presented the museum still houses pieces of history that only true lovers of music can appreciate.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Did you know that one of the nicknames of the current United States Copyright Law is actually the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act?" The nickname stems from the efforts to extend copyright protection farther and farther into the future to protect the intellectual property rights of copyright holders far past their death. The Disney company was one of the most vocal proponents of the law, including the bills congressional sponsor, Sonny Bono, who would have personally preferred that copyright last forever.

On one hand, copyright is a good thing and should be maintained for a reasonable amount of time to protect the financial integrity of the copyright's holder, but today copyright extends 75 years past the date of the author's death. To some people this seems excessive, but think of it from Disney's perspective. A huge, multi-billion dollar empire built around a very recognizable cartoon character. If Mickey Mouse passed into the public domain anyone could use his likeness in any way they see fit from the most mundane to the most controversial. Consider the idea of a children's icon such as Mickey being used in an advertisement for an exterminator or even being used as a sick part of an adult oriented movie. It is for these reasons that copyright holders are so vocal about trying to preserve their rights to their intellectual property in perpetuity.

For more information about copyright, including some great links to find out about copyright dates and penalties visit my article on Music Arranging and Copyright.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Here is a brief but useful list of sites that provide free classical sheet music for download to your computer:

http://www.music-scores.com

Lots of music, but you can only download three free classical music scores before you have to pay $27.00 per year. Music scores are easily searchable, but the results listings are a bit hard to focus on.

http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net

A smaller selection of music, but all music is truly free (although limited to two downloads per day). Most of the major classical music composers are listed and easily navigated.

http://www.8notes.com/The best organized of the sites I have visited. Music is sorted by instrument first, but can also be searched via genre or composer. Includes more than just classical sheet music. Best of all the pieces include a visual display of the difficulty of the piece before you try to download it. GIF versions of most classical sheet music is free, PDF versions require a subscription.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I know I should be more kind and understanding of new and different ideas, but there is something about John Cage and his music that I just can't get around... I just don't get it. Maybe you will do better. At some point everyone should be exposed to Cage's music so feel free to check out my article on Cage and his music. It also contains links to full length recordings of some of Cage's compositions.

John Cage and Experimental Music

Posted by Chad Criswell

A simple seat belt violation for a Texas orchestra teacher steamrolled into her being arrested during school and thrown in a holding cell for three days while the police tried to find her paperwork. Not exactly the way most teachers would like to start the year off. I wonder if she got an apology?

To read the full story

href="http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa060902_jfh_teacherjailed.5e498fbd.html"> visit the WFAA website.

Posted by Chad Criswell

In Boca Raton, Florida one middle school has taken the "Mozart Effect" to the next extreme. Instead of a ringing bell in between classes the school plays classical music for the entire four minutes of passing time. The music has had positive effects on the student body, but not everyone is convinced. To read the full story visit the full article on the News Channel 12 Web Site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Maynard Ferguson was a marvel of trumpet playing prowess. I will admit that his style of playing was not everyone's forte, but as a man I was very impressed with both his personable nature and willingness to encourage our youth to pursue music as a career. When my local jazz band had the chance to open for Maynard he came out to meet with us before the concert, spoke with us for quite some time, and then to top it all off put on a hell of a concert for a packed house. The world will miss Maynard Ferguson, who passed away at the age of 78 on August 24th, 2006. For more information on the man and his legacy please visit the Ferguson web site located at www.maynardferguson.com.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Bernstein composed music both for stage and screen. His accomplishments and music are some of the most deeply ingrained parts of American musical history. For more information about Bernstein consider stopping by Bernstein's Big Break

Posted by Chad Criswell

As my final homage to the fun and entertainment that the family can experience in watching a Drum Corps International performance I want to help announce that ESPN2 will broadcast two hours of the 2006 World Championships this September.

From the DCI Web Site:

The two-hour program is scheduled to air on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time. Dates and times are subject to change. Additionally, the program will be rebroadcast later in the year as two one-hour specials. The first will be on Monday, Sept. 11, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on Monday, Sept. 18, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I have written several blog posts and articles this summer about one of my favorite genres of music. Recently Drum Corps International held the world championships in Madison, Wisconsin and once again the Cavaliers from Rosemont, Illinois returned to the top slot. Each year is filled with fevered competition from all of the corps, and this year was no different. For a complete run down of the finals and to find out when the television rebroadcast will be check out the DCI web site at www.dci.org.

Posted by Chad Criswell

If you are even the least bit interested in what the buzz is about Drum Corps International and the Summer Music Games, try to get to one of the dozens of theaters across the United States where DCI is going to simulcast the quarter finals of the world championship series live on August 10th. For a list of theaters visit the DCI web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The Virginia Arts Festival is an annual tradition celebrating its tenth year in existance. While the Festival has hosted major musicians before in 2006 they were able to pull in talent such as world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra featuring trumpet player Wynton Marsalis. Other major performers included Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

Next year's festival will run from April 17 to June 3, 2007. Patrons interested in more information should visit their web site at www.vafest.com

Posted by Chad Criswell

My great grandfather was a school teacher and superintendent of a very small rural community school in Iowa back in the early 1900's. Among the many artifacts I was given when my grandparent's died were a collection of old textbooks, most copyrighted in the first decade of the 1900's. Mixed in among the grammar and mathematics books was a pristine copy of a music history guide with information about many famous musicians that I had never seen in any other place. I will be using some of this new information as I continue to write articles for Suite101. Check back often to see the new tidbits that you may not have known about for some of your favorite composers. The first of such articles is an introduction to the childhood of composer and pianist Frederick Chopin. Please check it out!

Posted by Chad Criswell

In an apparent publicity stunt the Belgian based Beethoven Academie Orchestra attempted to raise money by "selling" itself on eBay recently. After being contacted by eBay officials and pointing out that auction contracts are binding they decided to take the listing down. To read the complete story go to: http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/4850.html

Posted by Chad Criswell

If you ever listened to John Cage's compositions chances are good that you did not leave with a warm and fuzzy feeling. In fact, you may have finished the song wondering what the hell you had just been listening to. Cage and his contemporaries such as Philip Glass broke the mold of what people traditionally felt was considered to be music. If the American Heritage Dictionary defines music as: "The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre" then many of Cage's works would be treading a very fine line between music and noise.

To listen to a few of Cage's pieces please check out my article on this subject.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Tickets for this unique opportunity go on sale on July 14th. For a complete list of the dozens of theaters across the country that are hosting this live simulcast event go to the DCI web site.

Think about it, without having to go to the trouble and expense of a massive road trip to Madison you can instead drive a few blocks to your local movie theater and get the full experience of the top seventeen drum corps in the world performing for you in air conditioned surround sound comfort! If you have never been to a Drum Corps event before consider this one as an option. As I have said in my other articles on Suite101, once you try it you'll be hooked!

Please visit my other drum corps related articles:

Marching Band vs. Drum Corps

Drum Corps: The Music Of Summer

Posted by Chad Criswell

Over a year ago the Music Educator's National Conference (MENC) did a study to find out just how many people did (or did not) know the words to the Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States. What they found disturbed them greatly to the point that now they are fanning out across the country to try to remedy the situation. Their efforts are to culminate on Flag Day in 2007 with a massive celebration in our nation's capital.

For more information about MENC and the National Anthem Project check out the National Anthem Project web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

One of the things that has always angered me a bit as a band director is when I see students (or adults) being thrust into playing an instrument that is not right for them simply because "we have Uncle Ed's old trumpet in the attic." In reality the selection of an instrument for a beginning player should be based not only on what the student wants to play, but also on the physical characteristics of student himself.

For example, in general students with full lips will have great difficulty playing efficiently on a trumpet due to the very small size of the mouthpiece. Likewise, a student with very thin lips will not likely do well playing a large bore instrument such as the tuba. Other issues such as dental work (or future dental work such as braces) or physical conditions such as asthma can all limit the extent to which a student will be able to succeed.

Unfortuntely, more often than not I see parents forcing their child onto an instrument that their band directors have warned against. A few years later, maybe even less, the student will drop out of band out of frustration. Don't let this happen to your student. Listen to your local band director and trust in his or her judgement. You both have the same goal in mind, to see your student succeed. Making the correct choice from the very beginning is the best way to make that happen.

Posted by Chad Criswell

It's summertime, and all across the country community bands and other small ensembles are gearing up for performances in their town. Most of the time these performances are free, and in almost every case you are sure to have an enjoyable time. Check your local newspaper or call your local City Hall or Chamber of Commerce and see if they know of any scheduled performances in your area. You can always find events scattered around the Fourth of July, but chances are that there are many other opportunities as well. Better yet, dust off that old trombone or flute and join in. It's just like riding a bike. You never really forget how to play your instrument!

Posted by Chad Criswell

I am on a tear here the last two weeks with my musings about drum and bugle corps, marching band, and other similar subjects. I realize that for some of the regular readers of the Music Appreciation topic here at Suite101 that I might be heading in a direction that you are not too up to date on. Please trust me, just hop on and enjoy the ride!

By the way, in case you are wondering what I was talking about in the intro, many drum corps and marching bands use drum heads made from Kevlar (the stuff that is used in bullet proof vests) and the brass thing, well if you don't know that one then you should read some of my other articles.

Oh, and don't forget to vote in our new poll! Guess what the subject is!

Band Ten-Hut! Dismissed!

Posted by Chad Criswell

The original "Blast!" production ran for a long time on Broadway before the events of September 11th cut its attendance and forced it to close. This unique and entertaining production lives on today as a traveling group performing in a musical spectacle unlike any you have ever seen on stage before.

Ever since seeing "Blast!" I have hoped for a sequel. There have been rumors about that occuring for quite some time and now it appears that the rumors are true! The town of Owensburo, Kentucky will host the premiere performances of "Blast II: Music In Extreme," from June 22-24 before the ensemble packs up for a five month tour of Japan. What happens after that is anyone's guess, but I personally hope to see "Blast II: Music In Extreme," return to the USA after the Japanese tour closes. I only wish I could afford to make a road trip to see it before they leave!

For more information visit the Drum Corps International web site.

Posted by Chad Criswell

To the uninitiated it's just a marching band. But those who have actually gone to a Drum Corps International competition and seen some of the nation's world class drum corps perform will tell you that Drum Corps is NOT just marching band. What IS Drum Corps? Check out my article on the subject or visit the Drum Corps International web site to find out when and where the corps are performing near you this summer.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Recently Napster started advertising that you can listen to complete tracks for free. My first thought was, hey, wasn't that how they got into trouble in the first place? It turns out that this time it is legal and for people like me that love to listen but are very selective about what we buy, Napster's new marketing strategy may be a great new option for music lovers of all kinds.

Now, without even subscribing to the Napster service you can listen to any song in their millions of tracks for free in its entirety. I have always found the little thirty second preview from most of the music sites to be less than adequate. Especially when dealing with longer, classical pieces of music. With this new free play plan you can listen to any song up to five times before having to buy it. If you like the song enough to buy it it can be downloaded to your hard drive for just ninety nine cents.

For music lovers that have widely varying tastes or for people that simply don't know what they like this new option sounds like a great, and possibly long overdue, upgrade to the music download industry.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The complete news release is available at the PlaybillArts web site. Marsalis is the artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center and plans to return to the stage in early June. Marsalis is one of the most well known trumpet musicians in the world with over thirty albums, nine grammy awards, and a Pulitzer Prize for music to his credit.

Posted by Chad Criswell

My first two article has to do with the harpisichord and its evolution into the the modern piano. Future articles will cover various brass and woodwind families as well as their usage in various ensembles.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Clyde Hunt has created a site named bflatmusic.com that literally contains almost every book or reference you could want to help you learn to play the trumpet. He even includes a library of MP3 recordings of etudes from many of the major lesson books to help you learn and improve regardless of your ability level.

Posted by Chad Criswell

This revisionist story being reported by a Darwin, Australia researcher named Martin Jarvis. Jarvis believes that Bach's second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach, may have actually been the composer of some of J.S. Bach's most famous works including The Well Tempered Clavier! The complete story can be found here.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Before the iPod, or the radio, or the television, or even the phonograph music was still an important part of every functioning society on earth. From English laborers to an African tribesman, music has always been an extension of the community it was born in. Today, however, native folk music has all but died out as the people of the world have become more interconnected.

Luckily there were many people in the early 20th and late 19th centuries that felt compelled to find a way to preserve these last reminants of agriculturally based societies using at first pen and paper and later the newly invented wax cylinder phonograph.

Many of these amazing recordings are now being digitized and made available both online and for purchase in other media. Sites such as the Wax Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at UC Santa Barbara are just one example of the old folk arts being made available to a new generation.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Wagner's Ring cycle was never intended to be performed as a single massive unit of music. In fact, Wagner's intention was to spread out the performance over several evenings in order to give the performers (and the listeners) time to recouperate after each segment.

The four operas of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungen) include Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold), Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods). Each opera builds upon the previous plot line building to a stunning heroic climax.

Like most of Wagner's compositions the Ring cycle is pure Romantic in its style with visions of epic battles, love, and chivalry in its finest. If you missed the BBC broadcast of the complete cycle try taking the individual operas out for a spin on your ipod. The cycle is Wagner at his finest and you shall not be dissapointed.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Before becoming a household name in American popular music, Leonard Bernstein made his high pressure debut as a conductor when he was told to stand in for the conductor of the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall on April 21, 1939. This first performance at the young age of 25 set in motion the wheels to propel him to the forefront of American music. In the coming years he went on to compose such well known classics as "West Side Story" in 1957 and "On The Town" in 1944.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Today, students of the Julliard School are some of the most promising young musicians in the United States. Notable actors such as Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve as well as other famous names such as former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan have all been students at the Julliard School.

Other notable students include names such as:

Yo-Yo Ma (cellist)

John Williams (composer)

Meredith Willson (composer)

Kevin Kline (actor)

Posted by Chad Criswell

Now it looks like Hollywood went out and remade what is perhaps the most famous Romantic era opera ever written, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde. The original opera is synonymous with Wagner and with Romanticism in general. Twentieth Century Fox remade the opera for the big screen. Sooner or later I will have to try to go see it, or maybe I'll just wait for it to come out on video...

Posted by Chad Criswell

Many musicians get their first taste of stardom in a school musical or school play. I love giving my students this opportunity, and every year I look forward to the beginning of our musical rehearsals, that is until a few weeks before opening night when nothing is ready and the kids still don't know their lines.

Tonight marks the two week deadline before our school musical opens. I honestly have to say I was impressed with the work the kids did so far. I heard singing tonight unlike any I have heard in a school musical for a long time (at least at the high school level). If this is an indication of things to come I will be very pleased when we open in two weeks.

Being in a school musical or play is so much more than just singing or performing in front of an audience. The fun and camaraderie that comes from the rehearsals and performances is what the students will always remember. Four years after the fact my students still talk about the night I accidentally hit a sound effects button during the final scene of "Annie Get Your Gun!" When the gunshot sound went off our ever comical Buffalo Bill thought for a moment, grabbed at his chest and did one of the funniest slapstick death routines ever seen on our stage leaving the audience and the cast in stitches. To this day all other school musicals are judged by that one event.

In a perfect world everyone would get to have this kind of experience performing in a school or community musical. Until that perfect world comes around please try to get out and see your local school play or musical this spring. It isn't Broadway, but to the actors on stage it is just a good.

Posted by Chad Criswell

Our local UPN affiliate started running South Park reruns a few weeks ago. One night I found myself watching an episode called "Quituplets 2000." The title has absolutely nothing to do with music, but contained in the episode was little Kenny (a character that dies in every episode) studying how to "Sing Like Bocelli." In the process he taught himself how to sing the song "Con Te Partiro." Kenny's poor rendition of the song was replayed over and over again throughout the episode, but strangely the song stuck in my head enough to go to iTunes and listen to the real music (as sung by Bocelli of course). I liked it so much I bought the track. A cartoon can't do it justice. Check out Bocelli's Lyrics Page on ABMUSICA for more information about the song.

Posted by Chad Criswell

One of my college professors once said that when rehearsing a band I needed to always try to find at least one great moment every day. Maybe it would be just one chord that was perfectly in tune, or a melody line that everyone played with exactly the right articulations. It could even be something as simple as one person finally getting the hang of a certain fingering pattern.

Everyone can benefit from this. Whether in a band rehearsal, at work, or at home with the kids. Find at least one positive thing each day and hold on to it. When it happens make sure that everyone knows it! Allow the experiences to help you become a more positive person. In return you will start to find that that you have become a happier, more productive person. I've been there, and it works great for me!

Posted by Chad Criswell

I have become a big fan of this free weekly podcast. This podcast focuses on music technology with an obvious slant toward music educators. They also have segments on music history and music appreciation as well. A great little show with 57 episodes so far. Check it out!

Posted by Chad Criswell

I admit it, I am notorious for putting things off until the last minute. This time, however, I am trying to get ahead of the game. In case you don't know, I am a high school band director. As a part of my classroom lessons I decided to program a piece of music by Percy Aldridge Grainger, a fairly well known Austrailian born composer who lived in the United States as a naturalized citizen for most of his life. I felt it best for me and for my students if I reacquainted myself with Grainger, his history, and his music, and the result is a fairly complete biography of this legend of American music history. As a result I decided to share this research with all of you here on Suite101.

Posted by Chad Criswell

The past several days our local PBS stations have been holding their annual "Festival," fundraising drive. As I was flipping around I noticed a concert in Las Vegas by Andrea Bocelli. Even though I do not consider myself much of an opera afficianado I still found myself drawn in. An hour later I was still watching and honestly considered making a donation just to get the free DVD of the performance.

Bocelli is an incredibly talented and versatile vocalist, and like other notable musicians such as Beethoven, his physical impairments have not diminished his abilities (Bocelli was blinded in a soccer accident during his youth, Beethoven become deaf later in life). He has performed with other notables such as Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras.

Posted by Chad Criswell

I am a high school band director by trade, and as such I get exposed to many different kinds of music. I enjoy learning about and writing about all of them, but I want to try to produce something that is of benefit to you as a Suite101 reader. Please reply to this article and tell me what you want to see here!