[Smt-talk] Keyboards for theory classes?

[Trevor de Clercq]

Seth,

The department in which I work has required and continues to require that musicianship students purchase their own keyboards.  (We have about 100 students per semester in the "Theory 1" course.)  The main issue for our students, though, is that the ideal keyboard would be portable, have MIDI I/O, internal sounds, more than 32 full-sized keys, be no more than $100, and run on USB or battery power.  But, alas, no such keyboard exists.  Most of my students buy a 49- or 61-key keyboard controller (around $100) and use the sounds that come with the bundled or free software (Ableton Live Lite, Garage Band, Ignite, etc.).

Mike Callahan has some great experience with incorporating keyboards into the theory curriculum.  If he hasn't contacted you, I'd recommend contacting him.

Best,
Trevor de Clercq, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Recording Industry
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
(office) Ezell 104A
615-898-5821
trevor.declercq at mtsu.edu

On May 2, 2014, at 3:45 PM, Seth Monahan <seth.monahan at rochester.rr.com> wrote:

> Dear friends,
> 
> While revising my Freshman theory course more to make it more explicitly piano-centered, I’ve had to contend with the possibility that the resulting spike in usage might well strain our campus resources. 
> 
> This led me to wonder: has anyone in this community either (a) advised—or even required—students to acquire/purchase an inexpensive (<$100) electronic keyboard as part of their curricular requirements; or (b) sought to make such instruments available to music students through their institution—maybe as a rental, or even gratis, as part of their tuition or housing contract?
> 
> (Broadening the question a bit, I’d be equally keen to know of institutions that provide *any* complementary technology for their music students. I’ve heard grapevine stories, e.g., of newly-enrolled students receiving iPods from their departments, presumably in conjunction with various well-defined pedagogical aims.)
> 
> I'd welcome responses either on-list or off.
> 
> Gratefully,
> 
> - Seth
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Seth Monahan
> Assistant Professor of Music Theory
> Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester
> Reviews Editor, Music Theory Spectrum
> (585) 274-1556
> www.sethmonahan.com[sethmonahan.com]
> 
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