Algorithms are Thoughts, Chainsaws are Tools from Stephen Ramsay on Vimeo.

Andrew Sorensen's Live coding with Impromptu is critiqued by Stephen Ramsay

Thorin Kerr demonstrates a reggae groove using jam2jam on OLPC. With this program we are wanting to emphasise the cultural fluidity of the content so that when new communities play with jam2jam the content they can play with will be one that they value and can be expressive with. Thorin's work with OLPC is showing that we can put very different content on jam2jam for OLPC so that when it goes to communities around the world we can use content from that place that resonates and engages. Jam2jam research began like this when we asked Afro American kids in Ohio what kind of music they liked and then made generative styles based on those preferences. Whilst most of our styles are what we might call 'Pop or rock' we can do anything from abstract electronica to Bach or Xenakis or any tuning and rhythmic system. The ethics of musical content is an important consideration and we hope to place these choices in the hands of the users in their own communities to select and make.

The Jam2jam OLPC Crew: Steve Dillon, Thorin Kerr & Andrew Brown

Review by Lia Laor Levinsky College of Education, Israel International Journal of Education and the Arts

" Dillon's attempt to understand the personal meaning of music for young people is particularly
important in view of past attempts to stay close to scientific modes of thinking."

"In my view, the major innovation in Dillon’s book is his point of departure for developing his
vision of music education through children. He is interested in examining children's unique
outlook of their musical experiences and the relevance of this experience to their lives, and
factors that enable children to develop self-contained dialogue with music through listening,
performing, and creating. "

Lia provides an insightful and helpful review in the light of strengthening the thesis for a relational pedagogy based upon our relationship to knowledge in ontological sense radiating out towards the epistemological. It is indeed an  honour to receive these thoughts from an expert in the philosophy of relationships such as this. I am humbled by the insight and attention to the ideas. Steve Dillon

Thorin Kerr Demonstrates jam2jam for OLPC using a Country and western style with web cam images. This shows the extended functionality of network jamming with both music and images DJ/VJ. This will enable users to jam collaboratively with OLPC instruments in real time and also capture images. 

Download report click here

Movies documenting Jamskolan09 International Symposium and workshop.   

UTS Sydney Assoc Prof Bert Bongers

Eva Saether & Per Skold Malmo Sweden Matt Thibeault from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign USA and Doctoral student Melanie Matchett Tim Kitchen Strathcona Melbourne Australia Alex Ruthmann & Tony Beatrice University of Massachusetts Lowell USA

Thorin Kerr development programmer for ACID's Network Jamming project has developed a unique approach for using the One Laptop Per Child OLPC XO ccomputer as a musical instrument. Jam2jam presents a band or ensemble metaphor for collaborative music making with computers. Thorin and the Network Jamming team have developed a suite of software applications that allow novice users to plays the computer or a controller as an instrument in a live real time ensemble. For the XO Thorin has made good use of the Sugar environment to create a network jamming experience. Players can use bass, guitar, drums and keyboards by simply moving the arrow keys horizontally and vertically. These gestures affect a pitch and density algorithm and a musical style and sound samples for each instrument.

Jammers can then play together by joining the jam host and their instruments syncronise over the Mesh network.

What is exciting about this is that each computer acts as a single instrument and the Jammers can play collaboratively as aband or ensemble in real time. The idea of the computers as a distributed intelligence rises up in the design whilst it provides an experience design that activates the collaborative energy of music ensemble collaboration and creative improvisation.

We are looking forward to developing some visual features suing the inbuilt camera and engaging interested musicians in developing some Jam scenes as musical styles with new midi files and instrument samples alongside some recipes for jamming.

Its been a vibrant and sensational year for Jam2jam. Many thanks to allour friends and researchers from all over the world who helped put smiles on the faces of children with music and media performance. We look forward to an exciting 2010 with new software releases, a jam2jam book, new recipes for jamming and even more countries joining our Jamnation. All of the team at ACID wish you all a happy and restful Christmas and New year.

 CreateWorld

Jam to jam... It's about engagement

Per Skold from Humfryskolan in Malmo, Sweden reminded us that sometimes a smile is enough! To this end I have begun a Flickr site simply entitled Jam2jam_Smiles to gather all the lovely pics of people of all ages being engaged and smiling while usig jam2jam.

Download a Free Public Beta version of Jam2Jam for Apple Mac OSX10.4 & 10.5 (NOT SNOW LEOPARD)

 Download article:  Spreading Jam for Apple: Wheels for the Mind Magazine

Download a Free Public Beta version of Jam2Jam for Apple Mac OSX10.4 & 10.5 (NOT SNOW LEOPARD)

ACID network Jamming team proudly announce the first Pblic Beta release of Jam2jam AV. This version has been extensively tested by young people and teachers in the UK, USA, Europe, Hong Kong and Australia in successive trials over two years.  Thorin Kerr has put in a mammoth effort in developing this latest version with Assoc Prof Andrew Brown increasing the stability and robustness of the software and Andrew Sorensen's Impromptu development at the core of this release.

For teachers there is a support and share area called Recipes for Jamming that provides ideas and lesson materials for using jam2jam in classrooms and communities.

Don't forget you can join the jam2jam social network and upload your jams at http://www.jam2jam.com/