Berklee College of Music: the Mac and Education

Berklee College of Music:
the Mac and Education
David Mash
Vice President for Information Technology
dmash@berklee.edu
www.berklee.edu
www.berkleemusic.com
www.berkleeshares.com
www.mashine.com
Overview:
Founded in 1945
Focus on contemporary music education
The largest undergraduate music college in the
world:
4000 full-time undergraduate students
600 faculty
30% International, representing 72 countries
Academic Structure
First-year core music program
15 majors in 4 divisions:
Professional Writing
Professional Performance
Professional Education
Music Technology
Core Studies
Writing skills (composition, arranging, notation)
Harmony
Ear Training
Principle instrument
Private instruction
Instrumental labs (group lessons)
Ensemble performance
Liberal Arts
Professional Writing
Song Writing
Film Scoring
Composition
Jazz Composition
Contemporary Writing and Production
Professional Performance
All standard instrumental majors: Brass,
Woodwinds, Strings, Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums &
Percussion, Piano & Keyboards.
Ensemble performance almost 1000 ensemble
classes scheduled, and over 800 concerts
performed each year.
Professional Education
Music Education
Music Therapy
Music Business
Professional Music
Liberal Arts (not a major)
Music Technology
Music Production and Engineering (MP&E)
Audio recording and production techniques
Music Synthesis
Sound design
Electronic production
Multimedia
History of Technology Innovation:
Recording program and electronic music introduced in 1970
Began using computers in classrooms in 1983.
Our first multi-station music labs with Macs in 1986
Music technology required as a core freshman course in
1990
Laptop computers required of all students starting in 2002
Music technology used throughout the curriculum since
1990
Why Macintosh?
We built our first lab with computers in 1986
At that time, the Mac was the ONLY choice for music at
a professional level.
Apple had a commitment to music even then:
“Macintosh, MIDI, and Music: The Open Door” video
released in 1988.
Apple continues to lead as a music platform with
CoreAudio and CoreMIDI in OSX. Better performance,
lower latency, and continued innovation.
A Modern Music Education Requires:
Up-to-date facilities
A contemporary faculty
A modern curriculum
Technology support
Facilities
Classrooms
Labs
Ensemble Rooms
Practice Rooms
Performance Spaces
Classrooms
Labs
Transitional Period
From the computer as control center of the studio
To the computer as the music studio itself
Educational Transformation
From the institution as provider of the technology
To enabling the student through personal technology
The New Model
Students own the technology
The institution provides support:
Acquisition
Software
Applications
The Berklee Laptop Program
The Laptop Package (BLPP)
Major Bundles
Purchasing
Licensing
Imaging
Distribution
New Services
The Laptop Package
15” Apple PowerBook, 4-years of AppleCare & Insurance
USB MIDI keyboard
MS Office, NoteTaker
GarageBand, Logic Express
Reason
Finale/SmartMusic
Our first distribution required 1500 participants, 2600 enrolled
Major Bundles
Designed to support specific curriculum by major
Hardware (audio interfaces, microphones...)
Software - specific packages:
Logic Pro
Peak
Pro Tools
Amazing Slow Downer
Purchasing
Laptops are purchased direct from Apple through the
education channel
Music hardware is purchased directly from the
manufacturer
Quantity provides us with purchasing power
Software Licensing
Berklee licenses software for 4500 - 5000 seats
(enough for students, faculty, and lab machines)
Berklee distributes the software to students on the
laptop, and updates are provided through the
campus network, so all students and faculty have the
same version
When students leave, they are licensed to continue
using the version on their machine, but further
updates require purchase from the manufacturer
Imaging
Berklee images all the laptops before delivering
them to students
The image contains all software and any needed
drivers and configuration files
Students can re-image their laptops at any time while
on our campus network
Imaging System
Three Apple Xserves and one X-RAID.
Two Xserves are connected to the RAID, one
per side, and the other Xserve uses two
500GB, built in drives for storage.
Imaging software: Bombich’s NetRestore.
The Xserves are connected to a 48 port,
gigabit switch on a “closed” network.
Imaging Process
Each laptop is taken out of the box
and connected to a pre-set CAT-5
cable which is connected to the
“closed network” switch. Power
supplies are also pre-set so only the
machine itself needs to be removed
from the box.
Once power and network are
connected, the machines are turned
on and the “N” key is held down to
NetBoot the machine.
We are able to keep 32 machines
imaging at once and each machine
takes about 25 minutes to image.
Distribution
Upon receiving the laptops, each box is scanned to
read the serial number, MAC ID, Ethernet ID, and
Airport ID.
An Inventory file is created
At distribution, we scan the student ID, then the box
bar code, and the laptop is attached to the student
record
All software authorizations, insurance, and AppleCare
is related to the student record
Direct Curricular Applications
Introduction to Music Technology MTEC-111
Writing Skills
Harmony
Ear Training (Solfege)
General coursework
Faculty
How has this change affected how we teach, and
how our students learn?
How do teachers keep up with technological
change?
Impact on Teaching and Learning
Students expected to complete assignments using
their laptops and software
Students experience their work as real music—audio
Computers and network resources are part of the
classroom experience
Online-based support materials extend the reach of
the classroom
Electronic portfolios now required in several majors
Faculty Development
All faculty are receiving laptops & software
Center for Technology in Music Instruction (CTMI)
Focused instruction
1:1 support
Lab for faculty use
Summer faculty Reboot camps
New Technology Services
Wireless Network
Portal and e-learning support
Email, webspace, calendaring
iChat, iTunes sharing, Podcasting...
Student Computer Support Center
Lessons Learned
Students use their laptops in ways we couldn’t
predict
Prefer wireless connectivity to wired
iTunes Sharing created a huge, anarchistic radio
station
Pervasive computing changes the interaction
between teachers and students
Students are ‘pushing’ the faculty toward technology
Outcomes
Berklee faculty are more comfortable using
technology, and feel it is having a positive impact on
their students’ education
Students are graduating with better command of
technology
Delivering course content through online course
support materials frees up valuable in-class time for
positive teacher-student interactions
Questions & Answers
Thank You!
David Mash
dmash@berklee.edu