This year I wrote a bunch of groove pedagogy, including a book proposal and related materials aimed at future publications and teaching. So far, the only published part of all that work is 5 Pop Grooves for Orff Ensembles, a collection of educational music that I composed with Heather Fortune. But lots more is coming, …
Category Archives: Autobio
NYU Steinhardt is assigning this blog in its music theory and aural skills core classes
Last night I went to a holiday party for NYU Steinhardt’s music education program, where I got my PhD and where I have been teaching the Technology and Pop Practicum courses for several years now. Steinhardt has been overhauling its core music theory and aural skills curricula, and while I am highly interested in this …
How Infrastructure Works
Deb Chachra, one of the smartest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet, has a new book out. You should read it! It’s not directly related to the subject of this blog but, hey, it’s my blog, I can write about whatever I want. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving, and what better thing to be …
Nature Boy Megamegamix update
A while back, I made a mashup of many different versions of “Nature Boy”, one of the loveliest and weirdest jazz standards. Every so often I go back and add new versions to it. Here’s the latest update. Nature Boy Megamegamix by Ethan Hein I added Jon Hassell’s recording of the tune over the beat from …
Can I Kick It?
In order to shop at the Park Slope Food Coop, you have to do a monthly work shift. I do two a month, one for me and one for my wife, who is much too busy earning most of our money to do her own shifts. I work early mornings on the Receiving squad. As …
Exploring Hip-Hop Pedagogies in Music Education
Over the weekend I went to a hip-hop education panel organized and moderated by my fellow white hip-hop advocate Jamie Ehrenfeld, featuring four of the brightest lights in the field: Jamel Mims aka MC Tingbudong (rapper in English and Mandarin), Dizzy Senze (devastatingly great freestyle rapper), Regan Sommer McCoy (curator of the Mixtape Museum), and …
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Dissertation summary
I applied for something that asked for a ten page summary of my doctoral dissertation. Maybe you would like to read it, rather than the full 300 pages? Learning Something Deep: Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach Hip-Hop in New York City (summary) Image: Toni Blackman leads a middle school songwriting workshop In this …
New Orff arrangements with Heather Fortune
Heather Fortune and I are delighted to announce the publication of 5 Pop Grooves for Orff Ensemble, available now from the good people at F-flat Books. If you teach elementary music, you should check them out! We discuss the process behind and purpose of this music on F-flat’s podcast: The arrangements grew out of a …
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Musical Borrowing syllabus
This fall I’m teaching Musical Borrowing from Plainchant to Sampling at the New School for the first time. Here’s my syllabus. It will probably evolve as we go, but this is the initial plan. This course on “non-original” music explores how frequently existing compositions have been appropriated and adapted into new works, and how these …
Technology in Music Education – updated syllabus
This fall, I am teaching Technology in Music Education at Western Illinois University. The students are in-service music teachers who are working toward masters degrees. Here’s my syllabus. I have left out administrative details and university boilerplate. Feel free to use any of this as you see fit, but if you do, please tell me, …
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