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A&HM 4029 Spring 2008: Question #5
By jamesfrankel | March 10, 2008
Briefly list three ways in which you could creatively utilize the software you used in class today in your teaching.
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March 11th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
My mind was racing with ideas to incorporate the software shown in class into my teaching. I am not sure if an actual lesson plan will come from many of my brainstormings, but I do know that each piece of software had elements that would definitely be of great interest to my students. Anything that aides in grasping the attention of children so that you can help them explore music is a wonderful thing in my eyes! Three of the main ideas that I had are as follows:
1. Sibelius Groovy City would be wonderful for my 5th grade students as they are continuing to learn about the elements of music notation and sound. They could actually create their own piece of music to share with others and do it in a non-threatening way, not having to worry about remembering all of the note values, pitches, etc. We seem to spend so much time learning musical elements, that sometimes the students don’t have the chance to be completely creative. I think this program is a great way to allow them to do that and at the same time produce something truly outstanding.
2. Sibelius Instruments would be a great addition to the middle school general music classes. At times, my general music students who are not in a performing ensemble, feel as though they aren’t as connected to music because they aren’t able to be an “expert” on a certain instrument or the voice. Why not let them experience the full range of certain instruments, as if they could actually play it themselves? They could even compose using that instrument, therefore making the same music as their performance counterparts. On the most basic level, I think it is great for introducing/reinforcing the instruments to general music classes at all levels.
3. I would love to use Alfred’s Interactive Musician with my middle school choirs. Aural skills are so important in a vocal ensemble and there aren’t many ways for students to practice those skills individually in a choral setting without singing by themselves in front of the choir. Not all will do that in middle school and therefore don’t get the full range of vocal ear training. Also, so many of my students want to learn the basics of keyboarding, but don’t take lessons and aren’t able to experiment on a piano trying out the sightreading skills they are learning in choir. This software would also let them learn some piano basics while working on aural skills and reinforcing the music literacy concepts on which we have been working.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Sibelius Compass: The words-to-music component could be used for an upper elementary or middle school presentation for a social studies intercurricular project. Students could compose an operetta, for example, writing the sequence of events leading up to the Revolutionary War, and act/sing it out using costumes. Kids shy about singing could speak the dialog in rhythm, and help compose music using other aspects of the software for background to battles (“The Rumble,” from West Side Story) and such. I didn’t get enough time on the software to be sure that this is possible, but I have a feeling it would work..
Auralia: Kids who are having a hard time learning to tune their instruments (and maybe everyone should do this as a group, to avoid embarrassment) could spend some time with the tuning part. Sometimes it’s easy to tell that an instrument is out of tune, but more subtle to know which way to turn the peg. Is the string too high or too low?
Alfred’s Essential of Music Theory: Some students can’t read the notes on the staff correctly after three years on an instrument. This is not at all unusual; it’s possible to play a stringed instrument reasonably well by ear. The note-reading part with ledger lines can be very useful here, although knowing where the notes correspond to the placement of fingers on the fingerboard still needs to be reinforced in class.
March 15th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
In fact, I have never used any creatively teaching software before today. I have previously only used Microsoft PowerPoint in teaching. But the musical software that you have introduced in class is really amazing. I personally loved the software series from Groovy Music: Groovy Shapes, Groovy Jungle and Groovy City. The three software programs are for children age five to eleven. Their purpose is to provide a guide for children to learn the basics of sound, rhythm, pitch and composition by playing musical games. Students should have a lot of fun learning music through using these software programs. I especially love the “create” tool that allows children to create their own music. No matter how young the children are, all of them can create their own music easily and uniquely through this “create” tool. Presently, I am already starting to think about how I can incorporate these three software programs into my teaching in the future.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:12 am
There are so many sources to use in the music classroom. Each of the software that we used in class were different and could be used for different strategies in the classroom. Software should only be used to enhance the students learning and not be used to teach content. It should be used as an extension of what students have already learned. Saying that I believe that:
Band in a box: Would be great to use for beginner band students. (ill use band since that is what I do!) With beginners it is a great way to use as an accompaniment. It was also be a great way to for them to play with the tunes they learn from the method book. Once they learned the correct notes and rhythm they can change styles.
Alfred’s Essential Music Theory: Is a great way to enforce note names and pitches. I would use this for students who are having problems reading notes and having a hard time hearing the right pitches (French Horns!!) You can send them individually where the computer is and they can work on it while you are teaching the other students. Then you will be able to see if he\she is making any progress.
Auralia: This can be used in many ways in the classroom. For the tuning section I could use it for the whole classroom. If it was a brass class I could make them buzz it on the mouthpiece so they can hear if is changed or stays the same. Also tuning their instrument by what they hear.
March 21st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Diane Scanlon -Question # 5
Being at the disadvantage of missing last week’s class and not having the hands-on use of the each of these software programs, I will answer this question by referencing the pod cast. I can see how all of the software programs mentioned on the pod cast would be valuable to me as a starting music teacher. What I like most about all of them is the range of musicianship they cover.
Sibelius Compass: I believe composition to be an exciting way to get students interested in music class. From what I heard on the pod cast and reading the pdf’s from the website I can see how this software can raise the bar for students when they are composing with a sequencer. I have observed a few music labs and noticed students using loops and creating grooves that are quite interesting but I have also noticed that melodic content is sometimes lacking. This software can teach the student about developing melody in a way that not only makes them more aware of melodic content in music but also lets them experiment with melody in retrograde, question and answer, sentence construction, and melodic development (sequencing). As a starting teacher, the lesson plans found in gear box will be a great aid for me in the classroom.
Auralia: This software seems ideal for ear training. As an undergraduate this was the most boring subject for me, and with 20/20 hindsight, the most valuable skill needed as a professional musician. I can see how the interactive interval training can be extremely helpful for student and teacher. I like the idea of singing into the program and being able to assess ability in pitch recognition. I also believe the section on identifying chords and progressions to be extremely valuable for any student who is serious about competing in the world of professional musicians. In my private teaching I can see how the tuning section would be so helpful in teaching young children how to tune the guitar. This seems to be extremely difficult and I find they very quickly move to a guitar tuner without ever really understanding how the guitar strings are tuned. I also believe this software will valuable as an assessment tool to see how much skill individual students are achieving in ear training.
Band In A Box: This is the software that I am most familiar with. I have used this software in my private teaching for many years to teach improvisation. I find that students quickly become discourage with practicing scales and modes in a vacuum. As soon as they are able to use these scales over a groove, they learn the practical application of these scales and become more interested in practicing. I can see how this would be a good way for students in jazz band to work on their improvisational skills outside of the rehearsal room.
I have mentioned only three but I am also curious about Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory and plan to look into this program as I find theory to be a very time consuming area in private lessons. This software could also be a good way to assess an individual’s student’s ability while continuing to teach the class-– specifically as a stand-alone music station. I have actually observed a band rehearsal where the teacher had individual students working in another room under headphones while she continued the band rehearsal.
I hope to get into the Mac lab and have some hands-on with these software programs, as I am sure I will be purchasing a few of them after obtaining my teaching certification.
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I think Aurelia is pretty exciting for aural skills training with my chorus class. If I had a Smartboard, I could play intervals and have them identify them, but then again I could just do that with a piano…It would be great for my beginning strings players; maybe they would have to identify a certain amount of strings’ tunings correctly before they could tune their own instrument, or to graduate them off of a tuner.
Sibelius Instruments would be great for introducing instruments into the classroom, whether for general music or in band class. It is also great for an arranging project; the students would have to arrange a song for instruments using the software and then possible “arrange” an original composition for real players.
Even though Music Ace is a little out-dated, I still love it for essentials of music theory. I ALWAYS have students transferring into my class all times of the year (Chorus-?? Sequential academic Class?? Yeah, right- just put ‘em in there!). I would have Music Ace on a computer in the classroom and the newly transferred students would need to pass a certain amount of quizzes before they could rejoin the rest of the class, or until they felt they were ready. It would be great to reinforce concepts with a smartboard, as well, and have students come up and try the exercises in class.
I can’t wait to purchase some of this software for future use!
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I have learned that the technology will assist teachers greatly in teaching music to children who have grown up with technology as a constant part of their everyday lives. The software such as Thinking Things, Making Music, Musical Instruments, and other programs can help children develop their musical theory and scenes.
Thinking Things helps kindergarten children to develop the creativity. Although this was not originally designed to be a music educator’s software, the program can certainly contribute to children’s learning of composition, matrix decisions, and rhythmic vocations. I would definitely use this program for pre-work for kindergarten children before their classes start. As an early childhood educator, I think this is a wonderful piece of software because of its versatility and user-friendly set-up.
Another interesting software program that I liked was Making Music. I loved the concept of this software. I particularly enjoy the feature where a bird sitting on the wire would create beats based on the hatching eggs. I do not know that much about computers and the first thing that I try to look for is if the software is user friendly. This program is designed for children in kindergarten through middle school. The young children, especially those who less musically inclined, could learn faster with this alternative, but fun approach to music note learning. Moreover, instead of learning music through the traditional types of beats (the 8th notes, quarter notes, or whole notes), learning beats from the sounds of hatching eggs, which might insight some laughter as well, helps make learning music less unfamiliar.
The program I like the best was Microsoft software of Musical Instruments. This software benefits people who want to be a director/conductor of a high school/middle school orchestra. This program would be perfect when it is time for me to teach students with different instruments of the world, different instrument of different types of orchestras and so on. The graphic of the instruments, pictures, and the sounds of the each instrument are presented clearly and coherently. I wonder consider bringing in this software to all my classes to supplement my instruction.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm
In a private studio setting, I can use Music Ace Maestro‘s lesson plans to teach beginner piano students how to read notes, learn vocabularies and introduce them to basic theories.
Piano teachers don’t really start doing ear training for beginners and they often would wait until the students get to a certain level. But in the meantime, Morton Subotnick’s Hearing Music would be a good way of training student’s listening skills before serious ear training begins.
Sibelius instrument will be an interesting and useful software for me to use when I’m teaching or introducing new instruments to my students during history lessons. They can have a much better idea when they can visual see the instruments and listen to the sounds.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Through Auralia, there are various dictation exercise. To be familiar with musical concepts, I will play this in smartboard or projector, and have students to point out the correct answers (esp. for the pitch and melodic dictation). Since this is in multiple choices, I can use it in big classroom, where I can set them up in groups of four, and have them compete like a game. Additionally, Auralia can be used in studio setting. To improve basic musicianship (for beginners), I can give this as an assignments to practice in weekly bases.
Creatingmusic and NY philharmonic for kids emphsize the creativities making compositions. In fact, these resources are visually attractives to younger students as well. By using Comparing game in creatingmusic, student can discriminate the differences in each musical motive. For instance, I can play the motives, and sing along the melodic lines with students. Then I will click the other melodic lines, so that students can tell me whether it is same or different song.
In NY Phil for kids, I will use two features; the orchestration and the minuet. In orchestration, I will play the original instrumentation of the original piece, then student could come up with different arrangement by clicking the mouse of the projector. (Since the smartboard may be inefficient for instantly clicking the objects, I may use the projector for this exercises). If I have a computer lab, then each students can create their minuet and turn them in as well.
March 24th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I could definitely see myself using Sibelius Instruments with my 3rd graders as they prepare to choose their instruments for 4th grade. It could give them a way to experience the sights and sounds of the instruments at their own pace, either before or after experiencing the instruments in a live setting.
I will also be using Groovy Shapes with my younger elementary students. I think a variety of topics could be easily explained and discovered using this program through their own creations. I love that they can explore new concepts and then create using their newfound sounds, concepts and ideas.
I also see a huge opportunity with my youngest students using Creating Music. I would love to set up stations in my room, including a listening station where my young students can listen to selections and decide whether they are the same or different, etc. I feel that it is such a student centered, easy to use program that the students can easily use. We also have a new Promethian Board at school, and Creating Music would be a great full-class activity using the hands-on board
March 25th, 2008 at 10:11 am
The softwares that were introduced in the class are all great for the teachers and students.
Sibelius Instruments would be very useful for a general music class and for a band or orchestra class. It is great tool to introduce different instruments to music students. I like the fact that this software has so many components. Within it, it has a picture of an instrument, a sound of an instrument and different techniques that can be used to play that instrument. It really goes in depth. Therefore, it’s not just great for introducing the instruments but it is also great for advanced music students to really study different instruments. Also, students can to little arranging and composing, too.
I really like Music Ace Maestro. It may be little out-dated but I enjoyed using it and I think children will, too. What I like about this software and Auralia is that these can test students in a non-threatening way, especially, Music Ace Maestro. The way it is set up is very interactive and friendly. Students can learn and teachers can reinforce. I think visually seeing the staff is also helpful. I can use this in a private lesson.
I enjoyed Auralia. What’s great about all of the software is the organization. Everything is set up and organized for teachers to use. Auralia is great because it has so many levels of difficulty. I can use this as a test for my students. This is great tool for ear training.
The use of smartboard would be nice for classroom setting. I’m trying to incorporate these ideas into my private lessons, too.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Sibelius Compass software for composition is a great tool to help students compose. The students can use the compass tracker sequencer software to help reinforce Pitch Shapes, Scales, Melody, Rhythm, Timbre and texture, Chords and Harmony and Form. The quizzes after each exercise will also help with assessment. I like the fact that this software can be exported to Sibelius notation software so the students can see their compositions in notation.
A great activity would be to work with a specific genre of music and have the students compose in that style. Students could even compose music based on a history lesson or current evens. They can print out the music and the class can choose which compositions they would like to play for a school concert.
Auralia is a useful program where students can work on their ear training, dictation and tuning. I would use it in a High School choir classroom for students to work on their intonation, sight reading and singing harmonies. Students can work at their own pace within the program and I can track their learning through the program’s quizzes.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:25 am
1. Sibelius program allows one to transpose music from one key to another by clicking mouse and this takes a few seconds. The time saving is tremendous when compared to real life transpose.
2. Sibelius program permits moving the lyrics to different position in regards to the music.
3. The program allows you to select instruments for particular piece and automatically orchestrates different parts saving the composer and conductor hours of toil.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I remember Auralia striking such a strong chord within. This is mainly because as a vocalist and instrumentalist – I have heard both sides of the coin. Meaning that instrumentalists usually complain about vocalists and their inability to read music. It has since then been my daily endeavor, as an instructor, to empower young singers by encouraging them to study theory and familiarize themselves with ear training. But aside from banging out notes on the piano, there really hasn’t been much of an opportunity to make the study fun. Auralia provides a great outlet – the chord progressions, interval trainings, and especially pitch assessment would prove worthy in the mainstream class as well as the studio. You can expand this into your lesson plan by making several teams per class (encouraging healthy competition), break the redundant cycle of practice in studio lessons by adding this into the routine, and bring the recognition of chord progressions in what could otherwise be a music class centralized around solo work.
Students should always free to question, experiment, and express themselves creatively. One way to encourage artistic musical interpretation would definitely be through composition. Sibelius Compass allows this and supports it by notating the creations. I agree with Maureen fully, being able to expose the class to different genres and have them compose their own pieces accordingly would encourage knowledge and understanding. Creativity and structure can work well together.
I could not tear myself away from the New York Philharmonic website for kids! What an interesting way to bring a younger demographic into the classical world. The program allows for just enough freedom so that the students feel like they’re controlling their own musical creation. Having a full understanding of different instruments, their sounds, and how they function as an ensemble is essential in the early years so that children can steer away from haphazardly choosing random instruments to study – to only throw them away once high school hits. You can insert this program into a lesson plan based for students who are interested in playing instruments for the first time. They can have a different type of featured exposure to the instruments so that developing an understanding of what they want out of music and how they will get there is encouraged.
April 27th, 2008 at 12:13 am
I guess I’m the last to chime in on this conversation, but for what it’s worth, I’m in agreement with most of what you guys have been saying above. I like John’s idea to use Band in a Box (BIAB)for accompaniment for beginning band students. It sure beats a boring old metronome, and I’d be inclined to use it for advanced students as well. One of the coolest things about BIAB is that it allows ANYONE to start making great sounding music instantly. It’s much like Garageband in this way, and by god if there’s a way to hook kids in the first day, or even first few minutes, it’s this stuff. Take the worst room full of squirming, hormonal, relentlessly gabbing teenagers. Add BIAB. Wait 2 minutes. The result is a group of attentive, obedient Stepford children in the kind of Disneyfied classroom you only see in DOE educational propaganda.
As a second choice, I’ve got to admit that I find Auralia to be a pretty darned sexy piece of software. Most classroom music teachers face the difficult task of assessing then differentiating our students. If I REALLY did this as thoroughly as I should, I would probably be more effective as a teacher, and would have an easier time with classroom management. But now, with a tool like Auralia installed on a single computer station, I can assess, differentiate and create individual instruction for my advanced and gifted students. I can even create IEPs for my kids if need be using this tool. Even as a “classically trained” musician, I’ve found that I’ve been able to learn (or be reminded of) a thing or two from Auralia.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Alfred’s Essential of Music Theory: We could find some experienced music student can’t read music notations. Because some students reading notations as a number, fingering, and other this software will be good for students to learn to read the notation. The note-reading part with ledger lines can be very useful here.
Auralia: Students can utilize this software to improve their ear-training skill. It is very hard to practice alone. Some students can’t tune their own instruments, but by using this software can improve not only ear-training but on their instrument tuning.
Sibelius Compass: Students could have the freedom to compose anything that they enjoy singing, playing an even listening to. Students can add instruments and lyrics into the composition for accompanist background for solo instrument. I enjoyed exploring this software.