Ed Castro Music, Thoughts

Math and Music Conversations

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting down with another teacher to talk about a seminar she is teaching about the intersection between Math and Music. We talked about music theory and how she sees patterns both in music and math. I found myself listening and becoming more inspired to explore Pythagorean ideas surrounding tuning and the Fibonacci sequence. 

Too many ideas to start looking into. I guess it makes sense to me…I like patterns and serialized music. Perhaps that’s another avenue to explore…

 

Don’t even let me get started on Johannes Keppler!

Ed Castro Music, Thoughts

Best Seat In The Housemates

Generally if you are on a stage performing, you are a fan of what you are performing. Either you like the act of sharing something with folk on a stage or you feel strongly about that specific artistic expression. I’m convinced every performer feels one of those mentioned before and I’m certain that I take these moments for granted.

Recently I performed a piece with an orchestra that is rarely performed. The performance was well received by the audience and performers. During rehearsals I noticed my seat was just about in the center of the stage directly in front of the conductor. This isn’t unusual, however with music coming at me from all directions I got to experience the music (and all the wonderful sounds) from an interesting perspective.

I think I had the best seat in the house.

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Ed Castro Music, Thoughts

Teaching Modern Music

There are times when I think I’m biting off more than I can chew. However, unlike most things I dread doing this could potentially one of the coolest topics I teach this year. I’ve decided to take on introducing three ideas of modern music composition to middle school students.

It give me a chance to explore aspects of music I truly enjoy: Serialism, Minimalism and Electronic Music. There have been many hours spent admiring the processes of some of the 20th century’s imaginative composers. So now I get to indulge in a not so secret vice.

Igor Stravinsky 2sakshy

I get to talk about and research composers and performers like Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Steve Reich, James Brown, Bjork and Hip-Hop artist/DJ’s of the late 80’s and early 90’s. There is potential for students to learn more about my personality through this unit.

Venn Diagram for next unitThe only way to express this for me is a venn diagram and these Youtube videos. Gonna be fun…at least for me.

Ed Castro Thoughts

Punched by Gravity

Some statements are meant to be heard at certain times in your existence. I had one such moment recently and it felt like I got punched in the brain. The very words stayed with me all day and I couldn’t shake them. They remained like a fragmented echo of a melody heard once, however in this scenario you were only moved by the smallest portion of the melody.

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The subject was gravity on the latest episode of Star Talk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. In it he was describing the relationship between Matter and Space; Dr. Tyson uses a quote by physicist John Wheeler.

“Matter tells space how to curve…Space tells matter how to move.”

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I found this statement to be incredibly poetic. However, in a flash I thought of curves, movement, dance, motion, weight and space. It was about so many thing at that precise moment. Who knew I’d like getting punched.

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Ed Castro Thoughts

Modern Music

At one point in my early musical life, I became a fan of modern classical music.  So much so that I remember not listening to anything that wasn’t written before 1952. I thought I knew something none of my high school friends were hip enough to know about.  It was my little secret.  When ever I gave the name of a composer to one of my teachers, they would in turn give me the name of another composer I should listen to.  I played this game for years with my library.  Some how I worked my way backwards to early music using this process.

Lately, when ever I play modern music I joke around with my colleagues that some modern music is essentially sound set to math.  Recently I played a concert with an orchestra which is devoted to performing modern music.  During one of the rehearsals I came the realization that math is beautiful….the figures and equations surrounding this music are beautiful.  In the same way that architecture is beautiful.  Working from pure concept, then putting it on paper, to finally producing a product for the public.

I suspect composers marvel in the space where math and music become art.