Classics for Kids
URL: http://www.classicsforkids.com/
A couple of weeks back, as I was browsing my PLN resources, I was extremely intrigued by the source NPR: Jazz Classics. I found the source to be extremely valuable because it provided a quality podcast with excellent information and high quality musical examples. This week I discovered another source that is similar, and that I also found to be extremely valuable. As I was searching my PLN resources, I came across the site Classics for Kids (http://www.classicsforkids.com/). “Classics for Kids” is an extremely interesting website that provides a plethora of information about classical music and composers. The website includes information ranging from information about composers and their pieces to games, recordings, and even lesson plans for teachers. Despite the wealth of information available at the website, the item that I was intrigued by the most was the ability to hear the podcast “Classics for Kids.” In addition to providing a great deal of musical information, the source is the website for the radio show “Classics for Kids.” The radio show is an informational program about various classical music topics and composers. Much like Jazz Classics, “Classics for Kids” is a radio program that provides valuable information on a topic, but also supplements the discussion with high quality musical examples. The program from this week’s show featured the composer Zoltan Kodaly and folk music. It was a very creative discussion with many musical examples that kept my interest, and I think that it would be appealing to even young listeners.
As an educator, I again think that it is extremely valuable for students to hear and experience music. I think that the program “Classics for Kids provides a creative and interesting way for students to listen to music and learn information about the music in the process. With this website, an educator could have students hear podcasts about classical music. This is something students may prefer doing over just reading about a topic. For example, through this week’s “Classics for Kids” show, students could learn about Zoltan Kodaly and folk music and realize how important folk music is for many composers and people. They would also learn how recognizable folk music can be and how they probably already know many folk tunes. In addition, after hearing and learning from the podcast, the website had questions that were related to the podcast. Students could go through the questions, and the questions could also be used as a basis for a discussion or class lesson based on the topic presented in the podcast. Through all podcasts, and all the information available through the website “Classics for Kids,” there are numerous applications for the music educator. The website provides a means for students to experience and learn about music as well as explore and have fun with music.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
MIDI, Sequencing, and their Use in Music Learning
A couple of weeks ago, the term MIDI was merely a word that I had heard of, but I really did not know anything about it. As I continue to read and learn about MIDI, I am beginning to develop a better concept about MIDI and I am seeing ways that MIDI can be used for music in general and how it can be applied for use in the music classroom. Reading the articles “Sequence-Stration” and “Using MIDI Accompaniments for Music Learning at School and at Home” was interesting because they allowed me to see how MIDI can be a valuable tool for student learning. One major way that MIDI can be a valuable tool is through the use of MIDI for accompaniment, which can help students learn music and become better performers. A way that MIDI can be used for accompaniments is by using a sequencing program. In order to create a valuable accompaniment or composition using a sequencing program, it is useful to know some tips about how to create a quality piece using a sequencing program. That is why I thought it was interesting to read the article “Sequence-Stration.” I agree that the more realistic a piece can be, the more students will appreciate it and the more responsive they will be to the sequence created. Therefore, as I delve into sequencing programs it is good to learn which sounds create the best productions and how to make musical choices that will create the best sounding result. In addition to the value of learning how to create better sounding sequences, it was also exciting to realize how one can benefit from having an understanding of musical concepts when creating a sequence. In order to create a better sounding sequence one can apply musical knowledge to help facilitate creating a sequence. Concepts, such as an understanding of instruments and their sounds, as well as basic compositional techniques, such as octave doubling, can help one create a better sounding sequence. This could also be valuable for students experimenting with sequencing. Not only can they experiment with composition; however, they can take musical concepts that they have learned to help improve their compositions and move beyond simple experimentation.
In addition to learning some of the techniques that can be helpful in creating compositions and accompaniments, it was even more appealing to learn how the concepts of MIDI and sequencing could be used to aid in student learning. It is extremely valuable to have students play and learn their music with the other parts of the piece available for them to hear. However, a full ensemble setting is not typically available for student practice outside of the general rehearsal, and in younger ensembles students are not always ready to have independent parts. Through the use of MIDI, it is possible to create accompaniments that students can use for practice, which can ultimately help them to become better performers themselves. I have often utilized CD accompaniments and recordings in my classroom to help students learn a piece of music or to use as an accompaniment for pieces in younger band classes. As the articles mentioned, a downfall to using a CD recording is that you cannot alter the piece to meet the needs of the students. With MIDI accompaniments, that is not the case. When using MIDI accompaniments one can slow down tempos for the earlier stages of practice without changing pitch or overly distorting the sound quality, which can occur if one tried the same technique with a real audio recording. In addition, MIDI provides the capability to allow students to hear all parts playing to help students understand how a piece is to be played, as well as having the option to mute parts so that the students may develop independence with performance. Along with the practice value that MIDI can provide to students, MIDI and sequencing can help a teacher create accompaniment tools that can be beneficial for use in the classroom. In younger grade levels, such as fifth and sixth grade, I try to utilize a keyboard to help provide an accompaniment and steady beat for the students. However, I have found this a bit challenging since I am not an accomplished keyboard player, and it does not allow me to move around and interact more with the students. Being able to use a MIDI accompaniment that I could make adjustments to would be an extremely valuable tool to aid in my teaching. I could create better accompaniments than I could play myself, and I would also be freed from the piano to move around and help students and I would be able to pay more attention to them. An accompaniment could also be useful in helping students to learn improvisation. A MIDI accompaniment could provide students with a tool to practice on their own as well as to better help them understand what a chord progression may involve. Along with the benefits that MIDI can provide for student practice, it was also great to see how easy it could be to make the practice tools available to students when using MIDI. As I have been learning, and which was emphasized again in the readings this week, MIDI files are much smaller than real audio files, which allows them to be posted to websites that students can easily access. This potential just increases the possibility for student practice and involvement in their music class. A point that was made in the article “Using MIDI Accompaniments for Music Learning at School and at Home,” that I found very intriguing was that when these materials are made available to students at home through the internet, students may be more inclined to utilize them at their own leisure because they do not have to worry about being self-conscious or other social pressures that may make them fearful of practicing at school. I think that this is an extremely interesting concept, because I have had students with a great deal of talent, but who are hesitant to enhance their abilities because they do not think it is “cool” to practice or show their abilities. I think the capabilities of MIDI and home practice tools could alleviate some of these pressures and help these students get more involved in their music programs. I also thought that it was fascinating to learn about the possibilities of MIDI files to be downloaded and then used in a notation program or a sequencing program. It is an excellent opportunity to allow students to experiment with composition; however, when you can have students use a MIDI file to provide scaffolding to the composition process it is great. Students do not have to start from scratch, but they can experiment with composition by taking a MIDI and then creating their own arrangement of a piece by altering different musical elements such as dynamics and tempo. MIDI even allows students to easily change instrumentation. This could provide fun and exciting ways for students to explore music on the internet and then experiment with composition. Along with the educational suggestions for MIDI made in the articles, it was interesting to see how many valuable online resources are available for music learning and how those sources make use of MIDI to contribute to the learning process. As I continue to learn and explore MIDI and its capabilities, it is fascinating to see how it can be used for education and advancement in music learning. I am intrigued by how valuable this technological tool can be to me in teaching music, and I look forward to trying to implement some of these suggestions into my own teaching as well as learning the many other ways that MIDI can be used in music and music education.
In addition to learning some of the techniques that can be helpful in creating compositions and accompaniments, it was even more appealing to learn how the concepts of MIDI and sequencing could be used to aid in student learning. It is extremely valuable to have students play and learn their music with the other parts of the piece available for them to hear. However, a full ensemble setting is not typically available for student practice outside of the general rehearsal, and in younger ensembles students are not always ready to have independent parts. Through the use of MIDI, it is possible to create accompaniments that students can use for practice, which can ultimately help them to become better performers themselves. I have often utilized CD accompaniments and recordings in my classroom to help students learn a piece of music or to use as an accompaniment for pieces in younger band classes. As the articles mentioned, a downfall to using a CD recording is that you cannot alter the piece to meet the needs of the students. With MIDI accompaniments, that is not the case. When using MIDI accompaniments one can slow down tempos for the earlier stages of practice without changing pitch or overly distorting the sound quality, which can occur if one tried the same technique with a real audio recording. In addition, MIDI provides the capability to allow students to hear all parts playing to help students understand how a piece is to be played, as well as having the option to mute parts so that the students may develop independence with performance. Along with the practice value that MIDI can provide to students, MIDI and sequencing can help a teacher create accompaniment tools that can be beneficial for use in the classroom. In younger grade levels, such as fifth and sixth grade, I try to utilize a keyboard to help provide an accompaniment and steady beat for the students. However, I have found this a bit challenging since I am not an accomplished keyboard player, and it does not allow me to move around and interact more with the students. Being able to use a MIDI accompaniment that I could make adjustments to would be an extremely valuable tool to aid in my teaching. I could create better accompaniments than I could play myself, and I would also be freed from the piano to move around and help students and I would be able to pay more attention to them. An accompaniment could also be useful in helping students to learn improvisation. A MIDI accompaniment could provide students with a tool to practice on their own as well as to better help them understand what a chord progression may involve. Along with the benefits that MIDI can provide for student practice, it was also great to see how easy it could be to make the practice tools available to students when using MIDI. As I have been learning, and which was emphasized again in the readings this week, MIDI files are much smaller than real audio files, which allows them to be posted to websites that students can easily access. This potential just increases the possibility for student practice and involvement in their music class. A point that was made in the article “Using MIDI Accompaniments for Music Learning at School and at Home,” that I found very intriguing was that when these materials are made available to students at home through the internet, students may be more inclined to utilize them at their own leisure because they do not have to worry about being self-conscious or other social pressures that may make them fearful of practicing at school. I think that this is an extremely interesting concept, because I have had students with a great deal of talent, but who are hesitant to enhance their abilities because they do not think it is “cool” to practice or show their abilities. I think the capabilities of MIDI and home practice tools could alleviate some of these pressures and help these students get more involved in their music programs. I also thought that it was fascinating to learn about the possibilities of MIDI files to be downloaded and then used in a notation program or a sequencing program. It is an excellent opportunity to allow students to experiment with composition; however, when you can have students use a MIDI file to provide scaffolding to the composition process it is great. Students do not have to start from scratch, but they can experiment with composition by taking a MIDI and then creating their own arrangement of a piece by altering different musical elements such as dynamics and tempo. MIDI even allows students to easily change instrumentation. This could provide fun and exciting ways for students to explore music on the internet and then experiment with composition. Along with the educational suggestions for MIDI made in the articles, it was interesting to see how many valuable online resources are available for music learning and how those sources make use of MIDI to contribute to the learning process. As I continue to learn and explore MIDI and its capabilities, it is fascinating to see how it can be used for education and advancement in music learning. I am intrigued by how valuable this technological tool can be to me in teaching music, and I look forward to trying to implement some of these suggestions into my own teaching as well as learning the many other ways that MIDI can be used in music and music education.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
PLN Resource 4 (Music Matters: A Blog On Music Cognition)
Music Matters: A Blog On Music Cognition
URL: http://www.musiccognition.nl/blog/
As I was going through my PLN resources, I discovered some interesting information on the site Music Matters: A Blog On Music Cognition (http://www.musiccognition.nl/blog/). Music Matters is a blog about music cognition. The author is an associate professor in music cognition at the University of Amsterdam. He provides information in his blogs that discuss how music impacts the brain and thinking. This is an interesting blog because it provides information about the effect that music has on the human brain and how people respond to music, showing the importance of music. The blog takes a scientific approach to providing this information, which could ultimately help music educators develop a better understanding of how music impacts people and how it could impact how people teach music. As I was reading through the blog, there were two posts in particular that caught my attention. The first post was about why music sticks in peoples heads. I thought it was interesting to discover that although there is no answer to this question at this point in time, it is the songs with simple harmonic structure and a striking moment that seem to catch people’s attention. The second post that I found interesting was a video posting from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which included an interview with Oliver Sacks. I found the second post fascinating because it showed the impacts of music on the brain in a comical manner that people can relate to, enjoy, and even better understand. I think the blog can touch on intriguing information through its posts that will provide topics that can relate music to thinking, as well as provide a scientific link to the information.
As an educator, it is important to be able to understand how your content area impacts people and how they think. I believe through this blog ideas are given to help people think about how music impacts people and how they think. These topics can provide valuable material for the reader to consider. However, it can also help educators understand how music impacts thoughts; therefore, helping educators realize what material is important to teach and why it is important to teach music. The topics in the blog could help music educator’s use the blog to learn what about music stimulates thinking and brain activity, which could help an educator realize what might have the best impact on student learning.
URL: http://www.musiccognition.nl/blog/
As I was going through my PLN resources, I discovered some interesting information on the site Music Matters: A Blog On Music Cognition (http://www.musiccognition.nl/blog/). Music Matters is a blog about music cognition. The author is an associate professor in music cognition at the University of Amsterdam. He provides information in his blogs that discuss how music impacts the brain and thinking. This is an interesting blog because it provides information about the effect that music has on the human brain and how people respond to music, showing the importance of music. The blog takes a scientific approach to providing this information, which could ultimately help music educators develop a better understanding of how music impacts people and how it could impact how people teach music. As I was reading through the blog, there were two posts in particular that caught my attention. The first post was about why music sticks in peoples heads. I thought it was interesting to discover that although there is no answer to this question at this point in time, it is the songs with simple harmonic structure and a striking moment that seem to catch people’s attention. The second post that I found interesting was a video posting from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which included an interview with Oliver Sacks. I found the second post fascinating because it showed the impacts of music on the brain in a comical manner that people can relate to, enjoy, and even better understand. I think the blog can touch on intriguing information through its posts that will provide topics that can relate music to thinking, as well as provide a scientific link to the information.
As an educator, it is important to be able to understand how your content area impacts people and how they think. I believe through this blog ideas are given to help people think about how music impacts people and how they think. These topics can provide valuable material for the reader to consider. However, it can also help educators understand how music impacts thoughts; therefore, helping educators realize what material is important to teach and why it is important to teach music. The topics in the blog could help music educator’s use the blog to learn what about music stimulates thinking and brain activity, which could help an educator realize what might have the best impact on student learning.
MIDI
As I was reading the articles, I was fascinated to learn about MIDI. I have known of the term MIDI, and that it involves technology and music; however, I have never really known what MIDI is. It was interesting to discover that MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and it is not a form of audio. Instead, it is a “non-proprietary hardware and software protocol for data communications among electronic musical instruments and computer” (Estrella 1). Therefore, rather than being a form of audio, it is more a language, or a set of instructions to tell an electronic device how to and what sound to create. By learning this information, it helped me to better understand how and why MIDI is used. It was also interesting to discover how MIDI works. I thought that it was fascinating to see how mathematical the MIDI process is and to learn how the code creates the interaction in and between MIDI devices to create sounds and music. In addition, reading the article gave me a better understanding of how to setup MIDI devices for use. Even though it was very interesting to learn the basics about how MIDI works and to see how the code is created, the explanations were extremely technical and seemed slightly challenging for me to follow without a more in-depth study of the programming of the code. I found it more intriguing to see the results of the MIDI process. For example, it was interesting to discover that there are standard MIDI assignments for sounds. For example, on a synthesizer certain instrument sounds are assigned to particular numbers and certain percussion sounds to particular keys on a keyboard. I found this interesting because at the school where I teach we have a synthesizer, and as I thought about all the sounds it creates it was fascinating to see how they all lined-up and matched what the articles had mentioned.
Although the discussions on MIDI were very technical, as I learned about MIDI it was interesting to discover some of the applications for MIDI. As I found out that MIDI is more a code, I could see why it is used for notation software and sequencing programs as well as many other musical applications. Its mathematical format makes it lend well to working with other technology. In addition, it was interesting to find the difference between MIDI and digital audio. Although I always appreciate actual sounds from audio, I could see how MIDI could be a valuable tool. As was mentioned in the article, “The MIDI-Digital Audio Shuffle,” the fact that MIDI files could be much smaller than digital audio files could allow for much easier sharing and dissemination of information. For example, if a teacher wanted to share or send a MIDI file to students it would be possible. In addition, MIDI files could be put onto a website for others to see. The format of MIDI also allows it to transfer code to create sounds into notation as well, which could ultimately help students better understand a piece of music by converting sound into notation. Again, it was extremely interesting to finally discover what MIDI truly is. Through that discovery, I was able to learn how MIDI works and its many benefits to creating sounds and music. Although I did not feel that the articles gave direct applications for the use of MIDI in music education. I could see how the use of MIDI in many programs, such as notation software and sequencing programs, could be extremely valuable in music education. MIDI also provides the opportunity for electronic sounds and music to be created. Through the potential and capabilities of MIDI, it provides the vehicle that drives many tools that aid in the music education process to help make learning about music more interesting and diverse.
Although the discussions on MIDI were very technical, as I learned about MIDI it was interesting to discover some of the applications for MIDI. As I found out that MIDI is more a code, I could see why it is used for notation software and sequencing programs as well as many other musical applications. Its mathematical format makes it lend well to working with other technology. In addition, it was interesting to find the difference between MIDI and digital audio. Although I always appreciate actual sounds from audio, I could see how MIDI could be a valuable tool. As was mentioned in the article, “The MIDI-Digital Audio Shuffle,” the fact that MIDI files could be much smaller than digital audio files could allow for much easier sharing and dissemination of information. For example, if a teacher wanted to share or send a MIDI file to students it would be possible. In addition, MIDI files could be put onto a website for others to see. The format of MIDI also allows it to transfer code to create sounds into notation as well, which could ultimately help students better understand a piece of music by converting sound into notation. Again, it was extremely interesting to finally discover what MIDI truly is. Through that discovery, I was able to learn how MIDI works and its many benefits to creating sounds and music. Although I did not feel that the articles gave direct applications for the use of MIDI in music education. I could see how the use of MIDI in many programs, such as notation software and sequencing programs, could be extremely valuable in music education. MIDI also provides the opportunity for electronic sounds and music to be created. Through the potential and capabilities of MIDI, it provides the vehicle that drives many tools that aid in the music education process to help make learning about music more interesting and diverse.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
PLN Resource 3 (NPR: Jazz Profiles)
NPR: Jazz Profiles
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10208861
As I was searching my PLN resources, I was intrigued by the site NPR: Jazz Profiles (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10208861). NPR is National Public Radio, and Jazz Profiles is a show on NPR. This is an excellent source because the website allows you to download entire podcasts of the show for free. The podcasts are documentaries about famous jazz musicians and jazz topics. By listening to the programs you can learn a great deal about the topic being presented from a historical perspective and through the perspective of key jazz figures. For example, Wynton Marsalis was included in a discussion about Duke Ellington. In addition to hearing information about a topic, the listener gets the opportunity to hear music that relates to the topic. Along with the ability to hear podcasts of the program, the website for NPR: Jazz Profiles is an excellent resource as well. On the website, one can find a text article about the person or topic being featured along with pictures to help convey the message. On the website, one can also find an archive of the programs that have been done in the past.
As a music educator, and a teacher of a jazz ensemble in particular, this is an extremely valuable resource. When learning about a style of music, like jazz, it is nice to be able to provide resources for students to search and gain information. Through this website a music educator can provide students with an opportunity to learn about the historical contexts of jazz music and many of its important musicians. Not only can students learn information in the traditional manner by reading the text on the website, but they can also hear a podcast with the information as well as hear quality musical examples. This provides students with a media resource that may be more intriguing to students then just an article on a website. In my experience listening to music is a great way for students to experience and learn about music, in this case jazz music. This can help the students learn about the style of the music and how to better perform the music. In addition, another feature of this resource that I found valuable for educational purposes was the fact that you could download the podcasts to a program such as iTunes, and you could even put it on an iPod, which could be played over a class stereo system. In addition, it seems that most students have an mp3 player; therefore, students can download a podcast, put it on their mp3 player and listen to the program whenever they like, giving them even more opportunity to learn about and hear the music. I believe that with all the information that NPR: Jazz Profiles provides, it can be an extremely valuable and interesting resource for music education.
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10208861
As I was searching my PLN resources, I was intrigued by the site NPR: Jazz Profiles (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10208861). NPR is National Public Radio, and Jazz Profiles is a show on NPR. This is an excellent source because the website allows you to download entire podcasts of the show for free. The podcasts are documentaries about famous jazz musicians and jazz topics. By listening to the programs you can learn a great deal about the topic being presented from a historical perspective and through the perspective of key jazz figures. For example, Wynton Marsalis was included in a discussion about Duke Ellington. In addition to hearing information about a topic, the listener gets the opportunity to hear music that relates to the topic. Along with the ability to hear podcasts of the program, the website for NPR: Jazz Profiles is an excellent resource as well. On the website, one can find a text article about the person or topic being featured along with pictures to help convey the message. On the website, one can also find an archive of the programs that have been done in the past.
As a music educator, and a teacher of a jazz ensemble in particular, this is an extremely valuable resource. When learning about a style of music, like jazz, it is nice to be able to provide resources for students to search and gain information. Through this website a music educator can provide students with an opportunity to learn about the historical contexts of jazz music and many of its important musicians. Not only can students learn information in the traditional manner by reading the text on the website, but they can also hear a podcast with the information as well as hear quality musical examples. This provides students with a media resource that may be more intriguing to students then just an article on a website. In my experience listening to music is a great way for students to experience and learn about music, in this case jazz music. This can help the students learn about the style of the music and how to better perform the music. In addition, another feature of this resource that I found valuable for educational purposes was the fact that you could download the podcasts to a program such as iTunes, and you could even put it on an iPod, which could be played over a class stereo system. In addition, it seems that most students have an mp3 player; therefore, students can download a podcast, put it on their mp3 player and listen to the program whenever they like, giving them even more opportunity to learn about and hear the music. I believe that with all the information that NPR: Jazz Profiles provides, it can be an extremely valuable and interesting resource for music education.
Creative Thinking and Music Technology
As a music educator, I am constantly seeking new ways to engage and motivate my students to learn about music. In my music classes I focus on music performance and I attempt to provide creative and fun opportunities to perform music. However, as I continue to gain knowledge through this course and readings, I am finding that there are countless options that I can explore to enhance and supplement the activities in which my students participate. I believe that I have always realized that technology is available to me as an educator; however, I have not realized the true potential that technology can provide to the music educator and to music students. Reading about some of the creative uses for technology in music education provided me with ideas about how to utilize technology in music more effectively, how others are using technology in music in exciting ways, as well as an opportunity to brainstorm about how to incorporate technology into my teaching to help make music more exciting for my students.
As I read the article, “Creative Thinking and Music Technology,” I was thrilled to find that I have utilized some of the suggestions for using technology in my own music classes. For example, I have always found it extremely useful to play recordings of pieces that students are playing in order to help them to develop ideas about how to perform the pieces of music. I liked the idea of using an mp3 player to play audio clips for the students. In addition, I am currently trying to start a listening log for my students, so that they can hear a variety of music in order to expand their musical concepts in hopes of making them better performers. My idea is to begin by playing recordings from a variety of music genres on a weekly basis to expose students to different types of music to help develop their appreciation of music. This is a basic start to the idea, so hopefully it can evolve over time. Along with exposing my students to recordings, I have found it extremely valuable to record my ensembles so that I may more critically critique them, as well as to allow the students to self-critique themselves. I have found this idea valuable because it allows students to more easily recognize their proficiencies and deficiencies, which ultimately helps them to improve. However, another aspect that the article mentioned that would be a great extension to this concept would be to do a comparison of a recording that was done early in the rehearsal process versus a polished recording to show the students the progress they had made, which may help to build confidence in their abilities. Also, as the article mentioned about email and course management systems, I have found email to be an invaluable form of communication with students and parents. In addition, although I have not used a course management system such as Blackboard or WebCT to teach a course, I have found it helpful to use a digital grade book, Progressbook, to communicate information about grades and the classes to students and parents. Email and a digital grade system have seemed to help keep everyone more informed.
Along with some of the aforementioned ideas that were highlighted in the article, I have had some basic experience with using notation software, for music education. I have experimented with some of the basic uses of notation software such as using it to write parts, or have students experiment with composition. However, it was interesting to discover how many ways that notation software can be used. For example, the article “Creative Thinking and Music Technology” mentioned the use of the playback feature of notation software to demonstrate musicality to students. In addition to this concept, I was impressed with the capabilities of Sibelius for the music educator. I have understood the basic notation features of Sibelius; however, after reading about the music education applications of Sibelius through the Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software, I was amazed by the capabilities of Sibelius and all the items that I could use to enhance the musical experiences of my students. Features such as the ability to add note names and fingering, and the ability to re-orchestrate parts and create accompaniment parts could have a vital role in a performance-based music class. The ability to add note names and fingerings could provide an opportunity to make accommodations for special needs students or to help provide scaffolding for struggling students or students who have just switched to a new instrument. It could also provide students with the experience of performing in a small ensemble by using the feature of creating an arrangement for student performance. It also seems fun to have the students try to create their own arrangements. I was also amazed to see how many options there are for creating exercises and worksheets. With these abilities in Sibelius, it makes it relatively easy for an educator to provide solutions to areas of difficulty for students. As I continue to explore Sibelius, it will be enlightening to experiment with all the features that are available and to see how they may help enhance the music learning process.
In addition to the many ideas that I have had some experience with through my own teaching, it was interesting to see the numerous other ways that technology has been used or could be used in music education. I thought the idea to use technology to create a film score was an interesting idea. Students seem to enjoy performing movie music, and this would be an excellent opportunity for them to create and possibly even perform their own movie music. This might even provide a chance to create an interdisciplinary lesson. Another opportunity to utilize technology could be through creating multimedia presentations. As the article on “Creative Thinking and Music Technology” mentioned, students could create a presentation on a composer. However, students may also be able to incorporate their own performance into a multimedia presentation that could be used for assessment, or maybe even to create a great memory for the students in the future. Along with some of the creative ideas mentioned in the article, “Creative Thinking and Music Technology,” it was also interesting to learn about some uses of technology in music education that have been extremely successful. The example that I was able to explore through my reading was the Vermont MIDI Project. I appreciated how I was able to learn about the Vermont MIDI Project, as well as how it was established, and how it has evolved over time into a very successful project in music education. It is amazing how technology through the Vermont MIDI Project has allowed so many students to have a unique musical experience. I particularly liked how the article mentioned that through the project, “students acquire confidence in a new mode of self-expression, enjoy greater self-esteem, and gain greater respect for the effort that goes into creating the music they hear every day” (Estrella 5), as well as learning how to accept constructive criticism. These are excellent qualities because, even if students do not make music a career, they are gaining an appreciation for music and learning lessons that will benefit them in all aspects of life. I think that the Vermont MIDI Project is one of many examples of how great a resource that technology can be in music education. With creativity, the possibilities for enhancing and meeting the standards of a music education are endless as one considers the many ways that technology can be utilized in music.
As I read the article, “Creative Thinking and Music Technology,” I was thrilled to find that I have utilized some of the suggestions for using technology in my own music classes. For example, I have always found it extremely useful to play recordings of pieces that students are playing in order to help them to develop ideas about how to perform the pieces of music. I liked the idea of using an mp3 player to play audio clips for the students. In addition, I am currently trying to start a listening log for my students, so that they can hear a variety of music in order to expand their musical concepts in hopes of making them better performers. My idea is to begin by playing recordings from a variety of music genres on a weekly basis to expose students to different types of music to help develop their appreciation of music. This is a basic start to the idea, so hopefully it can evolve over time. Along with exposing my students to recordings, I have found it extremely valuable to record my ensembles so that I may more critically critique them, as well as to allow the students to self-critique themselves. I have found this idea valuable because it allows students to more easily recognize their proficiencies and deficiencies, which ultimately helps them to improve. However, another aspect that the article mentioned that would be a great extension to this concept would be to do a comparison of a recording that was done early in the rehearsal process versus a polished recording to show the students the progress they had made, which may help to build confidence in their abilities. Also, as the article mentioned about email and course management systems, I have found email to be an invaluable form of communication with students and parents. In addition, although I have not used a course management system such as Blackboard or WebCT to teach a course, I have found it helpful to use a digital grade book, Progressbook, to communicate information about grades and the classes to students and parents. Email and a digital grade system have seemed to help keep everyone more informed.
Along with some of the aforementioned ideas that were highlighted in the article, I have had some basic experience with using notation software, for music education. I have experimented with some of the basic uses of notation software such as using it to write parts, or have students experiment with composition. However, it was interesting to discover how many ways that notation software can be used. For example, the article “Creative Thinking and Music Technology” mentioned the use of the playback feature of notation software to demonstrate musicality to students. In addition to this concept, I was impressed with the capabilities of Sibelius for the music educator. I have understood the basic notation features of Sibelius; however, after reading about the music education applications of Sibelius through the Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software, I was amazed by the capabilities of Sibelius and all the items that I could use to enhance the musical experiences of my students. Features such as the ability to add note names and fingering, and the ability to re-orchestrate parts and create accompaniment parts could have a vital role in a performance-based music class. The ability to add note names and fingerings could provide an opportunity to make accommodations for special needs students or to help provide scaffolding for struggling students or students who have just switched to a new instrument. It could also provide students with the experience of performing in a small ensemble by using the feature of creating an arrangement for student performance. It also seems fun to have the students try to create their own arrangements. I was also amazed to see how many options there are for creating exercises and worksheets. With these abilities in Sibelius, it makes it relatively easy for an educator to provide solutions to areas of difficulty for students. As I continue to explore Sibelius, it will be enlightening to experiment with all the features that are available and to see how they may help enhance the music learning process.
In addition to the many ideas that I have had some experience with through my own teaching, it was interesting to see the numerous other ways that technology has been used or could be used in music education. I thought the idea to use technology to create a film score was an interesting idea. Students seem to enjoy performing movie music, and this would be an excellent opportunity for them to create and possibly even perform their own movie music. This might even provide a chance to create an interdisciplinary lesson. Another opportunity to utilize technology could be through creating multimedia presentations. As the article on “Creative Thinking and Music Technology” mentioned, students could create a presentation on a composer. However, students may also be able to incorporate their own performance into a multimedia presentation that could be used for assessment, or maybe even to create a great memory for the students in the future. Along with some of the creative ideas mentioned in the article, “Creative Thinking and Music Technology,” it was also interesting to learn about some uses of technology in music education that have been extremely successful. The example that I was able to explore through my reading was the Vermont MIDI Project. I appreciated how I was able to learn about the Vermont MIDI Project, as well as how it was established, and how it has evolved over time into a very successful project in music education. It is amazing how technology through the Vermont MIDI Project has allowed so many students to have a unique musical experience. I particularly liked how the article mentioned that through the project, “students acquire confidence in a new mode of self-expression, enjoy greater self-esteem, and gain greater respect for the effort that goes into creating the music they hear every day” (Estrella 5), as well as learning how to accept constructive criticism. These are excellent qualities because, even if students do not make music a career, they are gaining an appreciation for music and learning lessons that will benefit them in all aspects of life. I think that the Vermont MIDI Project is one of many examples of how great a resource that technology can be in music education. With creativity, the possibilities for enhancing and meeting the standards of a music education are endless as one considers the many ways that technology can be utilized in music.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
PLN Resource 2 (MENC: The National Association for Music Education)
MENC: The National Association for Music Education
URL: http://menc.org/
As I was reading through my PLN resources, my attention was continually focused on the MENC website (http://menc.org/). MENC is the National Association for Music Educators. Although this is an organization that I am familiar with, as I am sure many other students and educators are familiar with as well as, I still found it to be an excellent resource. The MENC website has a plethora of information regarding music education as well as opportunities for students and educators. As I was reading through the articles that come into the Google Reader, I saw an article about the All American Marching Band, a group that one of the students at our high school will be involved in and is extremely excited about. This example demonstrated just one of the many opportunities that educators can expose their students to through the MENC website. In addition, the website can provide educators with references and information about many topics related to music education. There are links to information about band, choir, jazz, general music and much more. In addition, the website lets music teachers see and learn about how other music educators teach music. There are ideas for lessons as well as concepts that worked well for others. This is a great way for educators to expand their horizons and try to implement new concepts into their own teaching. Along with reading about other lessons, one can interact with other teachers and discuss music education issues. There are music forums, as well as links to contact mentor teachers to discuss issues. Along with the many educational benefits of the website, there are also many resources supporting and advocating music education. With the tough economic times that our nation is currently facing, a resource could prove to be invaluable in helping to promote and defend a music education program. Although this is a source that I have been exposed to in the past, I continue to be impressed with the new information that I can find at the MENC website and I am sure it will continue to be a valuable resource in the future.
URL: http://menc.org/
As I was reading through my PLN resources, my attention was continually focused on the MENC website (http://menc.org/). MENC is the National Association for Music Educators. Although this is an organization that I am familiar with, as I am sure many other students and educators are familiar with as well as, I still found it to be an excellent resource. The MENC website has a plethora of information regarding music education as well as opportunities for students and educators. As I was reading through the articles that come into the Google Reader, I saw an article about the All American Marching Band, a group that one of the students at our high school will be involved in and is extremely excited about. This example demonstrated just one of the many opportunities that educators can expose their students to through the MENC website. In addition, the website can provide educators with references and information about many topics related to music education. There are links to information about band, choir, jazz, general music and much more. In addition, the website lets music teachers see and learn about how other music educators teach music. There are ideas for lessons as well as concepts that worked well for others. This is a great way for educators to expand their horizons and try to implement new concepts into their own teaching. Along with reading about other lessons, one can interact with other teachers and discuss music education issues. There are music forums, as well as links to contact mentor teachers to discuss issues. Along with the many educational benefits of the website, there are also many resources supporting and advocating music education. With the tough economic times that our nation is currently facing, a resource could prove to be invaluable in helping to promote and defend a music education program. Although this is a source that I have been exposed to in the past, I continue to be impressed with the new information that I can find at the MENC website and I am sure it will continue to be a valuable resource in the future.
Notation Software
Having utilized notation software in my education and teaching experiences, it was interesting to read about and to gain more knowledge about the capabilities and uses of notation software in music education. It was fascinating to find how all three articles provided similar uses for notation software, as well as some of their own unique ideas. It was also exciting and reassuring for me to discover that many of the uses that the authors describe for notation software are concepts that I have used or that I am currently utilizing in my own teaching. However, it was also interesting to learn about some of the different ways that notation programs are being utilized for music education and how I may be able to incorporate them into my own teaching. Also, through reading the articles, I believe that I have been opened up to a great deal more possibilities as I continue to use and learn about music notation software.
As I read the articles about notation software, I discovered that many of the uses the authors provide for notation software are ideas that I am already using myself. Although many of the uses are basic and obvious uses for notation software, it was nice to see that I am making some productive use of my notation software. For example, the authors mentioned using notation software to rewrite, or to create new or more legible parts for students to use. I have found myself doing this many times. I have come across many pieces in my music library that are missing a part. Therefore, to have parts for all the students to play, I have utilized notation software to create parts from the score so that all the parts are available to students. In addition, it has been helpful to cover parts for instruments that I do not have in my ensemble or have a limited number of in my ensemble. For example, I have used notation software to create a part for a different instrument to help fill out all the parts in a piece. With notation software, I have found this to be a much easier task than transposing or converting music by hand. In addition, I have found the articles to be particularly relevant as I am preparing my eighth grade band for a performance with the high school marching band. A concept that was mentioned by the articles, and I have considered myself, but not taken full advantage of, is using notation software to create more legible parts for students to read. In my preparation for our marching band performance, some of the music is hand-written and I have found that many of the students are asking questions about notes because they are not used to reading hand-written manuscript. With notation software I could re-write the parts to make them easier for the students to read, which would probably eliminate many questions about notes and help to make more efficient use of rehearsal time. In addition, through the marching band performance preparation, I have seen how valuable notation software can be when having an instrument that is not typically written for in marching band music. I have an oboe player in my eighth grade band, which is great; however, there are no oboe parts in any of the arrangements that we will be performing. Therefore, notation software has made it easier to create an oboe part from an already existing part through the input and transposition features of my music notation program. In addition to the re-writing and creating of new parts, I have also found some of the other features of notation software that were mentioned to be very useful in my education and teaching experiences. For example, I have found notation software useful when I have had to do composition projects because I was able to use notation software to more easily write the music as well as for playback to hear what I was composing. In addition, notation software has been useful in arranging music. I have found a melody to a song and I have been able to create arrangements for small ensembles. This has been particularly useful when we have students play holiday carols in small groups and we need different instrumentations of the music to meet class needs. I have also found notation software to be extremely useful, as the articles mentioned, for the creation of warm-up exercises and worksheets for the students. In order to facilitate the warm-up process for my ensembles, I have used notation software to create warm-up exercises that meet the specific needs of my ensembles. I have also used the worksheet features of Sibelius to create worksheets to use for my students. For example, it has been easy to quickly create exercises and worksheets about note reading and rhythm values that I have used with my fifth grade students to help them learn basic musical concepts. Along with my own uses for notation software, I have also attempted to use notation software for student learning and composition. As the articles mentioned, I think a valuable use of notation software is for teaching musical concepts such as composition to students. Although my experience is limited, I have taken students to the computer lab to learn about and experiment with notational software. The students always seem to have fun with this activity.
Through my experiences, I have already found notation software to be extremely valuable; however, after reading the articles, I learned that there are many other ways that I could be using music notation software for music education. There are many features of music notation software that I think I take for granted, such as the music playback feature. However, after reading the articles I have realized that there are many more possibilities for music notation software than I have already experimented with in my experience. For example, the articles mentioned using the playback features of the software for listening activities. Students may have to listen to musical excerpts and then write out a portion of the melody that has been hidden from their view, helping with ear-training. In addition, playback features could be used for practice and testing. Through my experience, it has been helpful to have a recording to use as scaffolding for the students. With the playback features, tempos and expression can be added that the students could match in practice or for a playing test. In addition, I think that it could be valuable to use notation software to show students how their parts fit together in a piece of music. A teacher could show the students a score and then play the music for the students, showing them how the parts fit together. I also thought that it was interesting to find that notation software could be used to analyze pieces. I did not realize that notation software could search and find like features in pieces. This could also be helpful in performance because it could allow students to identify like parts in music so that they could practice the music more efficiently, helping them to build confidence. In addition, students could have the valuable experience of experimenting with arranging and musical timbres through the copy and paste and transposition features of notation programs. I also think that it could be valuable to give students a more in-depth experience with composition. Additionally, I thought that it was interesting to learn about the capabilities of notation software to create musical selections for use in other documents or to even create written documents in the notation software in the music itself. This is a tool that could be invaluable to me as I continue my education and teaching.
With all the capabilities that music notation software has, it truly can be an invaluable tool. As the articles stated, there are many ways that notation programs can be used in music education to simplify the process of creating and learning about music. However, as with all technology, it takes time to learn and utilize, but once one learns about the many features of these programs, the possibilities are limitless. I look forward to continuing to utilize music notation software for the many tasks that I already use it for as well as to learn and implement many of the other features that could be beneficial in music education.
As I read the articles about notation software, I discovered that many of the uses the authors provide for notation software are ideas that I am already using myself. Although many of the uses are basic and obvious uses for notation software, it was nice to see that I am making some productive use of my notation software. For example, the authors mentioned using notation software to rewrite, or to create new or more legible parts for students to use. I have found myself doing this many times. I have come across many pieces in my music library that are missing a part. Therefore, to have parts for all the students to play, I have utilized notation software to create parts from the score so that all the parts are available to students. In addition, it has been helpful to cover parts for instruments that I do not have in my ensemble or have a limited number of in my ensemble. For example, I have used notation software to create a part for a different instrument to help fill out all the parts in a piece. With notation software, I have found this to be a much easier task than transposing or converting music by hand. In addition, I have found the articles to be particularly relevant as I am preparing my eighth grade band for a performance with the high school marching band. A concept that was mentioned by the articles, and I have considered myself, but not taken full advantage of, is using notation software to create more legible parts for students to read. In my preparation for our marching band performance, some of the music is hand-written and I have found that many of the students are asking questions about notes because they are not used to reading hand-written manuscript. With notation software I could re-write the parts to make them easier for the students to read, which would probably eliminate many questions about notes and help to make more efficient use of rehearsal time. In addition, through the marching band performance preparation, I have seen how valuable notation software can be when having an instrument that is not typically written for in marching band music. I have an oboe player in my eighth grade band, which is great; however, there are no oboe parts in any of the arrangements that we will be performing. Therefore, notation software has made it easier to create an oboe part from an already existing part through the input and transposition features of my music notation program. In addition to the re-writing and creating of new parts, I have also found some of the other features of notation software that were mentioned to be very useful in my education and teaching experiences. For example, I have found notation software useful when I have had to do composition projects because I was able to use notation software to more easily write the music as well as for playback to hear what I was composing. In addition, notation software has been useful in arranging music. I have found a melody to a song and I have been able to create arrangements for small ensembles. This has been particularly useful when we have students play holiday carols in small groups and we need different instrumentations of the music to meet class needs. I have also found notation software to be extremely useful, as the articles mentioned, for the creation of warm-up exercises and worksheets for the students. In order to facilitate the warm-up process for my ensembles, I have used notation software to create warm-up exercises that meet the specific needs of my ensembles. I have also used the worksheet features of Sibelius to create worksheets to use for my students. For example, it has been easy to quickly create exercises and worksheets about note reading and rhythm values that I have used with my fifth grade students to help them learn basic musical concepts. Along with my own uses for notation software, I have also attempted to use notation software for student learning and composition. As the articles mentioned, I think a valuable use of notation software is for teaching musical concepts such as composition to students. Although my experience is limited, I have taken students to the computer lab to learn about and experiment with notational software. The students always seem to have fun with this activity.
Through my experiences, I have already found notation software to be extremely valuable; however, after reading the articles, I learned that there are many other ways that I could be using music notation software for music education. There are many features of music notation software that I think I take for granted, such as the music playback feature. However, after reading the articles I have realized that there are many more possibilities for music notation software than I have already experimented with in my experience. For example, the articles mentioned using the playback features of the software for listening activities. Students may have to listen to musical excerpts and then write out a portion of the melody that has been hidden from their view, helping with ear-training. In addition, playback features could be used for practice and testing. Through my experience, it has been helpful to have a recording to use as scaffolding for the students. With the playback features, tempos and expression can be added that the students could match in practice or for a playing test. In addition, I think that it could be valuable to use notation software to show students how their parts fit together in a piece of music. A teacher could show the students a score and then play the music for the students, showing them how the parts fit together. I also thought that it was interesting to find that notation software could be used to analyze pieces. I did not realize that notation software could search and find like features in pieces. This could also be helpful in performance because it could allow students to identify like parts in music so that they could practice the music more efficiently, helping them to build confidence. In addition, students could have the valuable experience of experimenting with arranging and musical timbres through the copy and paste and transposition features of notation programs. I also think that it could be valuable to give students a more in-depth experience with composition. Additionally, I thought that it was interesting to learn about the capabilities of notation software to create musical selections for use in other documents or to even create written documents in the notation software in the music itself. This is a tool that could be invaluable to me as I continue my education and teaching.
With all the capabilities that music notation software has, it truly can be an invaluable tool. As the articles stated, there are many ways that notation programs can be used in music education to simplify the process of creating and learning about music. However, as with all technology, it takes time to learn and utilize, but once one learns about the many features of these programs, the possibilities are limitless. I look forward to continuing to utilize music notation software for the many tasks that I already use it for as well as to learn and implement many of the other features that could be beneficial in music education.
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