Chromatik and SmartMusic

            Chromatik and SmartMusic are two software programs that show to be helpful for students when practicing at home. My review of it shows the positives and negatives.

When getting on chromatik, the first thing you see at the top is a link for a one month free trial of chromatik pro (Chromatik, 2016). I think this is very useful because the user can try it out for a month and decide if this is the right program they want to continue with.

 

As you scroll down, there are collections of music you can open. When you choose a song, the next thing you would click is the instrument you are practicing with. Afterwards, the sheet music appears and then you press the play button for the accompaniment. This is a great tool for students to use because they have the sheet music in front of them and they hear their part as well as the accompaniment part. When you click on the instrument you want to use, there are YouTube recordings of other users playing the music as well as a music video for the song.

What I found frustrating was the commercial pop ups when clicking on the sheet music. In order to get rid of them, you must upgrade to the pro version. This program only gives you 3 free plays before you must upgrade to the pro version as well. When you upgrade this program, you have an unlimted pick of music as well as no advertisement. This is not the case on the basic version. I wanted to look up scores for Broadway musicals and it only gave me three choices. The upgraded version also helps the website pay the artists who create the music put on the program. The fee starts at $3.99; which can be useful to those that use this program a lot.

            The first thing I clicked on from SmartMusic was the tutorial videos. I went onto the educator videos and learned how to create an assignment, set up a class, enroll students in a class, and assignment units.

These videos remind me of private lessons in a private studio. Teachers can choose a piece, make it a unit for their students to practice at home, and provide feedback on the spot. When you click on the support button, it gives you answers to questions about this program you may have (Make Music, 2016). For example, this page explains the guided practice tools available from this website such as immediate feedback, identifying issues from a player, and a tuner as well as a metronome. Just like Chromatik, this program has a repertoire library that has the world’s largest digital sheet music available (Make Music, 2016). When the students click on their song choice, accompaniment is available as the students are practicing with a pitch and rhythmic references.

            Both programs seem helpful for students to practice at home. Chromatik and SmartMusic provide a repertoire library that students can choose along with accompaniment with the piece. SmartMusic works with both the students and teacher while Chromatik is for users that practice on their own time. SmartMusic would work in the classroom and private music lessons. Chromatik would help those, outside of the classroom, that are looking for music and in need of an accompanist. These programs would be useful for intrinsic and extrinsic students as well as maintain their motivation to practice at home.

References

Chromatik. (2016). Retrieved from Chromatik, inc: https://www.chromatik.com/static/about

Make Music, i. (2016). SmartMusic. Retrieved from http://www.smartmusic.com/

 

 

Rote Notation/Practicing at Home

            In my last blog, I discussed myself as a high school student in band. I could not read music; even though I played both a treble and a bass clef instrument. I knew the treble clef notes and understood some of the note values but I learned to play my instruments by ear. This is what kept me interested in music and why I have such a passion for it today. Of course, I learned how to read music a lot better when I got into college. In my undergrad, I felt that I was not taught the correct way in my music classes in high school. I was behind in many of my theory classes and I resented my band and choir teacher. Over the years, I realized that not everybody goes to college for music or, much less, read music. There are many students in these classes for the experience and the interest. Rote notation is how I learned music and is another way to teach it. Years ago, I was not musically literate and, today, many of my students are not. I have come to realize that if they can learn music better by ear than their eyes, it’s not the end of the world. In the reading for this week, Bauer (2014) discussed pedagogies for teaching music literacy. He talked about Edwin Gordon and how he developed Music Learning Theory. “Music Learning Theory outlines a developmental process for the acquisition of music reading and notating skills that begins with rote imitation of musical sounds and involves extensive playing by ear” (Bauer, 2014). This made me think back to when I was in high school and looking at my students today. I see many get frustrated and board quickly when learning to notate music. I do believe it is important but it should not be the only way. Using rote notation does have its’ advantages. It helps the student use their ears and concentrate more aurally. I know many adults who are in Community Theater that cannot read music. Many of the directors copy their parts onto a CD so they can hear their part. Gordon explained that before children learn to read the written word, they first listen to (aural) and then speak (verbal) the language (Bauer, 2014). Rote notation is more helpful for younger children because they are beginning to read and write. It can also work for children in middle school and high school. I know how important it is to teach students how to read music; which is why I still incorporate it in my lessons. Rote notation is what I use to make their ears stronger, to help them concentrate, and another method to interest them in music.

            When reading about the internet resources, I did not agree with the discussion on wiki. “Wikis provide a platform on which a user can quickly build a website. The most famous wiki is probably Wikipedia” (Bauer, 2014). In high school and my undergrad, I was allowed to use the internet to get information for writing papers. Wikipedia was one website that I could not use because of the amount of information that my teachers told me was incorrect. They would explain to me how other users would go on and type in their own information without any valuable sources. Since then, Wikipedia has made a notice that explains how some of the information may be incorrect. I do not see how this would be a good resource to use in a music class. This website is very easy to read and to find facts. I do not see how music students would benefit from it; as well as any student working on school projects.

            In my opinion, practice makes progress; not perfect. I have come to that realization since I became a teacher five years ago. The book discussed how practicing has been identified as effective in developing musical performance, knowledge, and skill (Bauer, 2014). The hard part is getting students motivated to practice. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is something students feel when being rewarded. Some students practice because it is intrinsically rewarding while others feel accomplishment when receiving a good grade or a prize. There are a number of technologies available to help intrinsically motivated students practice at home; as well as for extrinsically motivated students to achieve the grade they want. I have seen and heard students use the website YouTube when learning a new instrument and listening to their part in a piece an orchestra is playing. I have also used this myself when going through music as well as practicing my own instruments. It was helpful for me because I had this resource available while practicing. Students have suggested to me how YouTube is a great tool for private lessons on an instrument. This would help those that could not afford music lessons but only if the student is disciplined enough to work on their own and keep at it. Websites for accompaniment, such as Chromatik, would be helpful for choral students to practice. The most important thing a student can have at home for practice is support in the home. The more support students receive at home, the easier it will be when rehearsing in the classroom.

 

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

Soundation

Hello everyone,

I really enjoyed working with this program. I thought it was helpful when I had a question about adding and cutting sounds and I liked that it had sounds available. It was a lot of fun for someone that does not use this kind of software much and I think that students would enjoy it. The reading this week made me think of how students learn and relate to music. As music educators, we would like them to be literate when it comes to reading music; and so do learn this way. In reality, many of them learn by ear. This program would interest a majority of students that learn this way. Here is my example and I hope you enjoy it!

https://soundation.com/user/ashleyplat884224/track/ashleynelling-technology-soundation

Tools for applying creativity

            Creativity is the ultimate problem solving tool. This is something I found very important this week when reading the book and listening to the lecture. That sentence is something I believe but never think of as a problem solving tool. Without creativity, we would have a hard time working things out or learning to work with other people. This is something that was mind blowing for me. I enjoyed the reading this week because it gave me ideas to use in the classroom. As I have said before, I work in a very small school district. Most of these students thrive on sports and show little interest in music. I teach music appreciation for middle school students. Some of them are in band or were in band a long time ago. Those that were in band have the urge tell me that do not want to be in this class because of their lack of interest. I try to teach lessons that meet all of their needs and interests. I teach a composition lesson and I discussed it more in my blog from last week. The reading this week hit home for me when discussing the two approaches to composition; which are standard musical notation and non-notational compositional strategies. I use the first one in my lessons after the whole class goes over simple music notation. The next thing is learning the notes on the piano. I use musictheory.net to discuss the notes on the piano. After all that, the students write their own piano song and play it for me. The students like it because they learn an instrument but they are also intimidated by it because of their comfort level on the piano. There are times where the students will play music that sounds familiar to them instead of what they have written down. They will play it by ear. When Bauer (2014) discussed composing without notation software, this made me think of my students. As much as I believe that being literate in music is important, I look back to how I learned music. I could not read it that well in high school and played my music, from my clarinet, better by ear. Using notation software that includes sounds, instead of notes, will engage my students in their musical thinking and help them with their creativity.

Soundation is a great tool that I want to use with students and it can be beneficial to those who cannot read music well. This software may be helpful for those with learning disabilities. As much work as a special education teacher has to do, they, sometimes, have a difficult time working with me and my music colleagues. I have to go to them many times and get advice on how to help these students. I do receive their IEP’s but they are very hard to follow. They do not include the arts to improve their education in these documents. I feel that Soundation would be a positive way for these students to learn music. Since many of my students have reading IEP’s, this program can teach them to improvise by using different sounds. My capstone project involves helping students with disabilities in music class and I plan on using this program for it.

Feedback is an important component in music. “Feedback tells the learner to what extent learning has been successful and where strengths and weaknesses exist” (Bauer, 2014). It is very easy to give negative feedback on someone else’s work. For tools on positive feedback, I enjoyed reading about Bauers’ compliment sandwich. A three basic step process where:

1.)    The student is given a simple positive comment (Bauer, 2014).

2.)    The student receives constructive comments regarding areas to be improved (Bauer, 2014).

3.)     The student receives another sincere comment (Bauer, 2014).

An element like this may work for younger students in elementary and middle school. In my experience, sources of feedback that would work for high school students are rubrics and one-on-one meetings. These meetings are with the teacher and other students. The important thing is for the teacher to explain how feedback works before allowing someone to give it. Feedback is another way for students to be creative. When they learn about their strengths and weaknesses from other sources, they find ways to improve their skill.

            Creativity is about finding ways to progress the talent you have. Composing and improvising are teaching methods that I like to use. Technology programs that use non-notational software, such as Soundation, can help those who have a hard time reading music. The advantage is that they are free to use, easy to download, and give nonmusical students the opportunity to be creative.

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

Noteflight: Bicycle Built for Two

When working with this program, I found it very helpful. While working on my composition, I was having difficulty with putting in a voice part. I looked at the menu bar for frequently asked questions and it had the answer to this problem. Their blog definitely helped me and it could help you if there are any questions you need answered. This software is very easy for me to follow. The markings are quick to find and simple to put on the music staff. I do not use many programs for composing music so this software goes at my pace. I also like that I can use my keyboard when putting in notes and markings. What makes it different from other programs, such as MuseScore, is composing with voice parts. MuseScore give you the opportunity to add the instruments, and voices, that you want. With Noteflight, you have to type in the voice or upgrade it. I teach my middle school students a composing lesson and I feel that this program would fit well for them because of how easy it is. Students that do not have much experience with music software programs would benefit from it due to the simplicity of it. I would recommend this program to a beginning music theory class, an elementary general music class, and a 7th and 8th grade general music class.

Creativity through composing music with software

            Composing music is something that I use in my own lessons. It has shown to help students read music and incorporate instruments they are not used to playing. This is so they can hear what they have notated. This week’s lecture discussed how writing music can be time consuming (Bazan, 2016). It can also be boring for students. As well as other schools, my district does not have the resources available for software programs to compose music such as Finale and Sibelius. MuseScore has shown myself another way students can compose music. We have a small band in my school district because many are not concerned with learning an instrument. My goal for the composition lesson is to get them interested in learning an instrument. If MuseScore was downloaded in my school computers, my objective could be enhanced even further. When teaching about composition, the students are hesitant when playing their piece on the piano. The reasons for this are not being fully prepared on the piano and a fear of playing in front of others. MuseScore gives them the opportunity to play back what they have composed at their own privacy. From the book this week, Ken Robinson (2011) discussed how creativity is as important as literacy. This kind of program helps with literacy but using music notation. MuseScore will be a great tool to use for my 7^th and 8^th grade students. If my school allows me to download this program, and if there is time available in the computer lab, this will give my students a chance to be more creative.           

            Bauer (2014) discusses in the book how students can develop their creativity with composition. Technology can be advance it but students needs programs, such as MuseScore, that are available and free. My experience with Finale is very brief. I was required to download the month trial in my technology in music education class during my undergrad. It was too advance for me; which made me frustrated enough not to buy the software. Finale may be too difficult for students that do not have enough experience with notating music. It is also very expensive. MuseScore seems easier to follow, in my opinion. Working with middle school students on this program will help me make the composing lesson better and keep the students interested.

            These software programs are helpful when composing music for both students in the classroom and actual composers. They have been shown to cut the time in half when writing a piece and can help others learn to be creative through improvisation. Bauer (2014) discussed in the book this week about the creative process through improvisation and composition. I feel that they are both needed to help students open up to being more creative. When I teach my students how to compose their own piece, they start with an example I display and, eventually, use their own. This follows Graham Wallas’s (1926) model called the creative process. I start by using my example for writing a piece; I am preparing the students for their own pieces. If there are problems, I will either work with them individually or as a group. As they work on their personal pieces, they use their own ideas and rhythms. The last thing is myself verifying for them the positives of their piece. In order for students to be creative, they need to learn how to improvise on their own. Students seem more hesitant when performing in front of others and feel that they have developed stage freight. Improvisation activities will help improve a students’ creativity and get them to take more risks when it comes to music activities.

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and

responding to music.

Bazan, D. (2016, July 1). Technology Assisted Music Teaching & Professional Development.

Lecture.

Robinson, K. (2011). Out of our minds: Learning to be creative. Chichester, West Sussex, UK:

Capstone.

Wallas, G. (1926). The art of thought. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

Technology in the Classroom/ Personal Learning Network (PLN)

            Technology has become a way of life. Some may believe that they would be lost without it and cannot imagine a world that does not have it. It has become a way of eliminating the stresses of everyday life and useful for activities such as traveling, working on finances, listening to music, socializing with others, and involvement in the workplace. Technology has even made its’ way into schools; which is an effective tool to facilitate learning according to Bauer (2014). “Through the use of technology, students can exert more control over how they learn, resulting in instruction that is more student-centered” (Russell & Sorge, 1999). Lessons that involve technology are shown to keep the students more interested and learn much faster. In the book Music Learning Today, Bauer (2014) gives examples of these lessons. For example, there are teachers who collaborate with other teachers but in different schools and through the internet. The two teachers design a project for the students to work on together, from the separate schools, and then present the information in both classrooms through a webcam and the internet. There are many technology resources teachers can use to engage students but it is up to the teacher to understand how to use them.

            Although technology has been shown to be helpful, some may find it intimidating. There are many teachers, newer and veterans, who have a hard time learning about the new kinds of technology. There may not be enough time for professional development classes with the amount of work teachers have to do during the school year. Bauer discusses in the Music Educators Journal (2010) how having a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is useful when teachers want to learn something and find new information. This can be their tool for professional development when learning about new technology. Teachers can also socialize with other professionals in a PLN. Tools that are needed for this are free and accessible with a web browser. These tools include Really Simple Syndication (RSS), blogs, podcasts, wikis, folksonomies, facebook, and twitter (Bauer, 2010).

When listening to this weeks’ lecture from Dr. Dale Bazan (2016), I described myself as a digital immigrant and an analog holdout. I felt I belonged to two of the categories because I know enough about technology to assist in my profession but I do not know enough to be an expert. I still need help from others when something goes wrong. During my first years of teaching, I was really intimidated by technology because of the school I was in. I did not have many materials for it, there was not enough money for new technology, and the school district was not helpful on what I was able to use for resources. Reading Bauer’s’ article on PLN is very calming for myself. I have used these tools, such as facebook, for classroom lessons and when reaching out to other educators. Other websites, such as twitter and folksonomies, is new for me. I look forward to using these websites, as well as others, to help me with my technology skills so I can engage my students.

References:

Bauer, W. I. (2010). Your Personal Learning Network: Professional Development on Demand. Music Educators Journal, 97(2), 37-42. doi:10.1177/0027432110386383

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music.

Bazan, D. (2016, July 1). Technology Assisted Music Teaching & Professional Development. Lecture.

Russell, J. & Sorge, D. (1999). Training facilitators to enhance technology integration. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 13(4), 6.