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saI-NaTIONal.ORg WINTER 2015 PAN PIPES 9 mUSIC TEChNOlOgy By Tori Meyer O utside of change, sound is the only constant. I can choose not to engage any of the remaining five senses. Simply close your eyes and hold your nose when I hand you the rose. Don't touch the so pillow. Consider not tasting the delicious meal you smell cooking. ese are all options if you choose to miss out on such great moments. However, try as you might, you will always hear everything. As with most truths, this is a double-edged sword. In graduate school, I would take short trips to the Smokey Mountains in an effort to find "peace and quiet." I find that statement ironic. Nature is noisy! Crickets are a constant calming sound that can trigger a feeling of peace, agreed. But you will not find true quiet in many places. is leads to taking our hearing for granted, only noticing sounds that are "wrong." When I compose music for any visual medium, and no one comments on my work at all, I did a perfect job. is is big business but not recommended for the ego driven composer. Jazz, meet your competitor for least-appreciated: Underscoring. I am a Professor in Audio Aesthetics and Technology at Webster University. We are housed in the School of Communications. My specialty is MIDI composition. MIDI is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. In the world of music for television and film, that translates to "much, much, much cheaper than an orchestra." I have joked with people in the past when asked what I do for a living, that "I put musicians out of business." It is a terrible side effect of technology advancing at the speed of light. But, as we well know, any business that figures out how to go cheaper will never go back to the more expensive way. is means that up and coming composers need to be as tech savvy as a computer programmer. If you are young, that last statement probably doesn't scare you. My two-year-old niece can operate an iPad faster than I can. If you are under the age of 30, computers are most likely second nature to you. You understand the fundamental differences between Mac and PC. You have probably even played with a soware Composers, Underscoring, and MIDI Different types of virtual pianos are available in software used for digital composing. TEChNOlOgy continued on page 10