ing technology between them, or time or distance, then we’ve succeeded.” The primary vehicle for such experimentation is The Hexagon Project, described by Ortolani as the NAC’s research and development initiative. Ideas for the Centre’s online presence may be tested in a “closed circuit” setting—such as between NAC and MSM—and then spun off into larger NAC initiatives, such as its Arts Alive website, featuring resources for K-12
“Ronnie Kole is a true entertainer who knows exactly how to please a crowd. His powerful piano playing, lush arrangements and winning personality had the audience on its feet.” Scott Speck…Music Director… M o b i l e , We s t S h o r e S y m p h o n y a n d Chicago Philharmonic Orchestras
Martin Jones
tirelessly, collaborating with technicians at the Manhattan School of Music and other partners, to troubleshoot distance-learning technology to better suit the needs of realtime music instruction: “Bringing down the latency or delay, maximizing the audio fidelity, removing some of the ‘features’ in a typical ‘boardroom’ setup,” Ortolani explains. “Our goal is to make the technology completely disappear. If neither the mentor nor the student are cognizant of there be-
arts teachers or its brass quintet’s teaching residency at the Inuit community of Nunavut on the Hudson Bay, where lessons often take place virtually. Through it all, Zukerman has remained at the center. “If we have a visiting soloist—some superstar like Shlomo Mintz or Lynn Harrell or Jens Lindemann—Pinchas is always plopping them down in the studio and making them look at this technology,” Ortolani says. “He makes converts, he’s so passionate about it.” Whether done through live streaming or video exchange, instrumental instruction over distance has unique tradeoffs compared with live lessons. To a certain extent, the video-exchange format places more responsibility on the student. “The people who are going to get the most out of the interaction are the most open about what their issues are,” Bilger points out, rather than someone who submits a video on a good day, or only of repertoire that doesn’t expose weaknesses. Meanwhile, although the NAC’s goal is to make the technology “disappear,” Ortolani says Zukerman has noted that the medium elicits “a different type of focus” in live-streamed lessons, “a sort of distilling effect” that offers students a different perspective on their playing. Transformational Impact
" R o n n i e K o l e c o m e s o u t o n s t a g e a n d P O W, t h e audience realizes they are in for something completely d i f f e r e n t . H e w a s a n a b s o l u t e h i t w i t h Ta i p e i a u d i e n c e s w i t h h i s t h r i l l i n g j a z z a r r a n g e m e n t s a n d w a r m a n d f u n n y c o m m e n t a r y. They'd never experienced anything like it." John van Deursen…Conductor… Ta i p e i P h i l h a r m o n i c P o p s O r c h e s t r a
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ArtistWorks and NAC each emphasize that distance learning isn’t intended to undermine or supplant local efforts. Distance learning is instead framed as a way to help preserve a genre beset by declining audiences and cuts in public school music instruction. Moreover, distance learning can be effective as a supplement to the live experience. “If Pinchas is going to have a masterclass with a number of students while we’re on tour—in Shanghai, Beijing, Mexico City, or Chicago—he will often connect with those students for 20 minutes before they meet, two months down the line, in front of a live audience,” symphony
SUMMER 2014