Aviary Audio Editor: Myna
URL: http://aviary.com/tools/Myna
As I was searching my PLN resources this week, I came across a post for the Aviary Audio Editor, Myna (http://aviary.com/tools/Myna), on the Aviary website (http://aviary.com/). Aviary is a site that provides online applications for tasks such as photo-editing, logos, web template, and more, including its newest release, an audio editor called Myna. Myna is an online application for remixing sound tracks and audio clips, as well as providing the ability to record in sound and add effects and loops. I thought this site was interesting because the audio editor is similar in nature to Garage Band, which we are currently working with in class.
The Aviary Audio Editor, Myna, is not as powerful as Garage Band; however, I still think that it can be a valuable tool for music education. I feel that Myna can be valuable because it is an online application, which anyone can access, and it can be used for free. This is an advantage because even though Garage Band offers greater capabilities, it is only available on Mac computers, which not everyone has access to use. Therefore, I feel that Myna could be a valuable educational tool because it can provide students with a basic experience with audio editing and mixing. I think that Garage Band is a program that students would really enjoy using, but without Mac computers it is challenging to provide them with the experience, and I think Myna can be a way to give students a sampling of a similar program.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Del.icio.us, Wikis, and Social Bookmarking
In regards to the internet and web resources, I have always been a little overwhelmed with the amount of information available and how to sift through the information to find valuable resources. However, as I continue to proceed through this class, I am discovering that there are ways to better handle and sort through the vast amount of information that is available through the internet. Earlier in the class I discovered Google Reader and how it can help to organize information. Then more recently, through the article about del.icio.us and the activities about wikis and social bookmarking that I have been going through, I am realizing that there are many tools available to help organize and extrapolate the value of web resources to enhance searching the internet for valuable information.
I felt that the article on del.icio.us and the activities related to wikis and social bookmarking provided an excellent introduction into the value and uses of wikis, and social bookmarking and del.icio.us in particular. I thought that it was interesting to discover how easy it is to connect so many people in an organized manner to share information. With some background on how to use these resources, as we are currently receiving, these tools can be valuable assets to me and other educators for years to come. In particular, wikis and social bookmarking tools, such as del.icio.us, can provide music educators with a means to identify and sort through important music related websites and software. Not only do these tools help to gather and determine the value of resources, they also provide the ability to continually update and refine information so that music educators can remain current and follow the latest trends and resources available to music educators.
As I am learning, wikis are one of the valuable tools that can have many applications in music education. Wikis provide an easy way to collect and share information amongst many people. As we are doing in class, by creating a wiki of music software, wikis provide music educators with a means to share information and organize knowledge that they gain with others. This helps create a set of resources that music educators can access to discover the resources that will best aid them and their students. In addition to creating a list of resources, as we are doing for our software project, a wiki can provide music educators with the opportunity to share ideas such as lesson plans. For example, a music educator can create a lesson plan that can be shared with other music teachers, or a group of music teachers may work together to create a lesson on a particular music topic through the continual update of the wiki. Along with the ability to provide and share information on a wiki, they provide the opportunity to continually update and improve information. Again, for example, if music educators were creating a lesson plan, after attempting the lesson, music teachers could go back to the lesson and edit it to reflect the ideas that worked well and the areas that needed improvement, which will help all the teachers that are working with the lesson. In addition to concepts such as creating music lesson plans and sharing ideas about music software, wikis could be used to create a source of information for many other music related topics. For example, it could be used as a database of information about musical repertoire that could continue to grow and be used by music teachers to help select the best materials to use to teach their students.
Along with wikis, social bookmarking sites, such as del.icio.us, can provide innumerable applications in the area of music education. Like wikis, social bookmarking sites provide a valuable way for music educators to organize and share information. I think that del.icio.us, and social bookmarking in general, provide music educators with a great way to sift through the vast amount of information available on the internet. As I stated earlier, the information found on the internet can be overwhelming; however, with social bookmarking, music educators can better discover resources that will be helpful to them because they can search through a site such as del.icio.us and discover the resources that other music educators also deemed valuable or useful. This helps to improve and limit the resources that one discovers. In addition, with the ability to add tags and descriptions of websites, a music educator can more easily search and discover the sites and information for which he/she is looking. Also, the feature to sort tags by frequency helps to establish the importance of concepts for someone searching the site. Therefore, if a music educator wants to access information about a particular topic, he/she can more easily discover important information, and perhaps more importantly, information that other music educators have established as pertinent. Like wikis, another advantage of social bookmarking is the ability to share information and continually enhance and update the information that is available. Through social bookmarking, one is not only creating a source of information for himself/herself, he/she is able to share that information with others. Therefore, music educators can also see what resources other music educators are collecting. Social bookmarking also provides the opportunity to continually add and remove links as well as tags and descriptions and to continue to expand networks, which will ultimately provide an advancing resource for all involved over time. For example, social bookmarking can be used by music educators to discover the best resources and materials available to create music lessons, or to discover the best ways to teach students particular performance skills or highlight the materials available for student practice. With the time constraints that all music educators face, and the vast amount of information available, social bookmarking sites, such as del.icio.us, and wikis provide music educators with more efficient ways to manage material and search for information. This ability will help music educators refine their teaching and provide students with the best possible music education that they can.
I felt that the article on del.icio.us and the activities related to wikis and social bookmarking provided an excellent introduction into the value and uses of wikis, and social bookmarking and del.icio.us in particular. I thought that it was interesting to discover how easy it is to connect so many people in an organized manner to share information. With some background on how to use these resources, as we are currently receiving, these tools can be valuable assets to me and other educators for years to come. In particular, wikis and social bookmarking tools, such as del.icio.us, can provide music educators with a means to identify and sort through important music related websites and software. Not only do these tools help to gather and determine the value of resources, they also provide the ability to continually update and refine information so that music educators can remain current and follow the latest trends and resources available to music educators.
As I am learning, wikis are one of the valuable tools that can have many applications in music education. Wikis provide an easy way to collect and share information amongst many people. As we are doing in class, by creating a wiki of music software, wikis provide music educators with a means to share information and organize knowledge that they gain with others. This helps create a set of resources that music educators can access to discover the resources that will best aid them and their students. In addition to creating a list of resources, as we are doing for our software project, a wiki can provide music educators with the opportunity to share ideas such as lesson plans. For example, a music educator can create a lesson plan that can be shared with other music teachers, or a group of music teachers may work together to create a lesson on a particular music topic through the continual update of the wiki. Along with the ability to provide and share information on a wiki, they provide the opportunity to continually update and improve information. Again, for example, if music educators were creating a lesson plan, after attempting the lesson, music teachers could go back to the lesson and edit it to reflect the ideas that worked well and the areas that needed improvement, which will help all the teachers that are working with the lesson. In addition to concepts such as creating music lesson plans and sharing ideas about music software, wikis could be used to create a source of information for many other music related topics. For example, it could be used as a database of information about musical repertoire that could continue to grow and be used by music teachers to help select the best materials to use to teach their students.
Along with wikis, social bookmarking sites, such as del.icio.us, can provide innumerable applications in the area of music education. Like wikis, social bookmarking sites provide a valuable way for music educators to organize and share information. I think that del.icio.us, and social bookmarking in general, provide music educators with a great way to sift through the vast amount of information available on the internet. As I stated earlier, the information found on the internet can be overwhelming; however, with social bookmarking, music educators can better discover resources that will be helpful to them because they can search through a site such as del.icio.us and discover the resources that other music educators also deemed valuable or useful. This helps to improve and limit the resources that one discovers. In addition, with the ability to add tags and descriptions of websites, a music educator can more easily search and discover the sites and information for which he/she is looking. Also, the feature to sort tags by frequency helps to establish the importance of concepts for someone searching the site. Therefore, if a music educator wants to access information about a particular topic, he/she can more easily discover important information, and perhaps more importantly, information that other music educators have established as pertinent. Like wikis, another advantage of social bookmarking is the ability to share information and continually enhance and update the information that is available. Through social bookmarking, one is not only creating a source of information for himself/herself, he/she is able to share that information with others. Therefore, music educators can also see what resources other music educators are collecting. Social bookmarking also provides the opportunity to continually add and remove links as well as tags and descriptions and to continue to expand networks, which will ultimately provide an advancing resource for all involved over time. For example, social bookmarking can be used by music educators to discover the best resources and materials available to create music lessons, or to discover the best ways to teach students particular performance skills or highlight the materials available for student practice. With the time constraints that all music educators face, and the vast amount of information available, social bookmarking sites, such as del.icio.us, and wikis provide music educators with more efficient ways to manage material and search for information. This ability will help music educators refine their teaching and provide students with the best possible music education that they can.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
PLN Resource 7 (TEDtalks Performances)
TEDtalks Performances
URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/browse
Last week, as I was researching my PLN resources, I found the resource “TEDtalks” to be an extremely valuable resource containing video presentations on a variety of topics including music. As I was searching my PLN resources this week, I was once again drawn to “TEDtalks” (http://www.ted.com/talks/browse); however, not for lecture presentations, but for videos of musical performances. On the “TEDtalks” website there is a section devoted to musical performances, and included are performances from a wide variety of musical genres, ranging from classical music, to jazz music, to world music and more. As I searched the site, I was able to see many interesting performances. For example, I saw a performance of Indian music by Vishal Vaid called “Hypnotic Song” (http://www.ted.com/talks/vishal_vaid_s_hypnotic_song.html). I was intrigued by this piece because it was a different piece with a nice groove, and a “hypnotic,” ethereal melody performed on ethnic instruments. In addition, I experienced a smooth and upbeat guitar piece with vocals performed by South African singer, Vusi Mahlasela (http://www.ted.com/talks/vusi_mahlasela_s_encore_at_tedglobal2007.html).
As a music educator, I am always looking for ways to expose my students to a wide variety of music, and to help them to develop an appreciation for all types of music. From my experience, students are usually comfortable with popular music or another type of music that they enjoy, and they do not typically leave their comfort zone to experience different types of music. That is why I believe the site “TEDtalks” is such a valuable resource. The site contains music from numerous musical genres. Therefore, the “TEDtalks” performances can be used to expose students to a wide variety of music, including world music performances as I saw this week. This may lead students to discover different types of music that they may enjoy, and it would even help them learn about different cultures of the world and the various types of music that people listen to and create. In addition, having a resource with videos of world music and other music performances could lead to cross-curricular activities where students may learn about world cultures along with hearing their music.
URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/browse
Last week, as I was researching my PLN resources, I found the resource “TEDtalks” to be an extremely valuable resource containing video presentations on a variety of topics including music. As I was searching my PLN resources this week, I was once again drawn to “TEDtalks” (http://www.ted.com/talks/browse); however, not for lecture presentations, but for videos of musical performances. On the “TEDtalks” website there is a section devoted to musical performances, and included are performances from a wide variety of musical genres, ranging from classical music, to jazz music, to world music and more. As I searched the site, I was able to see many interesting performances. For example, I saw a performance of Indian music by Vishal Vaid called “Hypnotic Song” (http://www.ted.com/talks/vishal_vaid_s_hypnotic_song.html). I was intrigued by this piece because it was a different piece with a nice groove, and a “hypnotic,” ethereal melody performed on ethnic instruments. In addition, I experienced a smooth and upbeat guitar piece with vocals performed by South African singer, Vusi Mahlasela (http://www.ted.com/talks/vusi_mahlasela_s_encore_at_tedglobal2007.html).
As a music educator, I am always looking for ways to expose my students to a wide variety of music, and to help them to develop an appreciation for all types of music. From my experience, students are usually comfortable with popular music or another type of music that they enjoy, and they do not typically leave their comfort zone to experience different types of music. That is why I believe the site “TEDtalks” is such a valuable resource. The site contains music from numerous musical genres. Therefore, the “TEDtalks” performances can be used to expose students to a wide variety of music, including world music performances as I saw this week. This may lead students to discover different types of music that they may enjoy, and it would even help them learn about different cultures of the world and the various types of music that people listen to and create. In addition, having a resource with videos of world music and other music performances could lead to cross-curricular activities where students may learn about world cultures along with hearing their music.
Music Education Technology
As I read through the week’s articles, I came to realize that there are a plethora of options in regards to music software, and ways to present that software to students. When I was reading the articles, I was able to recognize many of the technologies presented; however, it was also interesting to learn about other technologies in music and to get a more in-depth concept of the materials that I have heard of in the past. Reading about all the options from drill-and-practice software to game-based software and internet-based resources available to help students learn music made me even more aware that there endless possibilities for presenting musical concepts to students.
As I discovered some of the technology options available, I was able to think about how those options could enhance my students’ musical experiences and how they may respond to such technologies. Through the information provided in the readings, and from my experience, I think that music technology programs that are available to help learn music would present exciting ways to enrich musical experiences for students. From my experiences, as the articles mentioned, students seem to connect with technology, and they seem to focus better when they are presented material using technology. Anytime I have presented material to students utilizing technology, the students seem to respond positively. For example, when I mention that we will go to the computer lab to work with Finale Notepad, the students get excited. In addition, when I presented a piece of music using Sibelius, the students were more focused and engaged than when I just gave them a piece of music. Therefore, I think that utilizing some of the technology options mentioned in the articles would greatly benefit the students.
As mentioned in the articles, there are software options that can enhance music learning for almost any music topic imaginable. The technologies can provide practice and reinforcement of the concepts that a teacher presents to the students. Even though almost all the options available seemed as if they could be useful in some manner, there were a few pieces of software that caught my attention in particular. One such piece of software, which was mentioned in the articles “Automatic Accompaniment Generators,” and in the computer-aided instruction article, was Smart Music. As an educator, I am constantly seeking better ways to assess my students. The Smart Music program provides a means for students to evaluate themselves as well as provides evidence to the teacher for assessment purposes. In addition, the program can provide tools to help motivate students to practice their instruments, which is always a constant challenge, and to provide the students with support when they are practicing. Students can access accompaniments and other musical devices, such as tuners, that can help them to develop their musical skills. The students can also record their practice and have the program analyze their playing. These are all ideas that I believe would be extremely valuable to an instrumental music student’s development. The one downfall that I did notice was that students must have a subscription, which would cost about twenty dollars a student. Another set of resources that was particularly appealing were the internet-based resources. Many of these resources are free, unlike some of the other products. This attribute makes the internet-based resources easily accessible to students and easier for teachers to utilize. I have had personal experience using some of the web-based resources, such as the New York Philharmonic KidsZone and Arts Edge and they provide quality information that is presented in an appealing manner for students. In addition to the aforementioned resources, I also found it interesting to discover the many other products that are available, and how I may be able to use those products to make music learning more interesting as well as to discover more and varied means to teach material through the teacher resources.
Along with the software available to enhance music teaching and learning, I thought that it was interesting to learn more about some of the means that are available to present the music products to the students. I found the articles on interactive white boards interesting. In my school system many of the classroom teachers have interactive white boards and there are many training sessions to help those teachers utilize the technology. Unfortunately, I have not been able to acquire interactive white board technology for my classroom; therefore, I have not been able to experience some of the seminars on the technology. As a result, I thought that it was interesting to learn about the many different types of interactive white boards available. I have seen Smart Boards and Mimio Boards at my school, but I did not realize that there are so many other options available. Also, it was exciting to learn about some of the applications of interactive white boards, and I think they could be valuable tools. Interactive white boards provide another form of technology to help engage the students. With interactive white boards, students can be exposed to musical concepts, such as notation and composition, and then interact with software in the classroom setting. Interactive white boards allow the music teacher to add a visual element to their teaching, in addition to the auditory modality that is typically utilized. This will only help enhance student learning.
In addition to the ways that interactive white boards are used to present music material, I found it interesting to learn how “One Computer Can Deliver Whole-Class Instruction.” Funding is often a problem for music educators, and although a great deal of the music software mentioned is extremely appealing and can be extremely valuable, it is not always affordable and practical with the budget limitations in many schools today. Therefore, it was interesting to learn how music technology can be made available to music students even when there is only one computer available in the classroom. I thought the ideas Kirk Kassner provided were very engaging and entertaining for students. In the article Kassner mentioned creating games to help engage the students in music learning with a single computer. I think that this is an excellent approach because it helps keep all the students involved, despite the fact that not all students are directly working with a program at every moment. I thought that the game ideas as well as the learning station strategies provided excellent ways to help make a situation with limited resources valuable and manageable. I thought the ideas were practical and could provide students in schools with limited resources a way to expose students to all the valuable music technology that is available today.
As I discovered some of the technology options available, I was able to think about how those options could enhance my students’ musical experiences and how they may respond to such technologies. Through the information provided in the readings, and from my experience, I think that music technology programs that are available to help learn music would present exciting ways to enrich musical experiences for students. From my experiences, as the articles mentioned, students seem to connect with technology, and they seem to focus better when they are presented material using technology. Anytime I have presented material to students utilizing technology, the students seem to respond positively. For example, when I mention that we will go to the computer lab to work with Finale Notepad, the students get excited. In addition, when I presented a piece of music using Sibelius, the students were more focused and engaged than when I just gave them a piece of music. Therefore, I think that utilizing some of the technology options mentioned in the articles would greatly benefit the students.
As mentioned in the articles, there are software options that can enhance music learning for almost any music topic imaginable. The technologies can provide practice and reinforcement of the concepts that a teacher presents to the students. Even though almost all the options available seemed as if they could be useful in some manner, there were a few pieces of software that caught my attention in particular. One such piece of software, which was mentioned in the articles “Automatic Accompaniment Generators,” and in the computer-aided instruction article, was Smart Music. As an educator, I am constantly seeking better ways to assess my students. The Smart Music program provides a means for students to evaluate themselves as well as provides evidence to the teacher for assessment purposes. In addition, the program can provide tools to help motivate students to practice their instruments, which is always a constant challenge, and to provide the students with support when they are practicing. Students can access accompaniments and other musical devices, such as tuners, that can help them to develop their musical skills. The students can also record their practice and have the program analyze their playing. These are all ideas that I believe would be extremely valuable to an instrumental music student’s development. The one downfall that I did notice was that students must have a subscription, which would cost about twenty dollars a student. Another set of resources that was particularly appealing were the internet-based resources. Many of these resources are free, unlike some of the other products. This attribute makes the internet-based resources easily accessible to students and easier for teachers to utilize. I have had personal experience using some of the web-based resources, such as the New York Philharmonic KidsZone and Arts Edge and they provide quality information that is presented in an appealing manner for students. In addition to the aforementioned resources, I also found it interesting to discover the many other products that are available, and how I may be able to use those products to make music learning more interesting as well as to discover more and varied means to teach material through the teacher resources.
Along with the software available to enhance music teaching and learning, I thought that it was interesting to learn more about some of the means that are available to present the music products to the students. I found the articles on interactive white boards interesting. In my school system many of the classroom teachers have interactive white boards and there are many training sessions to help those teachers utilize the technology. Unfortunately, I have not been able to acquire interactive white board technology for my classroom; therefore, I have not been able to experience some of the seminars on the technology. As a result, I thought that it was interesting to learn about the many different types of interactive white boards available. I have seen Smart Boards and Mimio Boards at my school, but I did not realize that there are so many other options available. Also, it was exciting to learn about some of the applications of interactive white boards, and I think they could be valuable tools. Interactive white boards provide another form of technology to help engage the students. With interactive white boards, students can be exposed to musical concepts, such as notation and composition, and then interact with software in the classroom setting. Interactive white boards allow the music teacher to add a visual element to their teaching, in addition to the auditory modality that is typically utilized. This will only help enhance student learning.
In addition to the ways that interactive white boards are used to present music material, I found it interesting to learn how “One Computer Can Deliver Whole-Class Instruction.” Funding is often a problem for music educators, and although a great deal of the music software mentioned is extremely appealing and can be extremely valuable, it is not always affordable and practical with the budget limitations in many schools today. Therefore, it was interesting to learn how music technology can be made available to music students even when there is only one computer available in the classroom. I thought the ideas Kirk Kassner provided were very engaging and entertaining for students. In the article Kassner mentioned creating games to help engage the students in music learning with a single computer. I think that this is an excellent approach because it helps keep all the students involved, despite the fact that not all students are directly working with a program at every moment. I thought that the game ideas as well as the learning station strategies provided excellent ways to help make a situation with limited resources valuable and manageable. I thought the ideas were practical and could provide students in schools with limited resources a way to expose students to all the valuable music technology that is available today.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
PLN Resource 6 (TEDtalks)
TEDtalks
URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/browse
URL for Benjamin Zander video on music and passion: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
As I was searching my PLN resources, I discovered an extremely interesting resource. The resource that I discovered was “TEDtalks” (http://www.ted.com/talks/browse). “TEDtalks” is a website that contains video archives of presentations on numerous subjects with “ideas worth spreading.” “TED” is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Although the acronym is for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, the scope of the talks are far vaster. Since the site encompasses a broad range of topics, I focused on the “Arts” section of the site that provided talks and performance related to music. Through my search, I discovered a particularly interesting video presentation by Benjamin Zander on music and passion. The discussion was about different types of music, leading into a discussion about classical music, and how everyone can have a passion for classical music. The presentation was a lecture type discussion; however, it was a very entertaining program in which Benjamin Zander was able to appeal to the entire audience, making an incredibly persuasive case for how everyone can relate to and have a passion for classical music.
As an educator and an advocate for helping students develop an appreciation for all types of music, I thought that the TEDtalks video presentation by Benjamin Zander was an extremely valuable resource. The video gave me a new perspective on classical music and how it can relate to everyone, and this is something I believe could appeal to students as well. I really appreciated how Benjamin Zander did not “sugarcoat” classical music to make it appealing, but he drew on the emotion of the music to make it relate to everyone. I think that this concept is important because it can give people a better appreciation for the music.
From my experience, students seem to be “turned-off” to classical music before they even give it a chance. If I give students an opportunity to play recordings for the class, I almost always get examples of pop music or rock music. In addition, when I play musical examples for students, they almost always enjoy the rock and pop music examples, and dislike the classical music example. However, I feel that the students do not even give classical music a chance. Students will sigh with dismay at having to listen to classical music. However, I think if someone can show students how the music relates to them, as was done in the video, the students can develop a passion for the music. I also think that this could apply to any type of music, including pieces that students are performing in class. For this reason, I think that it would even be valuable to show students the presentation by Benjamin Zander to help them open up to different types of music. I also think that teachers could learn from the passion and leadership that Benjamin Zander displays in this video to help convey passion about music to their own students. If you would like to see the Benjamin Zander video on TEDtalks, go to the following URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/browse
URL for Benjamin Zander video on music and passion: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
As I was searching my PLN resources, I discovered an extremely interesting resource. The resource that I discovered was “TEDtalks” (http://www.ted.com/talks/browse). “TEDtalks” is a website that contains video archives of presentations on numerous subjects with “ideas worth spreading.” “TED” is an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Although the acronym is for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, the scope of the talks are far vaster. Since the site encompasses a broad range of topics, I focused on the “Arts” section of the site that provided talks and performance related to music. Through my search, I discovered a particularly interesting video presentation by Benjamin Zander on music and passion. The discussion was about different types of music, leading into a discussion about classical music, and how everyone can have a passion for classical music. The presentation was a lecture type discussion; however, it was a very entertaining program in which Benjamin Zander was able to appeal to the entire audience, making an incredibly persuasive case for how everyone can relate to and have a passion for classical music.
As an educator and an advocate for helping students develop an appreciation for all types of music, I thought that the TEDtalks video presentation by Benjamin Zander was an extremely valuable resource. The video gave me a new perspective on classical music and how it can relate to everyone, and this is something I believe could appeal to students as well. I really appreciated how Benjamin Zander did not “sugarcoat” classical music to make it appealing, but he drew on the emotion of the music to make it relate to everyone. I think that this concept is important because it can give people a better appreciation for the music.
From my experience, students seem to be “turned-off” to classical music before they even give it a chance. If I give students an opportunity to play recordings for the class, I almost always get examples of pop music or rock music. In addition, when I play musical examples for students, they almost always enjoy the rock and pop music examples, and dislike the classical music example. However, I feel that the students do not even give classical music a chance. Students will sigh with dismay at having to listen to classical music. However, I think if someone can show students how the music relates to them, as was done in the video, the students can develop a passion for the music. I also think that this could apply to any type of music, including pieces that students are performing in class. For this reason, I think that it would even be valuable to show students the presentation by Benjamin Zander to help them open up to different types of music. I also think that teachers could learn from the passion and leadership that Benjamin Zander displays in this video to help convey passion about music to their own students. If you would like to see the Benjamin Zander video on TEDtalks, go to the following URL: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html
Recording
One of the tools that I have always found extremely valuable in my teaching and in music education in general is audio recording. I have found it valuable to record yourself or an ensemble in order to listen to the recording and to analyze it and critique it to help understand musical concepts and improve performance abilities. As I read the articles, “Picture This” and “Capturing Your Sound: A Guide to Live Recording,” it was nice to be able to reconfirm the value of audio recording and its uses in music education. The articles reconfirmed that recording students can provide them with the opportunity to hear themselves and self-critique their performance in an effort to better understand the music and their abilities as well as how they may improve for the future. In addition to showing students what they are doing well and how they can improve, students seem to be intrigued by recording themselves. Through my experience, and as the article “Picture This” says, students enjoy the opportunity to perform and “Kids love hearing themselves” (Watson 33). From my experience with recording students, they seem to give a better effort when they are making a recording, and they are always excited to hear the results of their efforts, whether it is good or it still needs a great deal of improvement.
In addition to the values of audio recording that I have experienced myself, it was interesting to learn the many other ways that audio recording can be used for music education. I appreciated some of the creative ways that recording could be used to enhance music learning. For example, I thought that it was interesting to learn about using audio recording and audio-editing software to provide visual representations of musical concepts to go along with the audio recording. I can see the value of showing students how they are playing a note. For example, sometimes students will not understand or maybe not even believe you when you tell them that they are not holding a note the correct value. However, when they hear their performance and see a visual representation of their performance they cannot argue with the facts, and they tend to grasp the concept more effectively. I also thought that the idea of using recordings to demonstrate progress to students over time was an excellent idea. I have considered showing students their progress; however, I have not been able to incorporate it into my teaching up to this point due to time constraints. However, I think that demonstrating progress would be something that would be valuable to take the time to include into my plans in the future. Students are usually very critical of themselves, and I think it is important to show them how well they are doing and how they have progressed from time to time. In addition, I also think that it is a valuable idea to use recording to demonstrate progress for the purpose of grading. Often times when students perform in rehearsal or for a quiz, they are not able to revisit their performance to critique it. However, with recordings one has the ability to preserve the sounds that were created so that students can review what they have created, giving them the ability to critique themselves, and giving the teacher a concrete piece of evidence for grading purposes.
Along with the ability to record students for educational use in the classroom, it is also important to be able to record student performances at events such as concerts. This is important because it preserves the concert experience for students as well as for the teacher, which can be used to show the growth in a music program over time. For example, if I were to record my concerts, I would be able to check back in a few years to see if the groups have improved in overall quality and to see what areas need continual improvement. As the article stated, in order to create recordings of concerts, one has to either hire professionals to do the recording or he/she must do the recording on his/her own. I thought that the article, “Capturing Your Sound: A Guide to Live Recording,” was a good guide to show someone how to make a recording on your own in an economical manner. This is important because it is not always feasible to hire someone to create recordings. Throughout my own musical education and teaching, I have seen many recordings being made and the microphones used for the recording; however, I never knew exactly what went into the process. Reading the article “Capturing Your Sound: A Guide to Live Recording” provided a good fundamental explanation of how to create your own recordings. In addition, I felt that one of the more valuable parts of the guide was how one can get the students involved in the process. I think that getting the students involved in the recording process shows the students another aspect of music and as the article mentioned, it can even help students develop their critical listening skills. I also thought that the article had helpful information because it gave me a better understanding of how I may use the equipment that is available to me in a more effective manner to help preserve the performances of my students. For example, I may have been able to record a performance, but the article helped me to better understand how I could edit and then duplicate the performance more effectively. In general, I believe that audio recording is a technology that is invaluable to music education and it can provide many opportunities for the teacher and students.
In addition to the values of audio recording that I have experienced myself, it was interesting to learn the many other ways that audio recording can be used for music education. I appreciated some of the creative ways that recording could be used to enhance music learning. For example, I thought that it was interesting to learn about using audio recording and audio-editing software to provide visual representations of musical concepts to go along with the audio recording. I can see the value of showing students how they are playing a note. For example, sometimes students will not understand or maybe not even believe you when you tell them that they are not holding a note the correct value. However, when they hear their performance and see a visual representation of their performance they cannot argue with the facts, and they tend to grasp the concept more effectively. I also thought that the idea of using recordings to demonstrate progress to students over time was an excellent idea. I have considered showing students their progress; however, I have not been able to incorporate it into my teaching up to this point due to time constraints. However, I think that demonstrating progress would be something that would be valuable to take the time to include into my plans in the future. Students are usually very critical of themselves, and I think it is important to show them how well they are doing and how they have progressed from time to time. In addition, I also think that it is a valuable idea to use recording to demonstrate progress for the purpose of grading. Often times when students perform in rehearsal or for a quiz, they are not able to revisit their performance to critique it. However, with recordings one has the ability to preserve the sounds that were created so that students can review what they have created, giving them the ability to critique themselves, and giving the teacher a concrete piece of evidence for grading purposes.
Along with the ability to record students for educational use in the classroom, it is also important to be able to record student performances at events such as concerts. This is important because it preserves the concert experience for students as well as for the teacher, which can be used to show the growth in a music program over time. For example, if I were to record my concerts, I would be able to check back in a few years to see if the groups have improved in overall quality and to see what areas need continual improvement. As the article stated, in order to create recordings of concerts, one has to either hire professionals to do the recording or he/she must do the recording on his/her own. I thought that the article, “Capturing Your Sound: A Guide to Live Recording,” was a good guide to show someone how to make a recording on your own in an economical manner. This is important because it is not always feasible to hire someone to create recordings. Throughout my own musical education and teaching, I have seen many recordings being made and the microphones used for the recording; however, I never knew exactly what went into the process. Reading the article “Capturing Your Sound: A Guide to Live Recording” provided a good fundamental explanation of how to create your own recordings. In addition, I felt that one of the more valuable parts of the guide was how one can get the students involved in the process. I think that getting the students involved in the recording process shows the students another aspect of music and as the article mentioned, it can even help students develop their critical listening skills. I also thought that the article had helpful information because it gave me a better understanding of how I may use the equipment that is available to me in a more effective manner to help preserve the performances of my students. For example, I may have been able to record a performance, but the article helped me to better understand how I could edit and then duplicate the performance more effectively. In general, I believe that audio recording is a technology that is invaluable to music education and it can provide many opportunities for the teacher and students.
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