TAMPA, Fla. — A student-led ensemble on the University of South Florida is appearing other people you do not want an tool to make music. Instead, they are putting a chord with audiences on the contact of their fingertips.
USF Music education scholars Jonah Watson, Ryan Boots, Haley Garrett, Merry Spagnuolo and Amanda Coleman make up the iPad band “Touch,” in conjunction with USF’s School of Music director, David Williams.
“We realized it’s not about the iPads,” mentioned Spagnuolo. “It’s more about the way of learning, so we get to make all the creative decisions. We get to choose all the music, all the instrumentation.”
Aside from learning and having fun, the group also highlights how accessible music can be.
“For me, I’ve had a really hard time learning guitar, getting my fingers in the right positions. It’s just not easy, and the iPad kind of takes that barrier away,” mentioned Boots.
“Touch” has taken the display at the highway, visiting colleges around the nation, even around the pond to England, all whilst highlighting a different side of music education.
“We’ve been in this concert hall with 400 4th graders and seeing them have fun and realize, we had a couple of kids come up to us and be like, I have that app at home, I’m going to go do that, and that is the coolest feeling in the entire world because we showed them you can make music anywhere,” said Watson.
The students are showing that music can come in many forms, even with a simple touch.
“Just do not be afraid to take that first step,” mentioned Coleman. “Just experiment and spot what sounds excellent, see what you do not like, and move from there.”
“Touch” will have a free performance on Tuesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. inside USF’s Concert Hall on the Tampa campus. To reserve your free tickets in advance, click on right here.