Music Instrument Workshop
Fond-des-Blancs, Haiti
Dale Joachim, PhD
11-12-13
Summary
Haiti’s rich music tradition is contrasted by its rote learning tradition. If music improves learning as many recent studies have suggested, can music serve as a catalyst to boost education in Haiti? Based on the premise that education in Haiti stands to benefit from music, this workshop proposes to discuss a subset of guiding principles behind acoustic and electronic music instruments. It begins with an analysis of prevalent indigenous music instruments (horns and drums) and extends the learned principles into electronic music generation. Parallels are drawn between music principles, mathematics, physics, electronics and programming. The workshop emphasizes a hands-on approach where participants build their knowledge along with their instruments.
Description
Haiti has a rich oral and music history. Music is said to have played an important role in the Haitian revolution, is often part of traditional communal work (konbit), is an integral part of traditional Voodoo rituals and is the heart of the yearly Carnivals. In more recent times, more modern genres have emerged such as Haitian Konpa. Music education on the other hand remains accessible to a very small portion of the population.
This workshop approaches music from a technology and science perspective. Many great mathematicians and scientists have pointed out notable symmetries within music and attempted to explain the logic behind its charm. Music embeds complex sequences (e.g., increasing frequency intervals between consecutive and equally spaced notes), principles of waveforms and strings (notes and string lengths), physics of tubes and standing waves (sound and tube length, size). In addition, simple electronic hardware can be created to produce electrical waveforms, which are subsequently turned into physical sound by actuating speaker diaphragms. Furthermore, computer programs can be written to control precise timing and voltage levels to then produce rich sounds and music. This workshop’s discussion of music instruments can therefore traverse many modern science and technology topics, therefore exposing the participants to a wide array of knowledge.
Methodology, Plan and Timetable
The workshop is prepared for delivery in an area with little Internet infrastructure and limited electrical power. It is organized into a set of hands on exercise. A short introduction of each topic and to the use of available instruments and material precedes the exploration of participants. In small teams, participants are asked to generate their own version of specified instruments using tools and materials at their disposal. The coordinating team provides the necessary support to clarify underlying principles and the usage of tools. At the end of each session the team are asked to present their creation (play the instruments) and reflect on their experience and finding. The tools for analysis (oscilloscope) and construction (hot glue guns, cutters and drills) will be brought with the organizing team. The material for construction (old cans, plastic containers, wood, strings, bamboo and tubes) will be provided locally.
The workshop will be held in the Haiti Projects library and courtyard and presented as an after-school program. Children are expected to arrive after class (the same set of children for the week), say 3pm and remain in the workshop until 6pm (nightfall).
The presentations are be held Monday through Thursday.
Persistence of knowledge
The participants will be left with all the knowledge necessary to replicate their experiments and propagate their knowledge and the style of teaching (learning) long after the workshop. The individual workshop summaries will be available to participants and local coordinators over the Internet. The tools and materials will be in large part limited to local availability therefore attainable after the workshop.
Organizing team
Dale Joachim: Dale organizes a yearly summer camp in the US for children ages 7-13. Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, he drafted and co-taugh a course at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entitled New Media Projects for Haiti through which students proposed and presented (in Haiti) technology projects relevant for Haiti. Dale has advised the One Laptop Per Child organization on the deployment of laptops in Haiti. He has led several signal, audio, speech and music processing research projects as a faculty at Tulane University and MIT. Dale holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and enjoys occasional piano performances.
David Fleurimond: David is a high school physical education teacher in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. He has organized several large scale regional and state-wide events. David is renown for his ability to organize, clearly communicate and facilitate learning events for large groups. He has as well organized science technology summer camps in the US.
Nan-Wei Gong: Nan-Wei is a Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab. She holds a PhD degree from the Program in Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, from the Responsive Environments Group under Prof. Joseph A. Paradiso. Her primary research is about developing low-cost inkjet printed gesture input surfaces. She is an MIT Energy Fellow and has extensive experience developing low-power sensing systems and wearable electronics. She has worked in several industrial research labs – Microsoft Research and Nokia Research Center, on interaction design, electronics, and rapid prototyping. As an engineer and a musician, she enjoys inventing new interfaces and instrument for musical expressions. She received a SM in Media Technology from MIT and a MS in Materials Science and Engineering from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.