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.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, July 8, 2016
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:
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.
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:
- I do not frequently use everything that I have available.
- I am not familiar with the potential of the technological tools I do have.
- I am unfamiliar with various useful and educational programs/opportunities in regard to technology.
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
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