Category: Post

My 2025 Media Diet So Far (April Edition)

My interests in TV, movies, books, and games always tend to spill over into the podcast. That’s not changing anytime soon. But to leak a little bit of that enthusiasm here, I thought I’d share a list of what I’ve been enjoying lately—some of it connected to the profession, some of it just for fun.

  • Severance, Season 2 – Absolutely worth the hype. Best thing I’ve seen on TV this year.
  • The White Lotus, Season 3 – Not sure the finale stuck the landing, but the journey was worth it for the stellar music, cinematography, and acting.
  • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – I heard someone say you only want a PS5 Pro if you’re the kind of person who wants to relive FF7 with the best possible visuals, narrative, and music. That’s me. Worth the wait in every regard.
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio – A very different JRPG than FF7. If FF7 Remake is about modernizing the original, Metaphor is about refining tradition. It’s more turn-based, but its mechanics and style elevate old-school gameplay into something really special.
  • The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource by Chris Hayes – A great read that articulates the current attention crisis. It prompted deep reflection on how social media, algorithms, and tech are reshaping how we live, as our attention becomes increasingly commodified.
  • Doppelganger by Naomi Klein – An exploration of our polarized world through the metaphor of a mirror world. What we reject in others might actually live closer to home than we think.
  • Parenting Musically by Lisa Huisman Koops – I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the companion book, A Family Guide to Parenting Musically. It’s got me thinking about what music looks like for my kids.
  • Dave the Diver – A fun game with an A/B gameplay loop: deep-sea diving for resources by day, sushi restaurant management by night.
  • Upgrade (Podcast) – One of my most regularly listened-to shows about Apple and tech. Always something to learn.
  • The Ezra Klein Show – I often enjoy the insights from Ezra’s guests. It’s become a regular in my weekly rotation.
  • The Ideology of Competition in School Music by Sean Robert Powell – Just started this one, and it’s already giving me a lot to think about. I can tell I’ll want to revisit it soon.

Yamaha SEQTRAK

CleanShot 2025-02-22 at 15.26.30.

I’ve been playing with a Yamaha SEQTRAK a bit for the past week.

This device is incredibly cool. It’s a mobile idea station designed for both power and portability. It features a multitrack sequencer, a wide variety of synths, effects, and a sampler. With about four hours of battery life, it’s fun to carry around the house or on the go. The build quality is solid, and its design is stylish. The touch strips are highly responsive.

A complimentary app lets you control the entire device through a graphic user interface. The app also includes eye-catching visualizers that sync with your music. I have a feeling some of my general music students will enjoy it—the focused form factor could serve as a great introduction to sequencing.

If this sounds interesting, there are plenty of demos and tutorials available online, one of which I embedded below. I just wanted to share that I think this wave of portable beat machines is a great trend—and the SEQTRAK gets my thumbs-up!