Roland MTLC-16 Chap -Operating the V-MT1 Visual Music Tutor, Function 1 F1 the Panel View

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Chap. 5–Operating the V-MT1 (Visual Music Tutor)

MIDI Song Files, Notation and WYSIWYG*—the Visual Imperative

Soon after MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) was introduced in 1983, software publishers began using MIDI’s power to display notes of a song file as graphic, print-worthy notation—instant music publishing. Finale® and Sibelius® are but two examples of successful music notation companies. But the primary output of these programs—and sequencing programs—is the static, printed page.

The V-MT1 is a visual sequencing/notation program, a powerful tool that is remarkable for two reasons: what it does, and almost more importantly, what it does NOT do.

What it does:

The V-MT1 plays back Standard MIDI Files (SMFs) of both type 1 and type 0. This interactive data is used to help students learn. Typical student-teacher interactions made possible by MIDI: recordings can be adjusted, so the tempo is slower; the recording’s orchestration can be turned off for greater learning focus; and the MIDI file’s notation can be instantly displayed in a dynamic, animated musical score that unfolds in tempo, as the recording is played back. This user-adjustable music score guides the student through the piano class, the method book, the exercises, the ensembles or some of those “for fun” pieces.

What it does NOT do:

While the V-MT1 quickly and easily prints music scores from a MIDI file (except those including copyright notices), it is designed primarily for on-screen display to fluently guide and tutor the music learner’s eyes. Its sequencing functions are limited to the basics one would encounter in a real-time classroom situation, such as recording a pattern or melody and then playing it for the class. The notation functions are similarly simplified: recording a tune and displaying it in easily re-sized notation for all the class to visualize. To edit any SMF created by the Visual Music Tutor, these “after-class” edits can easily be handled by any suitable sequencing or notation program, such as Cakewalk®, Finale or Sibelius.

*WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) is an acronym from early computing years when printed documents began to accurately reflect that of the on-screen display.

Function 1 (F1) the Panel View

F1 is the simple “panel view” that allows users to easily play an SMF. Its transport controls closely resemble those of a cassette tape player, with a few additional con- veniences for music learning. Learning features include: BWD and FWD buttons to reverse or advance the recording one measure at a time, + and – buttons to allow simple tempo changes, metronome button for providing a “Professor. Rhythm,” and transpose button to allow any recording to be played back in any key.

WHY: For simplest playback, most often when students have already learned the piece, this panel view lets learn- ers follow an interactive audio track. This is also suitable for “already fluent readers” who may prefer to follow a static printed score on the music rack.

HOW: Press F1 (function button #1) or the upper left icon in the menu bar.

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Contents MTLC-16 Educator’s Foreword MTLC-16 Features What Is It?Software Qty MTLC-16 Features What Is Included?Hardware Qty Printed Materials QtyVisual Monitors MTLC-16 Features What Are the Options?External Audio Player/Recorder Audio MonitorsContents Names of Things and What They Do Names of Things and What They Do Equipment Checklist Music Lab Installation GuideMusic Lab Installation Room PreparationConnect Cables MTLC-16 InstallationSet Up the Music Lab SoftwarePower Up All Music Lab Components Music Lab Installation GuideInstall Software Test ComponentsTest Student Stations Test the Teacher’s StationSecure Equipment and Cables Developing Solid Reading Skills Chap -The Visual Music Tutor AdvantagePutting the Visual Tutor to Work Preview playing Slow playingVisual Music Tutor Advantage Survival Checklist-Before the Class Chap -Surviving Your First ClassPlaying your first SMF Surviving Your First ClassTalking to the class Interactive models for successful learningSurviving Your First Class Surviving Your First Class Teacher’s Microphone Chap -Operating the MTLC-16Instructor Level Control Teacher’s InstrumentOperating the MTLC-16 Single Student Practice Single and Multiple Student Monitoring and CommunicationOperating the MTLC-16 Group Practice Group Monitoring and CommunicationPairs Duet-Style Practice Operating the MTLC-16Pairs Duet-Style Monitoring and Communication Class Communication Student BroadcastingExternal Audio Broadcasting Operating the MTLC-16 Lab Performance Recording Student Instrument MutingClassroom Speaker Monitoring Roster Student Selection Chap -Operating the Virtual MTLC-16Virtual Lab Control Options Additional Buttons ControlOperating the Virtual MTLC-16 Arrange/Control Button Static/Adjustable VMTLC-16 Display CustomizationBox # 1 or 2 Buttons Roster Adding Student Names Operating the Virtual MTLC-16 Classroom ManagementFile Score Column GradebookAssignment Column Delete ClassHardware Detection What it does Chap -Operating the V-MT1 Visual Music TutorFunction 1 F1 the Panel View What it does not doFunction 2 F2 the Notation View Operating the VMT-1 Visual Music TutorFunction 3 F3 the Rehearsal View For More Information Function 4 F4 the Tone or Mixer WindowAnnotated Group Teaching Bibliography ArticlesAnnotated Group Teaching Bibliography Books Clark, Frances. Questions and Answers Practical Advice Ed planning form is found at the end of the chapter Page Additional References Software Installation Installing the USB MIDISport InterfaceHardware installation Connecting the Computer to the Teacher KeyboardAppendix Using the MIDISport with your MTLC-16 JLCooper Electronics Limited Factory Warranty AppendixPage ÂØÒňÎ