TAMPA, Fla. — A student-led ensemble at the University of South Florida is showing people you don't need an instrument to make music. Instead, they're striking a chord with audiences at the touch of their fingertips.
USF Music education students Jonah Watson, Ryan Boots, Haley Garrett, Merry Spagnuolo and Amanda Coleman make up the iPad band "Touch," along with USF's School of Music director, David Williams.
“We realized it's not about the iPads,” said Spagnuolo. “It's more about the way of learning, so we get to make all the creative decisions. We get to choose all the music, all the instrumentation."
Aside from learning and having fun, the group also highlights how accessible music can be.
"For me, I've had a really hard time learning guitar, getting my fingers in the right positions. It's just not easy, and the iPad kind of takes that barrier away,” said Boots.
"Touch" has taken the show on the road, visiting schools across the country, even across the pond to England, all while highlighting a different side of music education.
"We've been in this concert hall with 400 4th graders and seeing them have fun and realize, we had a couple of kids come up to us and be like, I have that app at home, I'm going to go do that, and that is the coolest feeling in the entire world because we showed them you can make music anywhere,” said Watson.
The students are showing that music can come in many forms, even with a simple touch.
"Just don't be afraid to take that first step,” said Coleman. “Just experiment and see what sounds good, see what you don't like, and go from there."
"Touch" will have a free performance on Tuesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. inside USF’s Concert Hall on the Tampa campus. To reserve your free tickets in advance, click here.
