What once was a gentle pastime of thinking about a subject then writing five hundred words about it and posting with some appropriate images has become much more technical. In these times of isolation on-line videos are now expected as well as on-line meetings and teaching on-line lessons.
Unfortunately the technology, and especially the broadband speed in many parts of the UK, are not quite up to the task in hand. Teachers and pupils are having to adapt to time lags, delays and the fact that the person on the other end may at least freeze or at most disappear at a moment’s notice.
I have jumped in to this on-line Wild West with my own vlogs, hope it will become a series, all about composing and how to play with sound and become a composer. The first vlog is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/pFWJGRryy7E
Please have a look and if you can use it with your students please do. Will I still be isolated and vlogging in six months time? Who can tell, a different set of technology at work to crack that one. I hope all my creative colleagues keep going and get more young people involved. These are very different times to anything we have experienced and we need to keep reinforcing the importance of the arts and culture to everyone in difficult times.
Keep safe and hope to see you at the end of all this.
(c) P. R. Birkby 2020
Peter R. Birkby 