This page will contain required Assignment posts for the Curtin University subject WEB206 - Web Publishing.
These posts will be included as they become available:
Mod 1.2: Personal Bio
Mod 3.1: Narrating Personal Interest
Mod 3.2: Introducing Your Topic
Mod 4.1: Creating Generative Value
Mod 4.2: Entering the Conversation
Mod 5.1: Consolidating your presence
Mod 5.2: Remediating for 140 Characters
Mod 6.1: Representing the Self
Mod 6.2: Podcast or Video Presentation
Mod 3.1: Narrating Personal Interest
Mod 3.2: Introducing Your Topic
Mod 4.1: Creating Generative Value
Mod 4.2: Entering the Conversation
Mod 5.1: Consolidating your presence
Mod 5.2: Remediating for 140 Characters
Mod 6.1: Representing the Self
Mod 6.2: Podcast or Video Presentation
The original posts can be found on the HOME page under the date indicated
(under the post headings below).
____________________________________________________________
September 12, 2010
 |
| Tessa |
All Tessa’s 100 students are members of their school band program or a community ensemble. Through her inspirational teaching they have won numerous music scholarships, receiving accolades in external music examinations, Eisteddfods and Solo competitions at State, National and International levels. Tessa’s graduate students have completed Degrees and are now successful percussion educators and performers.
Currently, Tessa performs with NorthWest Wind Ensemble. In this excerpt from Dance Movements, she is playing glockenspiel.
___________________________________________________________
Mod 3.1: Narrating Personal Interest
September 7, 2010
In my musical journey I consider myself fortunate to have met many well-respected percussionists and drummers. Their performances always inspire me with renewed enthusiasm. The beauty of being connected to the Internet is that a world of uploaded performances, are now accessible with one click. Throughout this site, I will share some of my inspirations with you. I call them “Percussive Sweet Spots” or little snippets that breathe new life into my percussion playing.
I started playing piano at the age of 5 after asking to learn drum kit (there were no drum teachers in the suburban area I lived). I could say that I was overjoyed but that story would have a different ending and most probably finish right here. I was one of those children that enjoyed singing and dancing so I am sure my mother thought that any instrument would be better than none.
However after the initial excitement had worn away I was a bit disappointed in the piano. Nothing I did in my lessons seemed to make my teachers happy. My first teacher was so ancient that she sat doubled over like she was asleep. However if I made a mistake she would whip out a ruler and rap my knuckles with it before I could get out of the way. She was obviously not asleep! My next teacher had a voice that got louder every time I made a mistake, which was quite often. I really wanted to quit but apart from the fact that my mother wanted one of her children to play the piano, I actually won some Eisteddfods and got decent exam marks. Yes, I started to enjoy the piano, but I still wanted to play drums.
After saving my birthday and Christmas money for a few years I finally got a drum kit and had lessons in the city. I loved playing drums and performed with marching, concert, samba and rock bands. Everything came so easily with percussion (no angry teachers!) and I achieved Distinctions in my exams. However I am glad that I continued my piano lessons and completed exams because I believe it has given me a greater appreciation of what is required to play percussion musically.
It is my hope that the information on this site will inspire your love of playing percussion, enhance your musical knowledge, repertoire, and help you to find your own unique "Percussive Sweet Spot".
___________________________________________________________
Mod 3.2: Introducing Your Topic
September 11, 2010
September 7, 2010
In my musical journey I consider myself fortunate to have met many well-respected percussionists and drummers. Their performances always inspire me with renewed enthusiasm. The beauty of being connected to the Internet is that a world of uploaded performances, are now accessible with one click. Throughout this site, I will share some of my inspirations with you. I call them “Percussive Sweet Spots” or little snippets that breathe new life into my percussion playing.
 |
| Percussionist Sheila E at The Basement May 2010 |
 |
| Tessa with percussionist Sheila E May 2010 |
 | |
| Sydney Easter Show RAS Marching Band 1996 (Front Left) |
 |
| Tessa in Concert with the NWWE 2008 |
It is my hope that the information on this site will inspire your love of playing percussion, enhance your musical knowledge, repertoire, and help you to find your own unique "Percussive Sweet Spot".
___________________________________________________________
Mod 3.2: Introducing Your Topic
September 11, 2010
Thank you for stopping by to learn about the inspirational art of percussion…but wait a minute. Are you in the right place?
Take a quick look at this checklist:
· I have a drum kit
· I am learning percussion
· I play in a band
· I sometimes get into trouble for tapping…at the dinner table, on desks at school or any surface that bounces
· I tap with my hands, feet, pens, pencils, chopsticks, cutlery
· I have tapped on most surfaces at home with my drumsticks
· Music needs a drum beat
· I am tapping my hands or feet right now
If you answered, “Yes” to most of the above then you obviously love percussion – and this site is for you!
 |
| Original file photo of Ruby, aged 7 years |
Do you know everything about percussion?
Apart from being the most misunderstood instrument group (we all know someone who started learning percussion as the ‘bass drum specialist’ or whose mother thought they were only going to be playing triangle), percussion is also the most enjoyable and diverse group of instruments.
Most school bands in the northern areas of Sydney are lucky to have a full range of instruments for their percussionists to use. These instruments are becoming more and more common in school band rooms and include the drum kit (of course!), timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, congas, bongos, and a range of smaller auxiliary instruments.
All of these instruments will have their story told in the near future, on the HOME page. However if you cannot wait, “X is for xylophones” is a great report, which debunks some common myths about mallet percussion instruments. Read to the end of the page so you do not miss out on the Super Mario Brothers Theme.
 |
| The marimba (original file photo) |
Apart from orchestral and well-known percussion, this site will also highlight drums from around the world. Cultural drums that will be featured include the:
· Irish Bodhran
· three Indian drums: Tabla, Mridangam, Pakhawaj
· Persian Zarb
· African Doumbek, and Djembe,
· Arabic Darbuka
· Brazilian Cuica, Caixa, Pandeiro
· Peruvian Cajun
· Moroccan Bendir
· Cuban Bata
· Japanese Taiko
 | |
| Indian Tabla drums (original file photo) |
Whether your favourite music is funk, hip-hop, jazz/big band/swing, heavy metal, grunge, soul, blues, country, western, Latin, Motown or power ballads there will be something on this site to inspire you.
Let me know if there is a percussion fact that you want to read about. This site is for you – enjoy!
__________________________________________
MOD 4.1 Creating Generative Value October 15, 2010
Are you a drummer?
Making headlines within the Australian drumming community in the last few weeks is the competition previously known as the "Billy Hyde Drummers Playoff".
Do you live in NSW?
Due to the merger of Allans Music and Billy Hyde Drumcraft earlier this year the event is now known as the "2010 Allans Music + Billy Hyde Drummers Playoff".
IMPORTANT: entrants must reside in NSW.
The "Drummers Playoff" is an annual event which provides drummers with an opportunity to perform in a supportive environment. It has been running since 1990.
The most promising applicants from each age group perform in the inspirational "Finals" which is also a celebration of the art of drumming. Finalists performing in the showcase will be adjudicated by some of Australia's top drumming talent. Previous adjudicators have even included overseas artists such as Eric Singer (left in the photo below) from legendary band "KISS".
2010 Finals Showcase details:
Sunday November 28 at
Allans Music + Billy Hyde, 108 Botany Road Alexandria.
Who can enter?
If you live in NSW and are a drummer:
PRIMARY 5 to 11 years
JUNIOR SECONDARY 12 to 14 years
SENIOR SECONDARY 15 to 17 years
OPEN DIVISION any age
then you can enter.
Audition Process
All entrants must play with a backing track in their audition.
Backing tracks used must have no drums in the recording.
Senior secondary and open division entrants must also perform an unaccompanied solo. The pieces played in the audition are to be performed if the entrant achieves a spot in the 'Showcase Finals'.
Prizes!!
Winners will receive:
PRIMARY: PDP Exotic Red Tiger Ash Snare. RRP $579.99
JUNIOR SECONDARY: Pearl Mahogany Snare RRP. $799
SENIOR SECONDARY: Zildjian A Custom Cymbal Pack. RRP $1369
OPEN DIVISION: PDP MXR Rock Kit. RRP $2499.99
Registrations can be completed online,
or by posting the registration form from the information page, to:
Allans Music + Billy Hyde
31 Eastern Rd South Melbourne VIC 3205.
or by dropping the form into your local Allans Music + Billy Hyde store.
Registrations close Saturday October 30, 2010.
Good Luck!
2009 Drummers Playoff Finals Showcase Performers
Ruby S. aged 7 years
Finalist "Primary Section"Performing "Funk One" by Dave Hassell
Making headlines within the Australian drumming community in the last few weeks is the competition previously known as the "Billy Hyde Drummers Playoff".
Do you live in NSW?
Due to the merger of Allans Music and Billy Hyde Drumcraft earlier this year the event is now known as the "2010 Allans Music + Billy Hyde Drummers Playoff".
IMPORTANT: entrants must reside in NSW.
The "Drummers Playoff" is an annual event which provides drummers with an opportunity to perform in a supportive environment. It has been running since 1990.
The most promising applicants from each age group perform in the inspirational "Finals" which is also a celebration of the art of drumming. Finalists performing in the showcase will be adjudicated by some of Australia's top drumming talent. Previous adjudicators have even included overseas artists such as Eric Singer (left in the photo below) from legendary band "KISS".
2010 Finals Showcase details:
Sunday November 28 at
Allans Music + Billy Hyde, 108 Botany Road Alexandria.
Who can enter?
If you live in NSW and are a drummer:
PRIMARY 5 to 11 years
JUNIOR SECONDARY 12 to 14 years
SENIOR SECONDARY 15 to 17 years
OPEN DIVISION any age
then you can enter.
Audition Process
All entrants must play with a backing track in their audition.
Backing tracks used must have no drums in the recording.
Senior secondary and open division entrants must also perform an unaccompanied solo. The pieces played in the audition are to be performed if the entrant achieves a spot in the 'Showcase Finals'.
Prizes!!
Winners will receive:
PRIMARY: PDP Exotic Red Tiger Ash Snare. RRP $579.99
JUNIOR SECONDARY: Pearl Mahogany Snare RRP. $799
SENIOR SECONDARY: Zildjian A Custom Cymbal Pack. RRP $1369
OPEN DIVISION: PDP MXR Rock Kit. RRP $2499.99
Registrations can be completed online,
or by posting the registration form from the information page, to:
Allans Music + Billy Hyde
31 Eastern Rd South Melbourne VIC 3205.
or by dropping the form into your local Allans Music + Billy Hyde store.
Registrations close Saturday October 30, 2010.
Good Luck!
2009 Drummers Playoff Finals Showcase Performers
Ruby S. aged 7 years
Finalist "Primary Section"Performing "Funk One" by Dave Hassell
Shai H. aged 8 years
Winner "Primary Section"
Peforming "Real Life" by COG
Aaron P. aged 14 years
Finalist "Junior Secondary Section"
Performing "Jazz Police" by Gordon Goodwin Phat Band
__________________________________________________________________
Mod 4.2: Entering the Conversation
As part of the WEB206 requirements, I commented on this post:
http://www.ehow.com/list_7146861_orchestral-percussion-instruments.html
Post by Joe Turner
September 13, 2010
Hi Joe,
Thank you so much for your post regarding orchestral percussion instruments.
As an educator working in this area for more than 20 years, I have found that there are a few misconceptions regarding the range and inclusion of instruments classified as 'percussion'.
I specialize in tutoring students for their school concert bands and preparing them for Trinity Guildhall (London) orchestral percussion exams.
Many first-time students who register to study orchestral percussion with me have thought that there was only one instrument: the drum set. While I believe the drum set along with solo snare drum are possibly the most prominent percussion instruments used in a concert bands, they are only a small part of the vast instrument range.
In the orchestra of course the timpani are the most prominent drums used to maintain rhythm.
It is very refreshing to read a good post that correctly defines the range of percussion instruments. A phrase I use regularly with my students is "if I don't teach you as many percussion instruments as I can source - you are not getting your money's worth!"
I hope to read more about orchestral and other percussion from you in the future.
Thank you once again for your informative post,
TessaG.
_________________________________________________________________Post by Joe Turner
September 13, 2010
Hi Joe,
Thank you so much for your post regarding orchestral percussion instruments.
As an educator working in this area for more than 20 years, I have found that there are a few misconceptions regarding the range and inclusion of instruments classified as 'percussion'.
I specialize in tutoring students for their school concert bands and preparing them for Trinity Guildhall (London) orchestral percussion exams.
Many first-time students who register to study orchestral percussion with me have thought that there was only one instrument: the drum set. While I believe the drum set along with solo snare drum are possibly the most prominent percussion instruments used in a concert bands, they are only a small part of the vast instrument range.
In the orchestra of course the timpani are the most prominent drums used to maintain rhythm.
It is very refreshing to read a good post that correctly defines the range of percussion instruments. A phrase I use regularly with my students is "if I don't teach you as many percussion instruments as I can source - you are not getting your money's worth!"
I hope to read more about orchestral and other percussion from you in the future.
Thank you once again for your informative post,
TessaG.
Mod 5.1: Consolidating your presence
When I initially set up my blog I actually put quite a lot of thought into how it would be presented for several reasons. Firstly, I was aiming to attract the attention of a younger audience so wanted the site to reflect not only orchestral percussion (achieved through the xylophone image), but also rock drumming (achieved through the ‘blogger’ template showing a band on stage at a concert).
Additionally, I added an iPod application linked to drumming videos on YouTube and added some links to my preferred percussion and drumming stores in Sydney.
Another feature I added was to include polls about drum brands and whether acoustic or electric drum kits were better.
The image I have used is one that was taken approximately 20 years ago. The reason for this is mainly for privacy (it was an agency shot taken when I used to do film and TV work). I do not believe that any of my current images convey the professionalism I am aiming to share. Having said this, I have posted current photos in blog posts. The photo I initially chose will appear on every comment I make across the web and for this purpose I believe it is quite suitable.
_________________________________________________________________
Mod 5.2: Remediating for 140 Characters
Although these tweets were generated very early in the subject, this task was only completed after the subject ended due to illness.
Following, are the two posts I tweeted for this task:
My latest blog post #WEB206 Percussive Sweet Spot: Evelyn Glennie: How to listen to music with your w... http://t.co/z27haNE
»
This is my new blog - please drop by and say hello: http://thepercussivesweetspot.blogspot.com/p/home.html
»
Unfortunately, I did not know of any hash tags at the time of tweeting so these tweets do not contain any.
I also did not receive any retweets or @mentions related to these tweets. The retweet page still looks like this after 2 months of these posts being online:
Retweets by others
Tweets that are retweeted by others appear here. On December 2 I listed 5 topics of interest on “We Follow”:
#student
#musician
#musicteacher
#percussionist
#holidays
Just added myself to the http://wefollow.com twitter directory under: #sydney_australia #student #musician #holidays #musicteacher #percuss
From these, I was able to find hash tags. However, not all of them were in use. I managed to retweet a post from a #musician regarding ways to teach guitar. Again, I did not receive any feedback.
Unfortunately, these lists and hash tags appear to be related mostly to musician celebrities and what they are currently doing. My hash tag for “percussionist” also got shortened to “percuss” so was not valid.
I then tweeted with the hash tag #percussionist to see what would come up:
Looking for #percussionists - are there any out there?
This is the response I got:
Older Tweet results for #percussionists are unavailable. It appears that I may be unique in the twitterverse due to an observed lack of Twitter users, hash tags, and we follow lists to interact with.
While participation on Twitter for my topic was almost zero, I have a following of percussion, musician and non-musician friends on Facebook that enjoyed reading my blog posts and left comments for me on the blog.
_____________________________________________
Mod 6.1: Representing the Self
The current avatar in use when representing myself on Twitter, is approximately 20 years old (similar era to the photograph representing me on my blog). The reason this was chosen was firstly to maintain a level of privacy around what I currently look like. Secondly, I do not believe that any other images I own are able to correctly convey the way I prefer to be remembered online. As Walker (in the reading set for this week “Mirrors and Shadows”) said in her last line, “This is the first step in choosing to express ourselves rather than simply allowing ourselves to be described by others.”
In the last week I also spent a little time thinking about an avatar, which does not have my face on it.
Perhaps it could be seen as more of a ‘logo’.
I came up with this idea:
Original photo of me with some of my students
[Image not included here due to privacy issues of students in photograph]
Photo excerpt (taken from bottom right of frame):
The original photo was treated to a watercolour filter in photoshop then extracted from the original image before being given a bright green background.
_____________________________________________
Mod 6.2: Podcast or Video PresentationTake a walk through my percussion teaching room with me.
Thank you to my niece Ruby for her demonstrations
and to Tim for his assistance with camera angles and the
use of an excerpt of his music.
Enjoy!
_____________________________________________
Wow! This is so musical!
ReplyDeletenative american art