I have always included listening demonstrations in my teaching, and these demonstrations have consistently received high ratings in course evaluations. A few years ago I decided to write a book on listening skills that focused on our perception of musical sound in addition to traditional elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and form.

In 2006 I was invited to present a keynote address at the NYSSMA Summer Music Technology Conference, and I used this occasion as an opportunity to test some of my ideas. It was a first for me - no keyboards, no PowerPoint, no computer (except for playing musical examples) - just the spoken word, recordings and one video clip. The response to my presentation was very encouraging, and several people suggested that I expand my material into a workshop.

No background in music technology is required for this course. The course is designed to sharpen your ears to the variables inherent in musical sound from every period of music history. I have taken the knowledge gained from thousands of hours of performing, recording, editing and mixing and have developed a set of concepts and skills which can be defined, demonstrated, and understood.

I guarantee that you will never listen to music the same way again, that you will re-discover the joys and pleasures of musical sound, and that your heightened awareness will make you a better performer, ensemble director, teacher, and listener!

I hope to see you this summer.

Don