This particular broadcast topic was chosen so as to avoid having to later explain any contradiction between its media and its message. The interview is done using digital technology such as artificial voices and avatars. However, the punch line of the interview contains strong warnings about use of such resources in classrooms.  The main reason is time – a precious resource too easily overlooked in the dash to digital futurama. The text of the interview took about 14k. The mp3 audio 3000k. This blows out to 29,000k when converted to a movie. That is the symptom. The problem is that the editing work blows out nearly in proportion –ie- cutting and and re-assembling  sound bytes and visual images takes time and organisation.

So why bother? Well, the time we save is not ours but rather that of the viewer. A good documentary can make a quick and lasting impact. A book requires you to sit still and concentrate. A TV show can be watched while cooking, ironing ..etc.

We’re talking here about the revolutionary potential for an individual carrying a TV studio in a briefcase – or maybe hidden in their shirt! No need for a 4 wheel drive with a satellite dish on top stuffed with cameras and a safari-clad film crew with lighting equipment.

The potential of the avatars is scary. Besides their anonymity the information can be transmitted as mere text scripts and still images to someone on the other side of the world with the same software to reassemble as a TV show. This is James Bond for real.

That potential goes well beyond the classroom. We’ve already seen on-the-spot mobile phone video clips posted on the Web impact world events. The TV-Tom.com series gives ideas for techniques to make things simpler, quicker and cheaper.  As the interview concludes, what you do with it depends on how you engage your audience, deriving from history a simple formula (that could no doubt be permuted) of

Engagement + Adventure = Imagination  x  Story  x  Participation

Gary from Rising Star Karaoke Chatswood RSL Sydney Australia kindly assisted in making this video, assisted by our friend Lally, and filmed by Margaret Penhall-Jones. The backing track can be found on www.radio-tom.com . Here it was played through Gary’s PA system together with my direct-injected guitar.  Although Gary & Lali are accomplished singers it was unrehearsed. Gary & Lally had never seen the full lyrics or rehearsed a harmony. I just handed them a lyric sheet and I played by ear. My own voice is part of the backing track. All this was intentional to give an idea of what the music system will generally sound like with beginners.  We’re beginners here in the sense of unrehearsed first take.  This is likely to be typical of the sort of video that an online ‘make a music-video contest’ entrant team would produce.

This particular song uses the 1-finger chords from my music system. Free materials and tutorials available at www.oz-rock.com.

Gary from Rising Star Karaoke Chatswood RSL Sydney Australia kindly assisted in making this video, filmed by Margaret Penhall-Jones. The backing track can be found on www.radio-tom.com . Here it was played through Gary’s PA system together with my direct-injected guitar. Although Gary sings gigs commercially this track was unrehearsed. Gary had never seen the full lyrics or rehearsed a harmony. I just handed him a music sheet and I played by ear.  My own voice is part of the backing track. All this was intentional to give an idea of what the music system will generally sound like with beginners. We’re beginners here in the sense of first take unrehearsed and playing by ear. Thus it is likely to be typical of the sort of video that an online ‘make a music-video contest’ entrant team would produce.

 This particular song uses the 2-finger chords from my music system.  Free materials and tutorials available at www.oz-rock.com.

Video introduction to the tutorial available at www.oz-rock.com.

The music education system is published as: as: Benjamin, T. (2010) A new ‘instant play’ approach to music learning. Music in Action, Summer. V.8, no 3. Australian Music Association. Melbourne.

for International Year of Astronomy 2009