A MIDI wind controller is defined as an electronic instrument that simulates a traditional musical instrument, such as a saxophone or trumpet. It converts traditional musical input (breath control, fingering, dynamics, etc.) into digital output that is in turn used to control synthesized sounds from devices such as keyboard synthesizers, sound modules, and an array of computer music software. The MIDI wind controller provides the “traditional” wind player with access to the wide range of sound possibilities that have only been previously available to pianists via the synthesizer. In today’s highly competitive music scene, wind musicians utilizing this device can now have a decisive advantage over other musicians as a result of the instrument’s flexibility and capability. The applications of this new instrument extend to all genres of music, from classical to jazz, commercial to mainstream. My interest in this area is the following:

1. To become proficient with new technology
2. To and develop a new approach to applied teaching that integrates cutting-edge technology into the process of performing and teaching
3. To utilize a new form of music technology as a performer, scholar, and teacher – something that very few college music professors are doing
4. To integrate my interests in classical and jazz music (performance and pedagogy), allowing me to research a new venue for both
5. To originate and add to the body of research in the area of wind control synthesis
6. To disseminate and share my research through performances, lectures, conferences, and demonstrations to professional colleagues
7. To become one of the first individuals to utilize the MIDI wind instrument in an academic setting
8. To fulfill the mandate set by the UND Music Department through our affiliation with NASM (National Association of Schools of Music) of demonstrating a commitment to technology and technological advancements
9. To study how musicians with physical limitations and medical conditions can continue to make music with the MIDI wind controller

Below is a list of equipment currently being used. Please feel free to click on any of the pictures, and they will take you directly to the appropriate website.