Welcome to the Recipes for Jamming site. A location for sharing teaching and learning ideas that employ the jam2jam media performance software.

The Scream

March 17th, 2010 dillonsc No comments

Video Example

The jam Paulina, Dafina and Clara did when working with Jam2Jam as a tool for making music to art. Humfryskolan, Malmo Sweden. Per Skold.
Real world example: Pictures at an Exhibition
Ingredients
1-5 Apple Mac Computers or 1x Computer and 5 USB Controllers),  headphones, headphone mixer, Jam2jam_av, digitised images of art works put into jam2jam, Internet access to upload work.
Making Jam
1) Set a task for groups of 2-5 users to create a performance of 2-3 minutes in response to a selected artwork.
2) Choose the music style from the list of scenes.
3) Groups do a series of short improvisations, record and reflect after each performance.
4)  Groups plan a final performance and rehearse.
5) Performance to class recorded.
6) Upload to website for comment/reflection and critical review.
Nutritional Value (Knowledge)
Music and media, performance skills, structure and form, musical elements aural analysis.
Menu: Entree, Maincourse
Categories: Entrees- Quick jam, Group Jam, Network Jam, Solo Jam, Uncategorized, Understanding concepts Tags: , , ,

JamDeck sample activities: Performance

November 9th, 2009 dillonsc No comments

With Network Jamming activities we recommend an approach to learning through improvisation and exploration of musical concepts and skills through personal, social and cultural playing focusing on performance as an outcome. The idea is to create lesson experiences that moves from a solo discovery through collaborative ensemble activity to a performance either in class or to a larger audience of peers or community. We recommend that ‘performances’ are recorded and used as a way of reflecting or critiquing the musical value of the performance/improvisation and the relationship between players in a Jam ensemble.

Performance: Rasta-dub

Note: can be done with any style/scene or parameters

Overview (Objectives) Create a series of expressive Reggae (jamScene style) performances using only volume and density parameters.

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Evaluation/Assessment

  1. Did the student show evidence of expressive solo performance.
  2. Did the student show evidence of expressive group performance and interaction.

Activities

  1. View demonstration video of volume and density performance and how to record a jam.
  2. Download style brief or hand out paper version.
  3. Jam 1 solo exploration- create a 2 minute Video of creative use of the two parameters. Note the performance must have a clear beginning, development and ending. Teacher assist individuals and listens to their jams.
  4. Ask students to upload their completed jam to the website and write critical and descriptive comments.
  5. Jam 2 Ensemble. In groups of 3-5 create a 5 minute Video of creative use of the two parameters. Note the performance must have a clear beginning, development and ending and show students are listening to each other.
  6. Performance and critique. Each group performs to the class and is verbally critiqued using musical concept terms focusing on form/structure, expressive use of instruments, effectiveness of group.
  7. Ask students to upload their completed jam to the website.

Experience Sequence (Note these times are estimates and can be extended over whole lessons)

  1. Briefing = 10min
  2. Solo activity= 10-15min
  3. Small ensemble activity=15min
  4. Presentation=15 min

Resources: jamDeck (jam2jam software), Computer, mouse or usb-controllers, Headphones and mixer, audio speakers, one page Style Brief, Demo video, internet/intranet access.

Extension activities for home or private study.

Make musical comment on a peers solo jam on the website.

Make musical comment on a group jam on the website.

Investigate ‘dub techniques by listening to Youtube reggae dub.

M MEM

Personal, Social, Cultural

Appreciate, Select, Direct, Explore, Embody.

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

Big Ears

August 12th, 2009 eva No comments

Overview (and objectives) The objective of this ten minute piece of a lesson activity is to go into the differences and similarities between volume and density. Why? When playing in a band for example, it is good to know the impact of volume and density on the sound of both your own instrument and the ensemble. It is also good to practice how to listen for these concepts when making music together. Listening is an important skill for music making.

Image/video/ example

Activities/tips: Let the student listen to this example: (link to a good example between volume and density, for example scene x, instrument y, volume up and down and density up and down). Look at the screen, have a discussion about the  differences and the use of differences. The task for the student or group of students is to create and record a jam where they try to clearly show how either volume or density can be expressed in a jam. Upload to the website.

Task for next lesson: Each student makes a comment on the website, stating what they think the jammer wanted to express (volume or density). Optional. Same activity can be repeated with other musical concepts like ritardando, crescendo, diminuendo, forte, piano.

Resources/links: Minimum one computer, internet. Optional: Data projector, one computer per group/student

Evaluation/assessment: Peer evaluation (built into the activity)


Categories: Entrees- Quick jam, Group Jam Tags: , , , , , , ,

Drum Circle Improv Jam

August 12th, 2009 alex No comments

Overview

In this experience, students will perform on acoustic drums as an ensemble with Jam2Jam. Students individually will improvise and embellish self-created rhythms that fit with the beat provided by the student conductor and Jam2Jam and other student ensemble members.

Objectives

Students will explore improvising, listening, conducting, responding, solo and ensemble performing. Students will explore tempo, steady beat, simultaneity, volume, balance, rhythm, timbral blend and dynamics.

Activities & Tips

Initial Engagement

Teacher starts Jam2Jam, Select student to manipulate Jam2Jam. Ask other students to find a beat that fits the Jam2Jam audio. Direct student conductor to explore Jam2Jam and ask student performers to adjust their playing in response to student conductor’s manipulations of Jam2Jam.

Sustaining Engagement

Rotating through student conductors of Jam2Jam
Inviting students to solo with Jam2Jam accompaniment
Throughout experience, record sections of performance for student appraisal and feedback

Resources & Links

One SmartBoard, data projector and sound system or laptop/computer with Jam2Jam installed. Acoustic drums (1/person) arranged in a circle with laptop or SmartBoard at the apex of the circle.

Evaluation/Assessment

Throughout Experience:

Ask guiding questions and observe student verbal and musical responses to conductor manipulations of Jam2Jam.
Invite students to take conductor and solo improvisation roles for individual assessment

End of Experience:

Playback video recordings and lead student reflection through discussions of recordings of performances as a large group.

Categories: Acoustic Jam Tags: , , , ,

Adding your own Movies and Audio to Jam2Jam

August 12th, 2009 melanie No comments

Overview: This lesson will explore the audio and visual aspects of jam2jam.  This lesson will give students an opportunity to practice adding their own visual and audio effects.

Objectives: Students will learn how to add their own video and audio files in jam2jam.  Students will explore within the jam2jam software and learn how to navigate through the back files.

Activities and Tips:

Red Hot jam2jam Help Pamphlet

Incorporating local community music, a guide to jamming with your own music. We’ll replace the audio and video content in the 6th scene with our own content.

Duplicate the Application

First, navigate to the Jam2Jam application. Click on it, then click command-d, which will make a duplicate copy. Rename that copy with a descriptive name for your version of Jam2Jam (Jam2Sousa, Jam2Sabbath, etc.). This will also allow you to continue to use the classic program, or recover if you make a mistake along the way.

Adding Your Audio

Make MIDI for the scene

First, create your own MIDI files, using a program like Sibelius or Finale or Logic. You’ll need 12 files in all: “full”, “medium”, and “light” versions for the bass, drums, organ, and westsidelead. The full version should have the most notes, and the light version will be used as the basis when the density is turned all the way down.
This Jam is in F minor. It is outside the realm of this document to teach how to change the key. You can modify another “scene” if it is in a key you want to use, but this presumes you want to compose something for F minor (Aeolian).

Locate the Jam2Jam MIDI

Locate the audio jam2jam midi files located in Jam2Jam Application.

1. Navigate to the Jam2Jam application (in Application folder)

2. Right-click or control-click to reveal the drop-down menu, then click “Show Package Contents”

3. Navigate to the MIDI folder following this path: /Contents/Resources/application/Dance-Music/sunshine/sun_MIDI_Files/

IMPORTANT – delete the 13th midi file named HipHop-WestSideLeadfuz-full.mid (this was a file that is not used and might cause problems).

Rename your MIDI files

Copy the Filenames from the Jam2Jam and use those names for your files (e.g. HipHop-bass-medium.mid, HipHop-bass-full.mid, HipHop-bass-light.mid, etc.) You must use these names exactly or the process won’t work.

Replace the Jam2Jam MIDI

Replace the remaining 12 midi files with 12 midi files of your own (in other words, the folder will have files with the same name, but they will be your MIDI files).

Test the audio

Before you add video, make sure the audio works as you expect.

Adding Your Video

Video is a bit more forgiving than audio. You can have video of anything.

Video Specifications

Begin with videos that are no more than 16 seconds
The best bet is to export video using QuickTime Pro with the following specifications:
Export: Movie to QuickTime Movie
Click “Options”, then select:
Video settings:
Compression: Apple Intermediate Codec
Quality: Medium
Dimensions: 320×240
Sound should not be selected (as audio won’t be played)

Rename your movies

Best bet, copy and paste these file names, as everything counts (exentsion, capitalization, etc.).
Name one movie: butterfly-short.mov
Name the other one: Fire-short.mov

Locate the video files

Locate the movie files located in this folder within the Jam2Jam Package as with the audio above, but by following this path: Contents/Resources/application/Movies/

Replace the Jam2Jam video

Replace videos with your own videos. Remember to keep the original midi file name so that the jam2jam software can run properly.

Test it all

By now, you should have your own audio and video in the movie. Give it a test!

Resources and Links: This lesson will have one student per computer with jam2jam software on each computer. Students will need video and audio clips appropriately formatted.

Evaluation and Assessment: Each student will present their own jam2jam version to the class.  Students and teacher will jam as a group watching the presenting student’s screen projected at the front of the classroom with that student’s computers audio sounding for everyone to hear.  The other students not presenting will have their audio turned off. The teacher will assess whether students successfully added their own audio and video.

Time required: Once you have MIDI and video files, adding them and testing will take 2-3 hours.

Categories: Help, hacking Tags: , , , , ,