Noteflight Assignment (A Bicycle Built for Two)
Link to A Bicycle Built for Two Assignment: http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/565e542422db255ec1404c2180cc9ec633d69f6d
It is always interesting to discover new opportunities in music. As I explored the “Noteflight” program I was able learn about another music notation program that could provide valuable opportunities in music and music education. I was very impressed with the capabilities of this free, web-based music notation program. Despite some drawbacks, such as not having a full pallet of instruments, and some other features such as the inability to alter the page layout for the music, the program has a great deal to offer. I have experimented with various music notation programs, and this program seemed as user friendly as any of the other programs and it had similar capabilities. The program allows for easy music input, with various means for inputting the notation. I liked the fact that there were keyboard commands to help increase the fluidity of the music input. Although it is nice to have the option of using the mouse, I found it easier to utilize the keyboard commands in addition to the mouse for inputting the music. In addition, the program offers music sensitive playback capabilities. The program accounts for articulations in addition to just the playback of notes. It was also nice to hear that the program had quality, lifelike instrument sounds for the music playback. I also believe the fact that the program is web-based is a valuable asset to the program. It allows you to use the program on any computer with internet capabilities. This is much easier to access than a program that must be downloaded to a computer because you can then only utilize the program on certain computers. In addition, it allows you to send and share your work with others. This ability to share allows for feedback as well as for collaborative efforts. I think these features, and the many other features that the program offers, make it a valuable tool for music education.
Having valuable capabilities, I believe that the “Noteflight” program can be a useful tool for music education. I think that it can provide teachers and students with fairly easy access to a quality music notation program. This allows students to be exposed to and experiment with music composition, arranging, and input for practical application. The program is web-based so students could have access to the program at school as well as use it at home, which provides flexibility for everyone involved in the educational process. I think with these possibilities, the program can be used for teaching and learning about music theory and music composition. If students are learning about music theory concepts, the program can give them an opportunity to input a particular concept such as part writing into the program and then hear the results of their work. This may then lead into experimentation with composition. Students could take a concept they have learned about music theory and then try to create their own piece of music. That piece of music may then be shared with others via the sharing capability of the program. By sharing, the students could receive feedback about compositions that they have created as well as collaboratively work with others on their piece. For example, one student may begin by creating a melody, and then s/he could share his/her work with another student who may add to the melody or who may add an accompaniment. In addition, the program could allow younger students to have the opportunity to experiment with the various instruments and note possibilities available to them in the program to get exposed to music composition. This is a valuable opportunity for the students because even if they do not have a full understanding of what they are doing compositionally, they can hear their work and see what sounds appealing and what does not. The program could also be setup to provide examples of the musical concepts for the students. For example, a teacher may want to teach his/her students about key, time signature, and form in music. If a teacher wanted to demonstrate various meters and key signatures s/he could allow the students to try inputting simple tunes in various time signatures and various key centers and see how the pieces work. A teacher may also be able to demonstrate form in music by utilizing the repeat and copy and paste functions in the program. For example, a teacher may input a piece into the program, and then ask the students to utilize the cut and paste features of the program to put the piece into ABA form. The program could also aid a teacher in the demonstration of the concept of transposition and transposing instruments. By using the transposing and non-transposing score features of the program, a teacher may show students how music would look if it were all written in concert pitch, and then how it would look when it was transposed for the different instruments to read. This concept may help students to understand why they are being asked to play a “concert” B-flat Major scale instead of their scale that begins on the note B-flat. The program may also be used to provide performance experience for students. For example, students may have to create a chord progression or accompaniment that they can use to play along with when trying to create a jazz solo or even just to keep a steady beat for their warm-ups. Even if the students may not be able to create these types of patterns, a teacher may input them into the program, and then allow the students to utilize the playback capabilities of the program for performance. In addition, the program could be used for a task such as creating a part for a specific instrument whose part has been lost over time and the piece is no longer in print. Also, the program may be used to transpose a part for a different instrument to help have all the parts in a piece of music get covered. With its many capabilities, I believe that the “Noteflight” program can provide many opportunities in music education, as well as be a valuable tool for music education.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
PLN Resource (The Wind Repertory Project)
The Wind Repertory Project
URL: http://www.windrep.org/
As I was searching through my PLN resources, one item that I found interesting and useful was the Wind Repertory Project (http://www.windrep.org/). The Wind Repertory Project is a wiki that is attempting to create a comprehensive database of wind music literature. The site provides a compilation of wind literature from grade I composition to professional level compositions. Along with a listing of pieces, the website provides information about the pieces. It includes information such as composer biographies, suggested recordings, program notes, instrumentation, as well as recent performances and ideas about the pieces. The website is still fairly new, so there is not complete information about all the pieces; however, as the site grows, I think it will be an extremely valuable resource to music educators. In addition to providing information about the pieces you are able to search for pieces by composer, difficulty level, and form and style to help find pieces of music to perform for your ensemble.
As a result of the information provided, I think that The Wind Repertory Project is a valuable resource to music educators. In the school performance setting, the music that a teacher selects becomes the facilitator of the curriculum that is to be provided. Therefore it is an extremely important part of a music educator’s job to select quality music. I think that this website can be a valuable tool in aiding in the process of quality music selection. The Wind Repertory Project allows an educator to develop an understanding of the difficulty level of pieces, as well as the genre of pieces to help aid in the selection of music. In addition, an educator can learn about the instrumentation of a piece to make sure that his/her ensemble has the means to perform a certain piece of music. In addition to helping with the selection process of music, the Wind Repertory Project can be a useful tool to educators in the teaching process of music. It is always beneficial to provide the students with information about the background of the piece and the composer to help them better understand what they are performing and how to perform the piece. This is information that can be found at the Wind Repertory Project. It is also nice to be able to hear recordings of pieces that are being taught. With information about suggested recordings and recent performances, a music educator may have the opportunity to play professional recordings for students as well as learn how other groups have performed the piece. I think that with the information that the Wind Repertory Project provides, it is a valuable resource to music educators, and I believe as it continues to grow in the future it will be even more valuable and pertinent.
URL: http://www.windrep.org/
As I was searching through my PLN resources, one item that I found interesting and useful was the Wind Repertory Project (http://www.windrep.org/). The Wind Repertory Project is a wiki that is attempting to create a comprehensive database of wind music literature. The site provides a compilation of wind literature from grade I composition to professional level compositions. Along with a listing of pieces, the website provides information about the pieces. It includes information such as composer biographies, suggested recordings, program notes, instrumentation, as well as recent performances and ideas about the pieces. The website is still fairly new, so there is not complete information about all the pieces; however, as the site grows, I think it will be an extremely valuable resource to music educators. In addition to providing information about the pieces you are able to search for pieces by composer, difficulty level, and form and style to help find pieces of music to perform for your ensemble.
As a result of the information provided, I think that The Wind Repertory Project is a valuable resource to music educators. In the school performance setting, the music that a teacher selects becomes the facilitator of the curriculum that is to be provided. Therefore it is an extremely important part of a music educator’s job to select quality music. I think that this website can be a valuable tool in aiding in the process of quality music selection. The Wind Repertory Project allows an educator to develop an understanding of the difficulty level of pieces, as well as the genre of pieces to help aid in the selection of music. In addition, an educator can learn about the instrumentation of a piece to make sure that his/her ensemble has the means to perform a certain piece of music. In addition to helping with the selection process of music, the Wind Repertory Project can be a useful tool to educators in the teaching process of music. It is always beneficial to provide the students with information about the background of the piece and the composer to help them better understand what they are performing and how to perform the piece. This is information that can be found at the Wind Repertory Project. It is also nice to be able to hear recordings of pieces that are being taught. With information about suggested recordings and recent performances, a music educator may have the opportunity to play professional recordings for students as well as learn how other groups have performed the piece. I think that with the information that the Wind Repertory Project provides, it is a valuable resource to music educators, and I believe as it continues to grow in the future it will be even more valuable and pertinent.
Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and Personal Learning Network (PLN) Reflections
TPACK
After reading the TPACK article, I whole heartedly agree that technology plays a vital role in people’s lives today and it has great potential for application in music education. In particular, today’s youth, having grown up with technology around them all their lives, are natural candidates for using technology in education. Today’s musical performers and composers use technology, so it is natural that today’s students, tomorrow’s musicians incorporate technology in their music education. I disagree with the educators mentioned in the article who “fear that ‘technology could result in education being reduced to a very mechanical activity.’” On the contrary, I feel that the use of technology stimulates students’ interests. For example, I have seen my students be creative using music composition software and it has motivated them to want to learn more about musical concepts.
As I read through the article, I began to reflect on the role of technology in music education. I believe that technology provides a great benefit to administrative processes in music education. I personally find the use of computer software for email, word processing, spreadsheets, the internet and websites to be indispensable for the dissemination and management of classroom information. It is also interesting to consider how some means of technology, such as recorders, that we take for granted today are important to the educational process in music. For example, I routinely incorporate the playing back of recordings of pieces that my ensembles are rehearsing so that they may better comprehend points that I am trying to make and so that they can self-evaluate. I can also envision some possible additional uses for technology in the music classroom. For example, if a group is learning to play triads in an ensemble, to see how triads sound and work, I could have the students use music technology to experiment with the creation of triads through their notation and hearing the resulting sounds produced. Although I am able to envision some additional uses of technology in my classroom, I agree with the article that it is not always that easy to know how to incorporate one’s knowledge of technology with one’s content knowledge and pedagogy. Even though a teacher may be educated in technology, s/he may still not know how best to apply that technology in the classroom. A teacher has to be taught how to evaluate the cost/benefit of technology tool use so that s/he can make informed decisions on how to take advantage of technology in the classroom.
As I have experienced and learned about music, I have been able to experience and utilize some of the technology that is available for music education. Basic technological means such as metronomes, tuners, recorders and music playing devices have helped me experience music, and have provided me with a means to expose my students to music. I believe, as the article says, that with the increasing comfort that students have with technology, I have been able to utilize technology to expose my students to more music and to help them improve as performers. In addition, I have had the benefit of being able to briefly expose my students to music notation software and to let them experiment with composition. Despite being able to utilize technology to a degree, I feel that I need to continue to improve my understanding of music technology, as well as of my content area and pedagogy and how to better integrate those areas so that I may better utilize the technology at my disposal.
PLN
As an educator, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching so that I may provide the most beneficial experience possible for my students. As I read about Personal Learning Networks (PLN), I was impressed with the capabilities of a PLN to help access information for Professional Development. Before reading the article, I did not realize how much information was available or how to access that information. Through my education and teaching, I have become familiar with utilizing the internet to obtain information. However, it was not until I read the article that I discovered how vast the resources on the internet are for learning and networking. Prior to reading the article, I searched websites to gain information. After reading the article, I have discovered that I may create a PLN that would allow me to “subscribe” to the internet, helping to more easily access new information. For example, in the future if I want to teach a lesson about jazz improvisation, I may subscribe to sources on the web that may provide me with information as well as networking that would help to improve my lesson. I liked how the information could be consolidated into one location for easier access. In addition, I liked how you could receive updated information from many sources so that you know when new information is available. By discovering this information, I will be able to build a wealth of resources that I may reference in the future.
In addition to the ability to consolidate information, I was intrigued by the variety of resources available, and the possibilities that a PLN can provide for gathering and sharing information. Through my teaching experiences, I have always used email to communicate with parents, and colleagues. I have used email to setup and coordinate events. However, through the reading I discovered how a wiki could be used to help coordinate events. For example, I have used email communication to coordinate honors band events with other directors in the region. However, with a wiki we could create ongoing web based planning for an event that would allow all the directors to share and update information. I have also discovered how useful podcasts can be. I am constantly utilizing my iPod to present music to students. However, after reading the article I discovered how easy it is to transfer information to portable devices such as iPods. When reading about podcasts, I learned that I may transfer information to my iPod that I could use to further my musical and educational development in addition to providing my students with interesting information. For example, I may be able to find a podcast about a piece of music that we are performing in class, and I could share that information with the students by just connecting my iPod to my class stereo system. In addition, I am interested in learning what other teachers have done to be successful, or what pieces of music that they use to teach their students. Through social bookmarks, I learned that I may access this information and share my ideas with others. I was also interested to discover the capabilities that blogs offer. I have been hesitant to utilize and participate in blogs because I was not sure what type of information I may discover. I have often found skewed information when searching through blogs. However, after reading the article, I discovered, that just like other sources, you must be vigil and find the proper blogs to fit your needs. In addition, it was interesting to discover the networks that could be created through blogging. Not only can an educator share information with other educators, a teacher may be able to setup a blog for his/her students in which music students can communicate with other music students around the world. This could help students learn about and appreciate the music of different cultures.
Through the reading of this article, I was opened to a plethora of new ways to access and utilize information. I discovered ways to better network and communicate information through a PLN. I feel that I have learned ways to utilize technology to gather and share information in the past. However, through the development and discovery of the PLN I will be able to tap into a variety of new resources that will ultimately help me to improve myself as an educator. I also felt that it was important to discover how versatile a PLN can be. A PLN can develop, grow, and change over time. As I begin to utilize a PLN, I will establish a base of resources. However, as I learn and discover more about PLNs, I can change and adapt the information and resources helping to better meet my needs and the needs of my students. It will be an interesting process to compile and access new information that will help me grow and develop as a music educator, working to provide the best experience possible for my students.
After reading the TPACK article, I whole heartedly agree that technology plays a vital role in people’s lives today and it has great potential for application in music education. In particular, today’s youth, having grown up with technology around them all their lives, are natural candidates for using technology in education. Today’s musical performers and composers use technology, so it is natural that today’s students, tomorrow’s musicians incorporate technology in their music education. I disagree with the educators mentioned in the article who “fear that ‘technology could result in education being reduced to a very mechanical activity.’” On the contrary, I feel that the use of technology stimulates students’ interests. For example, I have seen my students be creative using music composition software and it has motivated them to want to learn more about musical concepts.
As I read through the article, I began to reflect on the role of technology in music education. I believe that technology provides a great benefit to administrative processes in music education. I personally find the use of computer software for email, word processing, spreadsheets, the internet and websites to be indispensable for the dissemination and management of classroom information. It is also interesting to consider how some means of technology, such as recorders, that we take for granted today are important to the educational process in music. For example, I routinely incorporate the playing back of recordings of pieces that my ensembles are rehearsing so that they may better comprehend points that I am trying to make and so that they can self-evaluate. I can also envision some possible additional uses for technology in the music classroom. For example, if a group is learning to play triads in an ensemble, to see how triads sound and work, I could have the students use music technology to experiment with the creation of triads through their notation and hearing the resulting sounds produced. Although I am able to envision some additional uses of technology in my classroom, I agree with the article that it is not always that easy to know how to incorporate one’s knowledge of technology with one’s content knowledge and pedagogy. Even though a teacher may be educated in technology, s/he may still not know how best to apply that technology in the classroom. A teacher has to be taught how to evaluate the cost/benefit of technology tool use so that s/he can make informed decisions on how to take advantage of technology in the classroom.
As I have experienced and learned about music, I have been able to experience and utilize some of the technology that is available for music education. Basic technological means such as metronomes, tuners, recorders and music playing devices have helped me experience music, and have provided me with a means to expose my students to music. I believe, as the article says, that with the increasing comfort that students have with technology, I have been able to utilize technology to expose my students to more music and to help them improve as performers. In addition, I have had the benefit of being able to briefly expose my students to music notation software and to let them experiment with composition. Despite being able to utilize technology to a degree, I feel that I need to continue to improve my understanding of music technology, as well as of my content area and pedagogy and how to better integrate those areas so that I may better utilize the technology at my disposal.
PLN
As an educator, I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching so that I may provide the most beneficial experience possible for my students. As I read about Personal Learning Networks (PLN), I was impressed with the capabilities of a PLN to help access information for Professional Development. Before reading the article, I did not realize how much information was available or how to access that information. Through my education and teaching, I have become familiar with utilizing the internet to obtain information. However, it was not until I read the article that I discovered how vast the resources on the internet are for learning and networking. Prior to reading the article, I searched websites to gain information. After reading the article, I have discovered that I may create a PLN that would allow me to “subscribe” to the internet, helping to more easily access new information. For example, in the future if I want to teach a lesson about jazz improvisation, I may subscribe to sources on the web that may provide me with information as well as networking that would help to improve my lesson. I liked how the information could be consolidated into one location for easier access. In addition, I liked how you could receive updated information from many sources so that you know when new information is available. By discovering this information, I will be able to build a wealth of resources that I may reference in the future.
In addition to the ability to consolidate information, I was intrigued by the variety of resources available, and the possibilities that a PLN can provide for gathering and sharing information. Through my teaching experiences, I have always used email to communicate with parents, and colleagues. I have used email to setup and coordinate events. However, through the reading I discovered how a wiki could be used to help coordinate events. For example, I have used email communication to coordinate honors band events with other directors in the region. However, with a wiki we could create ongoing web based planning for an event that would allow all the directors to share and update information. I have also discovered how useful podcasts can be. I am constantly utilizing my iPod to present music to students. However, after reading the article I discovered how easy it is to transfer information to portable devices such as iPods. When reading about podcasts, I learned that I may transfer information to my iPod that I could use to further my musical and educational development in addition to providing my students with interesting information. For example, I may be able to find a podcast about a piece of music that we are performing in class, and I could share that information with the students by just connecting my iPod to my class stereo system. In addition, I am interested in learning what other teachers have done to be successful, or what pieces of music that they use to teach their students. Through social bookmarks, I learned that I may access this information and share my ideas with others. I was also interested to discover the capabilities that blogs offer. I have been hesitant to utilize and participate in blogs because I was not sure what type of information I may discover. I have often found skewed information when searching through blogs. However, after reading the article, I discovered, that just like other sources, you must be vigil and find the proper blogs to fit your needs. In addition, it was interesting to discover the networks that could be created through blogging. Not only can an educator share information with other educators, a teacher may be able to setup a blog for his/her students in which music students can communicate with other music students around the world. This could help students learn about and appreciate the music of different cultures.
Through the reading of this article, I was opened to a plethora of new ways to access and utilize information. I discovered ways to better network and communicate information through a PLN. I feel that I have learned ways to utilize technology to gather and share information in the past. However, through the development and discovery of the PLN I will be able to tap into a variety of new resources that will ultimately help me to improve myself as an educator. I also felt that it was important to discover how versatile a PLN can be. A PLN can develop, grow, and change over time. As I begin to utilize a PLN, I will establish a base of resources. However, as I learn and discover more about PLNs, I can change and adapt the information and resources helping to better meet my needs and the needs of my students. It will be an interesting process to compile and access new information that will help me grow and develop as a music educator, working to provide the best experience possible for my students.
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