Chromatik and SmartMusic

Chromatik

Chromatik is an excellent accompaniment website that provides musicians the opportunity to "play along with sheet music, anytime, anywhere" (Chromatik, 2016) This user friendly resource provides digital sheet music for all genres of music such as pop, classical, and Disney. All of the music, including valuable resources such as scales, are transposed for over 20 instruments including vocal, piano, band, and string instruments. For a price of $10 a month, musicians can play along with sample tracks, record their performance as the pages change automatically, and then share their recordings on Chromatik's "Stage," or via Youtube and email. Chromatik is extremely easy to use and performers of all ages can be watched on the Chromatik website.

Currently, iOS users will benefit the from Chromatic with the features seen in the picture below, as the features are not yet available to Android users.







The metronome and tuner app, along with the ability to mark up the score on an iPad, makes this program a very useful resource for competent music students, performers, and educators. The ability to upload songs and to "favorite" preferred songs, allows users to really personalize their practice and performance sessions.  Musicians can now use their favorite songs to enjoy practicing, and practicing more!
 

SmartMusic

SmartMusic is an interactive accompaniment program that is highly educational and beneficial to the growth of music students and music educators. This is an easy-to-use program that encourages student growth and can be used on nearly every device except iPhones and Android devices. "Student practice is focused because they receive immediate feedback while listening to their performance and seeing the correct and incorrect rhythms and pitches onscreen" (Smartmusic, 2016) The feedback is very detailed and shows students what they played correctly or played incorrectly. Feedback also answers most student questions, such as fingerings and rhythms, without having to contact the teacher. For $40 a year, students can benefit from many SmartMusic features such as accompaniment on any one of 18,000 solos, 4,500 ensemble pieces, or 70 methods.

For $140 a year, educators can personalize lessons based on the weakness of each student. Educators can help their students learn at home without having to be present. Teachers also can use SmartMusic features such as gradebooks and rubrics to keep track of student success and growth. Music educators can request new song titles to be included into the repertoire list of nearly 30,000 titles. The SmartMusic website includes a blog with many useful resources that teachers can use as professional development.

 

Implications

Chromatik and SmartMusic are both great resources to encourage students to practice and perform, however, SmartMusic is much more educational. Though Chromatik allows students to record themselves performing or practicing, it does not give the detailed feedback that allows students to learn and grow. It is a fun way for students to record themselves making music that they love hearing on the radio and they can then share the recording and/or use it self assessment. Educators can use this program creatively by creating an account that all students can access. Students can then record themselves and submit it to the teacher so they can provide the students with feedback. This allows students to pick any song they would like to practice, perform, and create music, without having to pay $120 a year, whilst still getting educational feedback. The only downfall to this is that the educator would still have to spend a significant amount of time reviewing and commenting on student performance.

SmartMusic may be slightly more expensive for an educator to use, and would require all the students to have a $40 a year subscription as well, but the educational value of it makes it worth it. Though the music does not include pop music, this is still a fun way for students to make music. The accompaniment allows students to essentially play along with others, instead of practicing on their own. The immediate feedback and recording capabilities allow students to see and hear exactly what they are doing so that they can learn from their mistakes. Students can then rerecord until they are satisfied with the grade of their performance. When they are satisfied, they can submit their grade to their music teacher. This method takes an immense amount of stress off of the teacher, but the students likely benefit much more than creatively using Chromatik. 

Both methods are fantastic ways to intrinsically motivate students to learn. Students will enjoy these processes and want to do well. Most students will be more intrinsically motivated by SmartMusic because they get the visual representation of what they did correctly or incorrectly, as opposed to simply playing and recording, without seeing, or potentially hearing, what was performed wrong. 

Resources

Chromatik - Explore Free Sheet Music Collections and Play More Music. (2016). Retrieved July 30,

       2016, from http://www.chromatik.com/

 

SmartMusic – Music Learning Software. (2016). Retrieved July 30, 2016, from

        http://www.smartmusic.com/

Performance and Practice Through Music

In the past, I have given my students an assignment to record themselves performing their audition music. I learned from this project that most students practiced a lot in an attempt to get the highest grade possible. Students also asked a lot of questions about their music and frequently asked for clarity and help. The group of musicians were nervous to record and many had to re-record themselves many times until they were satisfied with the result. Students may not put forth their best effort during daily rehearsals, or simply not be aware that they made a mistake, but my students were truly intrinsically motivated to do well on their recordings. Though it was educationally beneficial, they did not have much fun with it because of the level of stress, so what can be done to make practicing and assessments more fun?  Bauer (2014) states that "researchers have found that students generally prefer to practice with accompaniment" (p. 82), so educators should try to include this technique in their classroom or lessons.

Technology provides a musician the opportunity to rehearse and practice with accompaniment and receive immediate feedback on his performance. This feedback helps to improve his performance level by encouraging him to continue practicing in order to increase his score. Band in a Box, Chromatik, and "SmartMusic may increase student's motivation to practice. Engaging accompaniments that utilize interesting timbres are enjoyable to play along with" (Bauer, 2014, p. 84). SmartMusic allows students to practice their solo's and band repertoire with a recorded accompaniment, but also teaches them good practice habits by focusing on the segments of music they struggle on. Likewise, Chromatik is a fun website that allows students to perform with accompaniment on some of their favorite pop music. Though this is not the standard band literature, it encourages students to practice and to have fun making music. 

Technologies such as these two programs are also beneficial to educators. By providing accompaniment, assessment, and recording features, SmartMusic and Chromatik does not require teachers to spend numerous classroom hours listening to students play for them. They also do not have to spend countless after-school hours trying to squeeze in every student with an accompanist so students can understand how it their solo sounds when it is combined with the piano part. Students can practice at home, email their teachers, and the educators can respond to the recordings or assessment from any computer or smart device. This takes an immense amount of stress off of the music teacher and allows him to focus on rehearsing during class time.



I am very encouraged to find ways to incorporate these forms of technologies into my classroom. Currently, my students are so extrinsically motivated to perform skillfully through ratings, rankings, and state recognition, that they sometimes fail to be intrinsically motivated to do well. Bauer (2014) mentions that "setting and achieving tangible practice goals results in self-satisfaction, leading to greater self-efficacy and increasingly higher-performance standards" (p. 82). It is my goal as an informed and aware  music educator to see that this happens in my band class. 

Digital Audio

Digital Audio and Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) provide all individuals with the opportunity to be creative, regardless of their level of music competency. Bauer (2014) states in "Music Learning Today" that by using "loops, MIDI, and digital audio" (p. 64), the product that is created by the user is left up to their own imagination. Since programs like this do not emphasize musical notation as seen in Sibelius, Finale, or MuseScore, users are able to arrange songs that are unique and sophisticated using prerecorded sounds. Since "melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, dynamic, temporal, and timbral elements of music can be explored and varied" (Bauer, 2014, p. 64) on DAWs, the possibilities are endless! One of the best parts about these programs is that users can create, mix, and/or change loops immediately and safely because the original file remains unaltered in the program's library. Another key feature is that these programs will allow users to include their own sound files, whether it be vocal, instrumental, or sound effects, in order to personalize their songs. As an educator, the most exciting part about programs such as Soundation, is that it "advocates for allowing students to compose without notation" which will "often speak to the large percentage of students who have an interest in music but are not involved in school music programs" (Bauer, 2014, p. 60). High-quality sound files such as WAV and MP3 can be produced using these programs, which will provide the opportunity for the user to keep and share his song on his iphone, iPod, and/or other digital music device.

In regard to sound files, there are many forms of sound files that exist in the digital world, but what is the difference? Often times I will select whatever file type I know will compress a song so it is small enough to email, but I am unaware of what this actually does to the track. Bauer (2014) informs that WAV and AIFF are lossless compressions, which create "an exact reproduction of the original sound source" (p. 31).  Lossy compression files such as MP3, AAC, and WMA, however, remove "audio data deemed unimportant to the original sound" (Bauer, 2014, p. 31) and the eliminated data is not recoverable. As I read this, my curious and mechanical mind began to wonder what exactly this unimportant data would be. 

This YouTube Video discusses the difference between the two compression types and explains that regardless of what file type is used, it is extremely difficult to hear any major sound difference. This video does well at demonstrating exactly what the unimportant sounds are that will not be included in a song when compressed to a lossy audio file like MP3. I prefer the sound of the WAV file since it produces a natural sound as if an artist was performing live in a recording studio. For most educational purposes, however, a smaller sound file is just simply more practical. For example, if I have my students use a lossless compression file for their performance recordings, there will be no way for my Google account to store the massive size of the files. Now that I have a better understanding of the different, I will be more considerate as to which compression file I use, or ask for, as I begin to use incorporate more technology into my classroom. The decision may be based on the project; Am I looking for the absolute best sound quality, or am I looking for practicality in regard to storage space?

Creativity in Music

As I reflect on chapter 3 of William Bauer's "Music Learning Today" and the composition projects on MuseScore and Noteflight, I can not help but think about what can be done to reach out to "the other 80%," as cited by Bauer on page 46, that are not involved in traditional music programs across the country.

In my rural district in Southeastern Ohio, this 80% is much closer to 90%. With this being said, the annual talent show proves that many students in that 90% are musically gifted. Many students throughout the school have taught themselves how to play guitar, drums, and how to sing, but have not participated in the the school's music program. Though there are still a vast majority who might not know their musical ability, I wonder if more innovative music courses, that uses technology creatively as the main instrument, would encourage more students to bring their known, or unfound, talents to my music room.

After reading chapter 3, I am convinced that creating a class or ensemble such as GarageBand (band) could truly appeal to many of our students. Every student in our building is already provided an iPad or a chromebook by the district which makes programs such as GarageBand, MuseScore, and/or Noteflight extremely accessible. This could be a two semester class where students creatively use these devices and programs to explore, improvise, and compose their own works or to recreate the music they enjoy listening to on a daily basis. This would be a fun way for students to become familiar with the programs, and would allow for teachers to facilitate musical creativity. Bauer (2014) states that "constraints often help to facilitate the creative process, providing a framework, or scaffold, for creative efforts" (p. 51). This can be done in the first semester before moving on to using the same programs to create an ensemble that plays the pieces that were created in the first semester. This course would appeal to many students, regardless of their musical skill or ability, because it involves technology and the music they enjoy. Students who can play an instrument or sing can use these as instruments in GarageBand as part of their projects. Bauer (2014) provides several  creative ways that teachers and students can explore improvisation through technology on page 55, but "modeling by the teacher and receiving appropriate formative feedback will (also) be helpful to student's development."

Though there are numerous possibilities based on the resources available to the students and teachers, a couple of ideas for using technology in creative ways in my classroom are demonstrated in the Youtube videos below.

Solo project or as an ensemble.

Noteflight Project

As an individual who has worked with Sibelius and Finale, I was very impressed with the user friendliness of Noteflight. There was a learning curve to get used to exactly how the program functioned, but after only a short amount of time of using it, I was able to enter the notes of "Bicycle for Two" more quickly than my old computer could keep up with! This program could be very useful to teachers and/or students who do not have the funds to buy the costly license needed to use Finale to its fullest potential. The best part about Noteflight is that there is not a download, so projects can be accessed from any computer through a cloud, regardless of the operating system and/or level of Noteflight they are using.

The free version of Noteflight is not the most practical resource for educators if they are looking to use it to its fullest potential, but the $50-$70 a year for the upgraded versions is much cheaper than the up front cost of Finale or Sibelius. I personally did not like the sound of the midi playback, but if I needed to arrange something quickly without downloading or paying, this is the perfect resource. The free version of Noteflight does not give you the ability to save unlimited number of scores, the ability to use a larger variety of instruments, or to organize students into groups, but is still very practical for any individual who wants to learn how to compose or arrange music.

Technology in the Classroom Reflection

Technology is a very useful tool for educators and for use in the instruction of curriculum to students. Tools such as digital instruments, notation software, computers, iPads, and smartboards, are just a few resources available to educators who seek an innovative and technologically inclusive classroom. Advances in technology throughout the years have allowed students to become very hands-on and actively involved in their education, but many educators do not use the technologies available to them in the most advantageous ways for music instruction (Bauer, 2014, p. 9).

Many teachers simply do not have the budget or facilities to incorporate technological tools in their classroom. Others, however, do not effectively use technology because it is too simple of a tool or is overwhelmingly complex for them to understand. Thus, the major concern is that teachers do not have the amount of professional development and knowledge they need to use technology creatively in their classrooms. When an educator is provided any technological tool, whether it is the simplest or the most complex, he will need to be educated on the best practices to maximize student learning. Too often an educator will be provided a tool and will not be shown how to use it productively in his classroom instruction. Fortunately, Bauer (2014) states "Music Learning Today," will help "teachers develop the ability to understand the dynamics of using technology effectively for music learning" by giving insight on how to use technology. He states that "pedagogical approaches that align technologies with specific curricular outcomes" will also be provided (p. xii). These statements are very encouraging to an educator eager to learn more.

As an educator who has a classroom computer, smartboard, synthesizer, digital recorder, and notation and recording software, I thought I used technology very effectively in my classroom. However, I realized a few things about my methods:

1. I do not frequently use everything that I have available.
2. I am not familiar with the potential of the technological tools I do have.
3. I am unfamiliar with various useful and educational programs/opportunities in regard to technology. 

My favorite technological tool is a digital recorder, and I use this tool in many educational ways. I have my students record themselves for a grade, and I have found that they tend to reflect more on the quality of their efforts when they know their performance will be played back. Often times, students will respond to this by practicing more, focusing on their weaknesses, and making an effort to do their best on the performance at hand. Fortunately, this technology is readily available to students with today's smartphones, iPads, and laptops, and together with my feedback, they can be led to higher levels of achievement.

  I use audio and video devices to record rehearsals and performances as well. I will use these recordings to review what went well and what will need to be improved on at the next rehearsal. These recordings are beneficial to the educational process and are a timely way to assess students. Likewise, the recordings are also a perfect way to assess and reflect on my performance as an educator. I have also found that students like to watch and critique their performances when they are played back on the smartboard. Watching a marching band performance on the smartboard is a very educational way to show students the positive and negative moments in their performance. I will pause the video at transition points in the show, and students will see spacing errors, poor marching technique, and missed visuals from an audience member's perspective. Students will take the knowledge they gained from breaking down the performance and will apply it to their next performance.

I record my students playing audition material and then use Audacity to splice together their best recordings of each excerpt and will give the student their own personal file. This gives them something they can keep and feel proud of and will allow them to think positively of the recording experience. I also recorded two vocal ensembles performing the same tune and entered the multiple recordings into GarageBand so the groups could hear what their combined voices sounded like together. This has proved to be a fun activity, but I did not realize that something like this could be a much bigger project!

I am unfamiliar with programs such as "Rock Our Work, Google Lit Trips, and Music-Comp: Music Composition Online Mentoring Program" (Bauer, 2014, p. 7) which allows students to use technology, such as recordings and GarageBand, to collaborate and work on a common project with musicians from around the world. Knowledge of these organizations and programs provides exciting possibilities for both my students and me, but I will definitely need to become more technologically savvy and familiar with the programs available to a music educator who is interested in creating an interactive classroom. Fortunately, with apps and websites like Twitter, Facebook, and Feedly.com, resources for professional development can be brought to my immediate attention with the simple click of a button!!


As I have become curious to what can be done with the technology available to me, I found a Youtube video about an interactive classroom in Ireland that I thought was worth sharing. I think an interactive classroom environment like this would be very enjoyable for students of all ages, and likely an opportunity for students to show their teachers something new about technology!



References:
Bauer, W. (2014). Music Learning Today: Digital Pedagogy for Creating, Performing, and
        Responding to Music. Oxford University Press: New York.

E. (2015). Interactive classroom: ICT in the music classroom, Ireland. Retrieved July 06, 2016, from

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccyDRguJf3c