30/09/2009 by admin.

For years TVs were monstrosities with dubious sound and picture quality. But in the last few years the price of great-quality LCD or even plasma TVs has plummeted, so that now we can get sound and pictures of a quality we’ve just not had before.

Watching films is now a truly exciting experience at home. But what of TV programmes themselves?

Unfortunately, since the number of TV channels expanded some years back in the UK, supposedly to ‘increase choice’, I can look through all my Freeview channels and, most times, find virtually nothing I want to watch. Yes, for those families whose daily tube ritual means that they automatically turn on the TV and - as their ritual has gone for most of the days of their lives, they will watch something - the process is then to choose from the fairly poor choice of programmes.

There was a time when we complained bitterly about having endless repeats of TV. Now there are entire channels set up for it! And if you are one of us hardy souls who find the soaps, well, soapy, and prefer our own, far more interesting daily realities to the so-called reality shows - with their tedious, contrived content about god-knows-which virtually unknown ‘celebrity’ - the choice is negligible. Then, if vampires or emergency services hold little appeal, you have a real problem! You’ve worked hard to earn enough to afford great technology to watch TV on but there’s now nothing on you want to watch. TV technology and programme making have somehow walked right past each other and have failed to meet!

We subscribed briefly to Sky and before that to the old On-Digital service. We stopped it because once again there was just too much content that we didn’t want to watch. And as we clearly already get unwatchable programmes on Freeview, why on earth would I want to pay to get even more programmes I don’t want to watch?

If I’ve painted a very bleak picture, there is at least a tiny light shining in the distance. Dramas like Heroes were truly absorbing, (though much too long). While I enjoyed the ones I saw, I wasn’t prepared to give that much of my life to it! Spooks was also very nicely done and every so often we’ve had the odd gems from superb story-tellers and programme makers like Stephen Poliakoff or Mike Leigh, which are mercifully short but always compelling.

So, programme makers, what’s it to be? Are you going to continue to fob people off with ersatz entertainment in the UK, as you’ve been doing increasingly for more than 10 years? If so, I for one will be spending even less time watching. However, if you choose to make some more intelligent, well-crafted programmes, I will be your greatest advocate.

The problem you’ve created with poor content is that the nightly TV-viewing rituals which almost every family now has, are beginning to break down, as your falling viewing figures and advertising revenues reveal. Your choice: will you let it continue its decline or will you find a way to rebuild the art of quality programme-making that we know we can do in the UK and let it occupy more than a tiny per cent of the viewing schedule?

Truthfully I will be happy with or without a TV because I have lots of other things I am happy to do instead when I’m not working. If I choose to leave my TV off or even sell it, only the TV stations and programme makers will lose out.

Now I’ve increased your choice!

Posted in Life, Community | 1 Comment »

06/03/2008 by admin.

I’ve recently launched a new Yamaha Education online community site, designed to connect professionals working in music education.

Originally I just wanted a blog that people with something interesting to say could use and attract a community. However just before Christmas I came across Webjam, a social networking company - then not 12 months old - which seemed to focus much more on groups, communities, clubs, etc, and was therefore much better suited to my needs. Simply put, Webjam offered lots of interesting possibilities which the existing social networks just don’t have.

Setting up a Webjam is simply a matter of choosing from an existing design (basically a set of CSS scripts that control the look and feel of the site) then draggng modules on to each page. So you can have a forum, blog, profile, mp3 player, polls, YouTube videos, photos and loads of other neat stuff. Braver souls can then customise the design if they wish, simply using standard CSS.

You can set up the Webjam so that it is entirely public or so that people have to join to see certain modules or pages. It’s very simple to set up and the interface works brilliantly.

If you run a club, community or association, Webjam is a fantastic resource and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

www.webjam.com

Posted in web, Community, Education | No Comments »

23/02/2008 by admin.

Professionals working in music education can now join the Yamaha Education Community online at www.yamahaeducation.co.uk and following the joining instructions.

This free service allows community members to take part in a broad range of activities and share ideas and information about all things music education.

Posted in Community, Yamaha, Education, Music | No Comments »