When Total Kaoss Is Good in the Classroom

In February of 2008, a new band released their first video on YouTube. The iBand was the first band to create music using the iPhone/iTouch with software from the company MooCowMusic (http://moocowmusic.com). The idea that anyone could make music with a handheld computing device was new and the iBand YouTube video logged over two million hits within months. In April 2008, Korg released a new handheld device called the Kaossilator (http://www.korg.com/kaossilator). Jim Frankel of SoundTree brought one to my school to show the kids. The enthusiasm from the students was so overwhelming that I had to buy one for my classroom. Then two. Then… Total Kaoss was born.

The Beginning
I am a professional performing musician who teaches composition and music technology at a high school in Connecticut. A few of my students play or sing in the traditional school ensembles and some of them play in their own rock bands, but many have never participated in any kind of organized music making. I could describe the many educational reasons for creating a non-traditional electronic music ensemble and highlight the innate value of playing in a performance ensemble. I could even discuss the importance of playing chamber music with only non-traditional instruments. I could also reason that performing live is an important part of musical experience. All those things are true but what the Kaossilator really provides is an opportunity for students to play in a group using handheld electronic devices—how cool and fun is that?! Maybe the kids would think so, too.

To generate interest in creating a non-traditional performance ensemble, I started showing my students the iBand video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh0VX74alwk). I also showed them a video response by a New York City DJ named Splurt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JI7iM6IR2c). Then I asked the students if any of them were interested in playing in a group using handheld devices.

The Ensemble
A few students asked to be in the group and I encouraged a few others to join as well. None of the students in the original quartet knew each other outside of class and they all had very different tastes in music. All the students in the ensemble were high school seniors who had been in my classes for at least two years. Three of them played rock band instruments—electric bass or guitar (one also plays trumpet in the school band)—and one never played an instrument but was a DJ.

Their Choice
With the plethora of musical instrument apps available to them, I really thought that the kids who had one or the other would gravitate toward using the iPhone or iTouch. This would be convenient since many students have these devices and might already have or want a specific musical instrument app to use in the ensemble. I showed students several options and let them research on their own. Students could choose any device they wanted to play. They tested the iPhone and various apps, lots of little boxes and sound machines and, of course, they tried out the Kaossilator and miniKP by Korg.

The kids gravitated toward the Kaossilator, which is a synthesizer, and the miniKP, which is a digital effects processor (http://www.korg.com/minikp). The students loved them! I encouraged them to use a drumpad-type drum machine and one of the students also wanted to use the Alesis SR-18 drum machine (http://www.alesis.com/sr18). The kids were allowed to take the instruments home to practice, explore, and create. They traded instruments and each discovered which instrument he would be most comfortable playing. All the instruments were plugged into a mini 4-channel mixing board and monitored out to the sound system in the classroom or powered speakers. They rehearsed after school when their schedules permitted. They named their band Total Kaoss.

The Rehearsals
Given their musical background and experience, I let the group rehearse without much input from me. I just left them alone to rehearse much like any high-school aged garage band might. They rehearsed in my classroom and while I worked at my computer, I listened in on their progress. They were initially hesitant and struggled a bit, but quickly they developed musical thoughts and ideas and intuitively learned how, adjusting the process, to work with one another. I would occasionally interject a sentence or two of solicited or unsolicited feedback—more in the form of coaching rather than traditional classroom teaching. I encouraged them to play live and not use the loop features built into each instrument, as doing so would require ensemble playing and I really was interested in the educational value of this project. Usually, I would comment on the length of the piece, its form, or general balance issues. The one thing I really needed to get involved in was organizing and scheduling rehearsals as otherwise they might never have happened.

The Lessons
Not surprisingly, this quartet experienced all the concerns of any ensemble; personality issues, catering to the ability levels of each player, absenteeism and its effects on the ensemble in rehearsal and performance. Who would be responsible for moving the instruments, setting up and breaking down the setup? They also learned how to create a piece for live performance, how to balance and cue each other and how to create a notation system to enable them to recreate their music on their non-traditional instruments.

The Performances
The first performance was for their classmates. They were able to perform in a safe environment and get creative and positive feedback. The second performance was at the TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) National Conference. For those of you who were there, it probably never occurred to you that this was only their second performance. Their third performance was at a concert produced at our school called Composer’s Showcase, an annual adjudicated concert of student composed works. Their fourth performance was for the entire freshman class at our school, 700 students.

You can see and hear them performing their original composition, “Broth,” on the Web at the following URL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicEdTech

The Students


Graphics by Alessandro Chile

When the band formed, I knew that these four individuals were exceptional among my many outstanding students. They are all good musicians, good students, and really nice guys. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of them for their enthusiasm, creativity, and generosity toward each other and me. They worked extremely hard. They gave of their personal time for rehearsals, performances, and their vacation time to be at the TI:ME conference. They learned a lot about music, ensemble playing, responsibility, and camaraderie, and they created good music.

Total Kaoss in the classroom? Yeah, it’s really cool and fun.

For more information about the Electronic Music program at Greenwich High School, please visit: http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=1460
For more information about Barbara Freedman, please visit: http://musicedtech.wordpress.com/