NotationStation.net Showcases 200 Years of Music At the White House; GVOX and MENC present the Musical History of the White House.Entertainment & Education Editors PHILADELPHIA--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2000 November 2000 marks the bicentennial bi·cen·ten·ni·al adj. 1. Happening once every 200 years. 2. Lasting for 200 years. 3. Relating to a 200th anniversary. n. A 200th anniversary or its celebration. Also called bicentenary. of the White House, and GVOX and the National Association for Music Education MENC: The National Association for Music Education, formerly called Music Educators National Conference, is an organization based out of Reston, Virginia which is focused on the advancement of music education, both as a profession and the assurance of music education as (MENC MENC National Association for Music Education (formerly Music Educators National Conference) MENC Music Educators National Conference MENC Mensa of Eastern North Carolina (Local Group #275 of American Mensa, Ltd. ) are marking the occasion by highlighting the rich musical history of the Executive Mansion. A series of interactive music lessons is now accessible through NotationStation.net(TM) as well as the MENC's Web site (www.menc.org). The lessons highlight different musical elements of White House history. GVOX's proprietary technology brings the lessons to life with easy-to-use, interactive features. Kids across the country can read, hear and learn about the music online, then create their own compositions about the White House. Not long after John Adams took up residence in the nation's Capitol on November 1, 1800, the foundation was laid for the White House's tradition of music. The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. Marine Band, later to be known as "The President's Own," entertained with a New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. concert. Since then, presidents have invited many of the world's finest performers to perform -- and all but two presidents have brought pianos with them to Washington. "This is an exciting use of GVOX's core technology," says Nathaniel Weiss, founder and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of GVOX. "Via NotationStation.net, every child will get to visit the White House in its bicentennial year and be able to participate fully in this year-long celebration." According to Dr. John Mahlmann, executive director of MENC, this musical focus on White House history fits perfectly with MENC's National Standards for Arts Education. "We've developed these lessons to enable teachers to meet their ongoing curricular goals," he explains. "One goal enumerated This term is often used in law as equivalent to mentioned specifically, designated, or expressly named or granted; as in speaking of enumerated governmental powers, items of property, or articles in a tariff schedule. in the Standards is that students should understand music in its cultural and historical context. The White House is a focal point focal point n. See focus. for much of our nation's history and culture, and it makes an exciting backdrop for these wonderful online activities." The musical history of the White House is a richer topic than most people realize. For instance, one lesson will explore the history of "Hail to the Chief," the musical salute that is traditionally played when the President enters an event. Few people remember that the song began life as a three-part choral piece from a play written by Sir Walter Scott. The White House has played host to a wide array of performers, from the famous Hutchinson Family Singers The Hutchinson Family Singers were a 19th-century American family singing group who sang about political causes in four-part harmony. The group formed in the wake of a string of successful tours by Austrian singing groups such as the Tyrolese Minstrels and when American newspapers of the 1840s to Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin. American composer John Philip Sousa led the Marine Band for 12 years in the late 1800s, and luminaries such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Marian Anderson and Guy Lombardo have all played at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. President Harry Truman's daughter Margaret gave voice recitals while the family lived there, and Richard Nixon once played the piano with Pearl Bailey in the 1970s. Mahlmann credits GVOX with making the online initiative possible. "It's exciting when people develop technological resources like this and make them available to so many," he says. "Students in every state will enjoy this bicentennial in a way that the original occupants of the White House could never have imagined." Philadelphia-based GVOX (www.GVOX.com) provides the music education community with free access to an online content-authoring and music-learning portal called NotationStation.net, launched in the spring of 2000. NotationStation.net(TM) enables K-12 music teachers to create their own virtual classrooms and for students to retrieve lessons and curriculum online. Using GVOX's patented software and DSP (1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive architecture, users can take any musical instrument, play it into their PC microphone, and see the music instantly displayed online in musical notes as well as on a virtual instrument. The technology enables the PC to actually lead a player through a song note-by-note, showing them correct fingering, and waiting until the correct note is played before moving on. GVOX has entered into strategic partnerships with such organizations as McGraw-Hill, MENC (The National Association for Music Education), and TI:ME TI:ME Technology Institute for Music Educators (The Technology Institute for Music Educators), as well as with David Mash, VP of Technology at The Berklee School of Music. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion