This fall, University of Michigan professor Georg Essl began teaching a class to explore the use of the iPhone/iPod touch as a musical instrument. A joint effort of the The department of Computing and Engineering and the School of Music, the course discusses programming and performance technique on Apple’s famous hand-held devices…
Ok, enough with the news reporting. Am I the only one asking, “Why didn’t MY school have that?” Props to the faculty for pushing the boundaries of what’s taught in music schools. This class looks like serious fun!
Like any good music class, this one includes a performance requirement. In this case, it appears that the U of M has created the first ever “iPhone Orchestra”. Each performer has a set of portable speakers strapped to his/her wrists, which look like a pair made by Altec Lansing.
If you want to see more, Wired Online has two videos to watch. One of the iPhone concert, and one that profiles the class. Interested in starting your own iPhone orchestra? You can find the speakers on Amazon.
