Digital Video

Below is a link to the website Screencast for a video listening guide created to introduce students to the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber and The Phantom of the Opera.  This video was created using iMovie and then uploaded using Screencast. Due to the size of the video, I opted to post a link to the video rather than embed the player on my blog posting.

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Below is a link to Screencast for a video created using Jing, which is a video capturing tool. This video is a software evaluation for The Amazing Slow-Downer, a program downloaded from the internet. Due to the size of the video, I opted to post a link to the video rather than embed the player on my blog posting.

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Exported MIDI and Audio Files

Exported MIDI and audio files can be used in various ways in the music classroom. They can be used to create part CDs or accompaniment CDs for students to use for rehearsal purposes. They can also be used to create high-quality accompaniment tracks for performance use. To fulfill MENC standards for composition, users can use programs such as Finale and Garage Band to create original compositions and share them with others by converting them to MIDI files or audio files such as MP3s. Click on the files in the Box Player on the sidebar to hear an example of an exported MIDI file to MP3 (agnus dei.mp3) and a notation file exported as an MP3 (beethoven.mp3).

Groovy Shapes

Here is my PDF handout on Groovy Shapes by Sibelius.  The podcast review of this software can be found on the Box Player located on the sidebar.

Groovy Shapes - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Groovy Shapes

Digital Audio

I believe that there are great advantages in using looping software and intelligent composition software in the music classroom.  Looping software, such as Ableton or Garage Band, allow users to create an original composition using pre-composed looping samples.  Garage Band has a large library of samples to choose from with a wide variety of instruments and sound effects.  

There are many ways that this type of program can be used in the classroom, including:

1. Fulfilling MENC National Standard 4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.  Students could easily use a program like Garage Band to create and record their own compositions.
2. Fulfilling MENC National Standard 5: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.  Using a looped audio file, teachers could assess a student's ability to recognize various qualities of a piece of music (such as the instruments used in the piece).
3. Fulfilling MENC National Standards 1 and 2: Singing or performing with instruments.  Garage Band also gives the user the ability to record voices or instruments using built-in or external microphones.  Once the track is recorded, it can be layered on top of other pre-recorded instrument tracks and saved as one compressed file, such as an MP3.

The applications for this type of software are only limited by the imagination.  There are numerous ways that it can be used in and out of the classroom.

Sample Photos

Here is a sample drawing made with Adobe Photoshop Elements.  This type of drawing can be very useful for making webpage graphics or graphics for various print media.

Here is a screen shot of the opening menu for Garage Band.  This type of screen shot can be useful in creating a guided tour for Garage Band in the form of a movie made with iMovie or a Podcast.

Here is an exported graphic file from Finale 2007.  This type of graphic file could be used for creating worksheets using MS Word or for creating presentations using MS Power Point.  Just like the screen capture from above, the export graphic file function on Finale could be very useful in creating a tutorial for the program.

Here is an example of a digital photo taken at the New World of Coke in Atlanta, Georgia.  Using Adobe Photoshop Elements, I was able to make the picture of the old car look like a painting.

Technology in Music Education

It is amazing to think about how far technology has advanced in the last fifteen years.  Being a music educator, it is even more amazing to think about all of the practical ways that I can use technology in the classroom.

In my opinion, music education lends itself to technology already.  Musicians all over the world use electronic instruments, MIDI sequencers, notation programs, and other forms of technology every day.  It has become part of the music production industry.  So, it only makes sense that music educators (myself included) would try to incorporate at least some aspects of technology into our classrooms.  Most teenagers are already familiar with how to use a computer and the internet.  Most teenagers also have a cell phone and some sort of MP3 player at their disposal.  However, not many can say that they know how to use a MIDI sequencer or that they can compose a piece of music using Finale or Sibelius.  I think that if they were offered the opportunity, students would welcome the challenge of learning how to use unfamiliar forms of technology.

This will be my fourth year of teaching, and I have only scratched the surface on the possibilities of incorporating technology in the classroom.  I have used notation software to write arrangements for my choirs and to burn accompaniment tracks for rehearsal purposes.  I have also had students to use Power Point to create presentations on different composers.  However, after reading the articles for Class 1 in my Digital Media class, I realize that there are so many more possibilities.  I hope that we will continue to explore those new ideas in future class meetings.