I'm a german music teacher (Gymnasium/secondary schol) and I was asked if I'd like to write an article about linux in music classrooms in a german magazine specialized on using software (pc, tablet, smartphone etc.) for different purposes in musical education. I'm really commited to the whole open source idea and especially in the school or every public institution it should be obligate to use it.
But as I'm facing an apple dominated association (for their private habit and in school) I've to choose wisely what kind of software I present. For me it would be perfect if the readers, who are definetly not that much into Linux Audio or Linux at all (or even computers), get an idea what Linux Audio softare is capable of and how they could implement the software in their daily work without having to study computer science. The optimal effect would be if readers download KXStudio afer reading the articel try it out and decide, that it is worth to give it a try at school.
I know that zth already organized a music project for kids and I studied his blog for inspiration 'cause the purpose is similar.
The article should covering the following points, please check each point critically and comment:
1. Choosing a Distribution: I'm tending to KXStudio because of the included software and the live boot option. Many music classrooms won't have their own notebooks or pcs where the teacher can install whatever OS they want. So usb bootable systems on portable notebooks are a good (but not the longterm) solution.
2. Introduction of Jack: How does it work, what is it for and what are possible application ranges.
3. DAW: This point makes me stumble. I'd really like to present an all-in-one solution because of the complexity of session management, which is not very newbie-friendly. But it shouldn't be that complex. Muse and Rosegarden are looking very complex (or even overcharged) and that could be daunting for people who are working with Garageband and ruine the positive appeal. What do you think would be best here? Keep in mind that a normal lesson has 45 minutes and the 25-30 pupils should be !working! with the software as fast as possible. They should not spend their time trying to get it to work.
Another option would be to spotlight the modular approach and make the "understanding-how-a-real-studio-works" a learning target. But both approaches should be possible.
4. LMMS: I already did a workshop with students and I think LMMS is perfect for working with children, everything you need is included and it is even working on windows machines (most students have windows at home until they learn in school that linux is the better choice
)5. Musescore: There are already a lot of teachers who are using it and I think for our needs its just perfect.
6. other apps: Audacity, Ocenaudio, Stepsequencer, Giada looper, etc. do you have recomendations here?
7. other things I forgot and you think they should be mentioned to get an introduction into linux audio.
I'm convinced of all that stuff, but you are more experienced than me and I would be really glad if you could read over this and tell me if I made a mistake or forgot important infos here...
Thank you very much indeed!
Johannes
