It had to happen…Bluetooth meets Marching Band! Over the summer, I went a little gadget crazy and purchased a Motorola DC800 stereo bluetooth gateway and a NaviPlay stereo bluetooth adapter. When you clicked on the links, you probably said “Why on earth did you spend $300 on those contraptions to beat up on the marching field?” Here’s the thing- I spent a grand total of $60 for BOTH!
I have been keeping my eye on them ever since they made their debut in Radio Shack last year (at full price). Being a technology realist (no, really…) I knew that the world of bluetooth was still at least a generation away from making it to the mainstream. After all, look around and all you see are those little bluetooth earpieces- hardly scratching the surface of it’s potential. With the advent of the A2DP stereo bluetooth profile, there are a whole host of great handsfree stereo options on the way.
Now for the application:
I use the setup to “run” my marching band rehearsal (actually, we have a drum and bugle corps…but that’s a long story…). When we have learned a section of drill, I take out my ipod and click the song we are working on- either the “pro” demo recording or a recording of my group playing and voila! We are marching to the beat of a different drummer! Since the unit works up to a 30 foot radius (actually it’s more- I haven’t found the limit yet) I can be up on my tower broadcasting to the portable PA on the 50 yard line.
Some of you may be saying “I can do the same thing with a really long patch cord for a fraction of the price!” yes, but then I wouldn’t be the Digital Music Educator! Besides, who wants to have a student trip over your wire?
Powered by ScribeFire.
Posted by obradley48 
