Technology Assisted Music Learning

As we are nearing the end of the Technology Assisted Music Learning course, the focus is now shifting from learning about different types of apps and websites to formulating learning projects for our students using technology and the world wide web. As we are doing so, I spent a great deal of time this week looking at an online form of learning called WebQuest. A WebQuest is an online learning module which directs students to different links and facilitates directed research about a given topic. A WebQuest consists of five main sections: introduction, task, process, evaluation, confusion, credits. With the introduction, a teacher can give a narrative or an informational paragraph about a topic to gain the attention of the students. In the process, guided activity using web links to informational pages about the topic give students direction to complete prompts such as writing a short essay, creating a timeline, collecting examples of videos or audio clips, and many other possibilitie...

Technology is a widely-used medium which drives our society more and more each day. We as teachers can greatly benefit through learning new teaching strategies with technology, but we also use technology everyday for pleasure which can aid in the learning of our students. Spotify is a great resource for quality recordings, and the library is the most expansive I have seen of the online streaming services. I usually like to share reference recordings with my students to help them understand the music better and to hear the best possible example of it. Spotify playlists are a great way to share these recordings, and this is a medium which students are already using! In keeping with using technology to aid in student learning, this week I discovered and reviewed a GREAT music theory software which students can use interactively to learn about theory. My students will love this! There are many prescribed content syllabi already created, but I as the teacher can customize my own curricu...

This was an exciting week in the Technology Assisted Music Learning class! In continuing to look at various digital audio workspaces (DAW) to use in creating and performing music, this week's DAW to explore was Audacity. Audacity Audacity is an older software that is easier to use than some of today's most innovative DAW's (i.e. Garage Band), and it is a good FREE resource for getting students involved in creating and manipulating audio files. The software has easy functions to cut and manipulate existing sound files, and also is equipped with several effects to add to audio files, such as echo, raise or lower pitch, repeat, and others. With this program, users can also record digitally with built-in microphones or ones connected via MIDI, as well as instruments connected via MIDI. With this program, I made an arrangement of  Mah Na Mah Na  from The Muppets . Check it out below! Mah Na Mah Na Remix After the activities with Incredibox and Sountrap in previous wee...

This week, I dove into the topics of music technology and non-traditional music classes. For my position as music director of The Salvation Army, part of my job is to serve as the sound engineer for all of our events. For many of the events, this involves the utilization of a portable sound system. In this case, 'portable' does not mean small. I am responsible for transporting, setting up, running, and tearing down the sound system. Of course, I find people to help with the heavy lifting. Over the 2.5 years I have been in this position, I have learned much about sound systems and how they work. However, I did not always have this knowledge. Within months of beginning my work, I received instructions to purchase a sound system. Sound equipment had not been purchased for nearly 20 years, and the equipment was failing. I had next to zero knowledge, so I consulted with friends in the sound engineering business, and conducted a great deal of research. Upon purchasing and receivi...

This week in the technology class, we took a look at several different websites and apps which can be used for writing music, arranging music, exploring with sounds, or making chord progressions. One such app that I enjoyed working with is iRealPro. In this app, you can write chord progressions for music which you want to practice, and the app with play an accompaniment with different instrument sounds so that you can practice or improvise with the accompaniment. This app can also be used to learn how to play guitar, ukulele, and piano. I would have loved to have access to something like this when I was learning how to improvise in high school.  I had to find jazz recordings of what I was playing and hope it was in the same key. Something like this could be used to help aid my students through the first step of improvisation - exploration - and further advance into process- and product-based improvisation. When it comes to music improvisation and composition in the classroom s...

Noteflight! For the technology class this week, we were tasked with getting to know how to use two common music notation softwares, one of which was Noteflight. Noteflight is web-based, and I have actually been using Noteflight for small things here and there since high school (yikes). Even with my experience with the site, through this small project I learned shortcuts I did not know about, and putting together Bicycle for Two was very easy and fairly painless. While I still prefer my first choice of Finale for notational software, alternatives such as Noteflight provide free or cheap options for educators, who may be confined to a budget, to be able to make arrangements/compositions for their students. Also, it is easy to have students sign up for a free account of Noteflight to complete composition assignments. After all, that's how I got my free account years ago. Take a listen below to my completed project!