OneNote Review

Being an organized teacher especially when you do not have a dedicated space is very challenging. Keeping track of concert dates, fieldtrips, appointments, lesson plans and many other important notes can be stressful. I have been using my iCal for a while now and I have synced all the reminders with all my devices but always wished for something that could do more than just reminders. Things like lesson plans, assignments, assessments and more. Well, that wish came true when I explored the OneNote for Teachers. Now teachers can do all that and more. You can save links, send online articles directly to it, link together lesson plans and homework and do other multiple tasks without having to switch back and forth to other apps. The feature I liked the most was the quick note. For instance you can add a concert date and send it to a multiple email list. I am pretty sure that there is a lot more to learn but it is definitely worthwhile the time. This will be an app that will keep me proactive for a while and I plan to use it during this coming school year mainly for lesson plans and reminders.

Week 7 - Productivity and Professional Development

This week’s reading focused on technological tools that assist teachers to be productive, and tools that help teachers to continue to be proactive with professional development. Two of the main topics that caught my attention are communication and professional development. I have found that communication on a regular basis is one of the most important aspects of teaching, especially between parents and teachers. Regular communication with parents has helped me achieve great teaching results and has helped me enjoy tremendous support from parents. Clear communication is an indicator of a high level of commitment. Until now, my communication has been mainly via email, because hard copies of concert reminders and other important information never make it home. For instance I communicate regularly with parents the night before instrumental classes and remind them to bring their instruments to school. This has helped increase student participation and band retention. In the past, I used to forget to remind them until I started using a free reminder website called http://www.memotome.com. However, emails sometimes can be tricky. According to Bauer (2014) teachers need to be careful with the frequency of emailing because sending frequent emails “can begin to be perceived as spam, with the recipient quickly deleting them without reading” (p. 170).

After reading Chapter 8, I was happy to see other technological suggestions that may help improve communication. For example I did not know until now that teachers can create professional closed groups on Facebook. I am looking forward to exploring the Facebook close group feature because it might be a great tool for reminders and also may be utilized as a discussion platform for topics students learn in class. Also, a website sounds like a great idea, but the problem with it is that it may take some time to design one because it will require a great deal of extensive planning for its content.

As for the professional development, this class has been a great example of a master class that helps teachers bring new ideas in the field and utilize them for better and more appealing teaching approaches. I have recently been talking to some of my colleagues that teach music production in my district, about new tools and new project ideas that I plan to use this coming year. They are very excited to hear more about my music technology class experience. I personally spend many of my teaching hours utilizing technology to teach instrumental music, music production and general music classes. This class has been a real treat for me because it has been relevant to my personal interests. It has helped me to discover other web-based collaborative ways that will help me sustain my professional development for years to come. Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Feedly, Edmodo and Google+ are some of the excellent tools that will help me make share useful teaching information with other colleagues and other teachers around the world.

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Productivity and professional development. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (p. 170). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Week 6 - Reflection

This week’s reading focused on music listening skills and how students respond to music. The opening of the chapter resonated with me strongly because the experience of Ms. Elizabeth is very similar to my first three years of general music teaching experience.

I have been teaching sixth, seventh and eighth general music classes for the last seven years. Although I have gotten better at teaching and classroom management, I still find those classes challenging for many of the same reasons mentioned in the book. The quality of education is often compromised due to misbehaved students who do not want to be there, making teaching and learning difficult. However, I have observed that all students, including those who show no interest in general music class tend to use iPods and iPhones in recess, homework centers and hallways. The use of these music technology tools is an indication that they love listening to music.  Perhaps students have not been engaged in my listening lessons because the lessons were taught as “formalized listening” (Bauer 2014, p. 108).

After reading this chapter I looked back for a minute and remembered that the music that I loved to listen to twenty years ago was much different than the music I listen to today. As I grew older, so did my listening skills, taste and musical expectations. Listening to music is a part of my practice routine. I listen to music carefully with an analytical ear. The problem with that though is that my ear became the barrier between students and myself. I cannot expect my students to listen to music that took me years to digest. According to Bauer (2014) listening to music with understanding and appreciation seems to be a result of prior experience with that particular style.

Chapter 5 is truly an eye opener. After reading it, I realized that I would have greatly benefited, had I read it before I started teaching those classes. It is a good reminder that listening, responding to music and appreciating it, takes time and patience because it has to do with intellectual growth and it is an “education of feelings” (Abeles, 2010, p. 53).  It is also important to remember that the students we teach today are digital natives and even simple discussions about music might become more engaging to them when incorporating appealing technology. The technology mentioned in Chapter 5 is worth mentioning because it might help increase student participation. To conclude, Blogs, WebQuests, Spotify, SoundCloud and other web-based tools mentioned in Chapter 5 are great suggestions and I am looking forward to use them in September.

References

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

Abeles, H. F.  (2010).  Philosophical perspectives of music education.  In H. Abeles and L. Custodero (Eds.), Critical Issues in Music Education: Contemporary Theory and Practice.  (p. 53).  Oxford:  Oxford University Press.

 

Week 5 - Reading Reflection

This week’s readings focused on assessment and curriculum design.  Assessment in music, both psychomotor (performance skill) and cognitive (knowledge) certainly resonates with me.  In the district where I work, the music department is always concerned with the importance of assessments, but not all teachers share the same practice or assessment tools. For instance, not all band teachers use SmartMusic, and even then, those using SmartMusic assess only the psychomotor skills, but never assess cognitive skills. These teachers appear more concerned with the performance outcomes (sound).

According to Bauer (2014), assessment serves as an indicator that shows if students are learning and if teachers are teaching effectively. In addition, Bauer points out that assessing music knowledge (cognitive) is a complicated process because “a cognitive understanding of something doesn’t necessarily translate to the ability to do that thing (of course the opposite is also true)” (p. 134).

When it comes to music learning, and especially the psychomotor aspect, technology has made assessment easier than ever before. The available technology focused on the development of performance skills can help teachers keep records of progress by actually keeping track of practice and individual recorded performances. In my fourth grade instrumental classes, I use SmartMusic and performance rubrics to regularly assess students.  In general, my students respond favorably to this program, and parents have indicated that students seem to practice more often since they have been using SmartMusic.  Many of my students volunteer to perform individually in the classroom, and don’t seem to feel the pressure that they are being evaluated.

Although this kind of technology has been helpful, it is not without limitations.  SmartMusic only assesses the psychomotor part of music learning. I find that when I use tests designed in Microsoft Word, these assessments seem to be unappealing to my students, who are digital natives. Google forms and Flubaroo.com provide great tools, but when using these, students may feel like they are taking just another standardized test. In order for the 21^st century music teachers to assess music students thoroughly, these teachers must have access to technology that is designed to assess cognitive understanding.  The technology must also be as engaging as the technology used for performance assessment.  For example, it would be helpful if a site existed that allowed teachers to pull interactive materials into a single assessment or game. 

To conclude, Chapter 6 is a great resource for instructional design and assessment, but I would have preferred more specific and attractive cognitive interactive assessment tools that match the level of sophistication of the technology used for assessing the psychomotor (performance skill) aspect of music.   

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (p. 134). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Week 4 - Reading Reflection

From the week four reading assignments the one topic that truly resonated with me was “Practice”- how to motivate students to practice and keep them engaged and productive.

Several years ago I came across a great quote by Virgil Thompson, and it has stuck with me to this day -  Thompson says, “I've never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.” The reason I remember this quote is because it made me aware that all musicians I have met so far, feel the same way regardless of their level of interest and motivation they possessed when they were music students.

Becoming a musician or learning music well, is a long journey that requires a great deal of commitment and motivation. Practice is the bridge between the very beginnings of music learning and the stage of becoming a well-rounded musician. According to Bauer (2014), students who are intrinsically motivated learn music for the sake of music and for those who are extrinsically motivated the “reward for doing something comes from outside the task itself” (p. 87). I believe the use of technology can be rewarding to both motivational kinds of students (intrinsic and extrinsic). Music teachers now are able to reach a much greater number of students than ever before and retain them long enough so that they eventually see for themselves how valuable music can be.

To me, practice has been a priority in both public schools and private teaching. It is very important not only to just press on subject material but also teach students how to practice and what to practice. Usually when I teach I make sure that the material I am teaching is well understood by the students because if it is not students will find any excuse to skip practicing. With the help of technology this process has become easier than ever. In the district where I teach, we use the method Tradition of Excellence. I also use  SmartMusic, and a Yamaha arranger, which I use to accompany students in the classroom with different beat accompaniments.  Finally, I use a DVD that comes with the book and an interactive practice website. In order to help psychomotor learning, from the first day of lessons, I model proper posture and tone and use my laptop and a projector to show students videos on topics such as embouchure, breathing techniques, and how to maintain the clarinet etc..         
This last year I also started to utilize Google Classroom, where I invite students to view tips and find answers to frequently asked questions. Google classroom also has been a great communicating tool between students, parents and myself. Next year I plan to use more SmartMusic and I will keep trying to advocate for it and make it accessible to all students in a town wide level, since students who use it really enjoy playing and often come to class prepared. I truly believe that if our department approves the use of SmartMusic, we will be able to build a very strong instrumental program.  To quote Bauer, “technology-assisted learning in music performance classrooms has the potential to benefit both teachers and their students and to allow more individuals to experience the joy and benefits of active musical participation through performance” (p. 93).

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (pp. 87-93). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Chromatik and SmartMusic

Chromatik and SmartMusic

Week four was also another exciting TPACK development week with new helping tools for us to explore such as Chromatik and SmartMusic.

Chromatik and SmartMusic are two web-based music software programs that help motivate students to practice and improve without depending on the supervision of parents and teachers. Although both Chromatik and SmartMusic were designed for the same purpose, (motivate and assist learning), in my opinion, SmartMusic is a more school-oriented software than Chromatik.

I have been using SmartMusic for a while now and I find it to be very beneficial for students who are in band or orchestra. Students seem to practice more and perform with a better tone. SmartMusic is not a cost-free software. It is available only with a yearly subscription. Although the subscription could be a drawback for disadvantaged students, I believe that it would still be a worthwhile investment and worth trying to find ways to make it accessible to all students.

SmartMusic comes with accessible sheet music for band and orchestra and interactive accompaniments for most of the popular band and orchestra methods used by many school districts around United States. Bauer (2014) points out that “Researchers have found that students generally prefer to practice with accompaniments. I addition some students believe that practicing with accompaniments allows them to learn music better and to learn it more quickly” (p. 82).

 Available methods and interactive accompaniments are not the only great features SmartMusic has to offer. SmartMusic was developed with the goal to help students play correctly and give helpful feedback, note fingering, and record keeping for practice.  One of the best features that I find very useful for teachers, is the practice-monitoring feature. Teachers monitor practice time of each student and may also use this as an assessment tool. I often use SmartMusic with fourth grade clarinet classes – this allows students to perform solo in front of their peers, and at the same time gives me the chance evaluate students individually. I believe this also helps students get over any stage fright they might have. In general, students have responded to lessons using Smart Music with great excitement. Using SmartMusic has helped me look very good during a couple of observations by a principal and my curriculum coordinator. When I use technology, I always try to find different ways to utilize it to the fullest. According to Bauer (2014), software can be used not only for what they are designed for, they “can be repurposed to help students acquire knowledge about, and skills relevant to, a particular musical topic or skill” (p. 35).

Chromatik on the other hand can be a helpful and motivating tool for students, but seems best suited for students who are studying privately – it does not seem as well suited for band students. However, Chromatik could be a useful tool for general music students learning guitar, ukulele, or even basic keyboard, similar to one of the classes I teach. Chromatik is not totally cost-free. The free version allows student only three plays per day, and limits the ability for students to explore and find something they would really enjoy playing. One of my favorite features of Chromatik is the ability to flip pages automatically. Overall I did not find Chromatik to be very beneficial and not very user-friendly. When clicking on the performance link of the chosen sheet, the video needs to be quickly minimized. I think the performance sheets should be better synchronized to MIDI versions of the songs. That would allow students to play along, but also slow down the tempo to practice difficult passages.

Overall, both software packages can be utilized in the classroom in many different ways. In my opinion, SmartMusic wins hands down because it was designed with the needs of the music student and the music educator in mind. It helps keep band students engaged and productive during in-school rehearsals and at home, where students may skip practice due to lack of motivation, or not having available help when needed.   

References

Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (pp. 35-82). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Soundation Review

 https://soundation.com/t/db0hm

This week has been very stressful due to a lot of reading and writing but also very rewarding with lots of new tools and ideas that will help my teaching become more effective. This week our class had the opportunity to explore and become familiar with a cost-free web-based recording studio called Soundation. The timing of this project was perfect because recently I attended three concerts and had the honor to see Duran Duran, Chic, Guns N’Roses, Nile Rodgers, Gwen Stefani, Eve and Lenny Kravitz. All of these bands used plenty of synthesizer and sequencers while performing live and I feel that they did somehow influenced my Soundation project. In it you will hear a little funk, 80s, rock and some electronic sounds.

Soundation just like any other popular DAW allows musicians to record digital audio, use available loops and midi. Overall the Soundation sequencer was very easy to navigate and very user friendly. However, the free version of Soundation comes with many limitations. For example, limited available amount of loops, midi, their not so great sound quality and shortcuts. I also experienced some glitches while working with it. The fade in and fade out handling tends to get a bit tricky. Every time I tried to fade out a track or the song it affected the tempo. Also when I would scroll across the screen tracks would skip or freeze during playback. The limitations however do not disqualify it from being a very useful tool to teach composition concepts such as, form, melody, measures, intros, use of loops, midi, digital audio and in general music technology. It is a lot better to have available music technology even if it has some limitations than not have it at all. Besides it is web-based and cost-free.

When I was hired in 2010 I piloted a music production class. Today this class has become very popular in all schools of the district. The schools of the district that I teach have been using Apple computers for many years now. Since all Apple computers come with Garage Band, it was easy for me to advocate for the music production class.  I remember that my main argument was that I wanted to teach music through technology since technology was appealing to students.

However, since music production is only offered to 8^th graders and the 6^th 7^th and 8^th grade conservatory takes place at the same time, there is class number cap and not all students who apply are able to take the class. Our music department has been discussing the possibility of designing a two-year music production curriculum with the goal to offer it also to 7^th or even to 6^th graders but the available number of Apple computers still remains an obstacle.

Recently the district invested in new computers but those are Chrome Books. Here is where Soundation wins hands down against any other studio software that I know so far in a classroom setting. First and the most important part is that it is free. Secondly, it is a web-based DAW that also is compatible with Chrome Books. Until now the general music students have been using Chrome Books only for research and presentations. This coming year Soundation will be a game changer especially in the general music classes that lack instruments, student interest and very often space as well. The layout of the Soundation sequencer is very similar to that of Garage Band in many aspects from the way one can drag loops to fading in and out. Because of the similarities to Garage Band and other DAWs, I plan to use Soundation in my 6^th and 7^th general music to teach introduction to composition and some music production and give a head start to students who will eventually join the actual music production class that the district offers. Soundation has been the most exciting and useful tool that I have explored during these last three weeks and I hope it will be as exciting to my students as well in September.