Chromatik and SmartMusic

      I explored Chromatik and SmartMusic this week.  Both are programs that can help with practice of many different instruments.  Being an elementary teacher, both programs would probably only be used for my older students.  However, I am leaning more towards SmartMusic than Chromatik for my students if funding is possible.
      Chromatik is a web-based application found here that can be used for practice of multiple instruments.  It was very easy to use.

The user would choose the song they wanted to practice from a vast list and then choose the instrument.  The sheet music is shown as well as the video.  The user presses play and the program turns the page automatically when needed.  This would be a great program for a guitar class, band program, and class or private piano.  If I had a piano lab, I would use this program for my advanced students.  They could pick what they would like to play.  This would be difficult for my students to use at home for the specific songs I ask them to play on the recorder.
      SmartMusic is a subscription-based program used for practice of multiple instruments.  This would also be a good program for a guitar class, band program, and class or private piano.  I do, however, feel that this would be a good program for elementary recorder as well.  I would love to use this with my students. Students can record themselves to receive their Recorder Karate belts in fourth and fifth grade.

This would be a good way to motivate my students to practice at home and want to continue to advance ahead with their instruments.  The application will help them to know where they have made mistakes in red and motivate them to practice until their notes are all green. They could then submit their final product with all green notes to receive their belts.  I am hoping to get a subscription for my school this year.
   

Week 4 Viewing/Reading Reflection

      My fourth and fifth grade students play recorder and practice at home is difficult to keep track.  Seeing the students only once a week (if that), means that those students must practice at home in order to improve and be able to play the songs assigned.  I have tried practice logs and letting them practice for a small amount of time in class.  After this week's reading and lecture, I am seeing a few other options that would motivate my students to practice at home.  In addition to an incentive program called "Recorder Karate", I would like to implement a practice program at home.
      Tutorial software would be convenient to use in the classroom to reinforce skills taught as well as reach those students not motivated by paper/pencil methods.  Bauer(2014) mentions selecting software for the classroom by looking at many different questions. What is needed to make it work?  Will it help cover standards?  Will it track progress of the students? Something that I have used in my classroom is MusicAce.  It reinforces lessons already taught in the classroom, has lessons for students to follow, and tracks progress of the students through short quizzes at the end of each unit.
      With my fourth and fifth grade students using recorders, I could have them use SmartMusic at home and in class.  Bauer(2014) mentions learning management systems that have the capability to develop and administer quizzes, grading, and a discussion forum.  My only concern about using SmartMusic is the cost and keeping track of about 200 students in fourth and fifth grade alone.

Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing andResponding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press.

Soundation reflection

https://soundation.com/user/awalte25/track/angelawalters-technology-soundation2

         My Soundation track represents where I was and wanted to be while composing the piece.  This is the last week before school starts again for teachers in Tennessee, so I was at the beach.  I tried to pull in Caribbean sounds as well as calming chords.  I wonder if my frustration with wifi connection comes through in any of the piece as there was a lot of frustration with finding strong wifi connection to finish the project.  My goal for this composition was to finish with something calming and easy to listen to. 

         Soundation was very easy to use when it worked.  The program offered many options to mix and match the sounds I wanted to create.  One could spend hours working with this program and not be bored or run out of options.  Some of the challenges I encountered were playback and little glitches.  There were times when I would have to save what I had worked on and reload the program.  This could have been due to wifi connection or the program, I am not sure.  I did have difficulties editing to make the piece longer.  I saved and republished but it seemed to keep publishing the same length composition.  I realized later on after working with the program for a while, that the midi files would only play in the “synth” channels.  I did not try to use my midi keyboard with this program, but will next time to see if that is an easier way to add instruments. 

         The educational implications of this program are immense.  Soundation would offer students many opportunities to compose smaller pieces and use their creativity to create pieces from the files already provided.  This would be a great program for my younger students, as they can play around more on this with the provided sounds to make their own pieces.  As I explored Soundation, I thought that my fifth graders could work in groups to create compositions at the end of the year to present at their awards ceremonies.  These could be class projects or individual based on time constraints.  I really feel that this could be a way to reach those students that aren’t motivated by traditional notation assignments.  This could peak their interest in composing and music in general.  I also thought that my younger students could compose pieces with two parts – one being a beat and the other a rhythm.  This would help them distinguish between beat and rhythm in the younger grades.  I really am excited to try Soundation with my students this year, as I feel they will really enjoy making their own music with a great deal of options not available without technology. 

Week 3: Composing with Technology in the Classroom

      I will admit that composition has been a difficult standard to master with elementary students.  In recent years, I have worked on having my students compose simple patterns in Kindergarten and first grade, simple melodies in second and third grade, and simple two-part pieces in fourth and fifth grade.  These were all accomplished with simple paper/pencil methods and symbols and patterns with the younger students.  After the reading/lecture this week and last week, I have so many ideas of ways to implement more composing into my curriculum in the coming years.  Chapter two in Music Learning Today has really helped me to understand the process of composing with technology and chapter three has given me so many good activities and reasons for using technology with my students.
      One of the programs that I am curious to use with my students is Music-COMP.  The guidelines that are set forth with this program really seem to be what the students will need to be successful.  Barrett's (p.61) ideas of composer-teacher teaching strategies are good guidelines for any K-12 music teacher.  Following the critique and revision guidelines to encourage creativity and having the students perform and share their compositions are going to be a little difficult to master in the elementary classroom with our time restraints.  Seeing our students only once a week (if that) can make projects a little hard to plan.  The activities on p. 69-72 are laid out in easy ways to implement some, if not all.  I am encouraged this week to try to implement some of those this next school year.
     
Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing and Responding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press. 

Noteflight pros and cons

https://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/40fe4ae50e45d47ef8dffb30039b8dfed6c8bd00
When using Noteflight after having worked with Musescore, I felt that it was lacking in some aspects and better in others.  With Noteflight, there was ease with use when adding parts and moving through the program.  However, you have to upgrade to use a midi keyboard to compose.  I feel that would possibly cause problems with funding in schools.  Therefore, I would use Musescore in my classroom for composing with our piano lab.  If there is an assignment to be worked on at home, I would have the students use Noteflight for the ease of use.  I felt that with Noteflight, the user has to play around with it more than Musescore to find all of the different aspects of the program.  All in all, it is a good program to get students composing, especially beginners.

Week 2 - Fostering Creativity through Technology

      This week's reading and lecture challenged the thought that a person either is creative or is not.  Teachers should foster creativity in the classroom through many different resources and mediums.   Technology is a great way for students to be challenged to create in an educational setting.  In the lecture this week, it is noted that our national standards have been revised to include notating music as a national standard.   

      Classrooms should be nurturing environments and creative opportunities should be readily available. Teachers should be encouraging and helpful in the creative process.  Necessary resources, such as notation software, should be present in the classroom, along with proper instruction on use of said technology.  Notation software can help with students' compositions. With most of our students being digital natives, using technology could speed up their process.  Teachers should stimulate the students' creativity with different genres of music and composers.  Students should be exposed to different music so that they can find a genre that "speaks" to them and helps them create their own. Sufficient time should be allowed, but also have parameters on assignments to help the creative process along.  Giving the students a rubric to follow and a time limit to finish can help them push through to create their composition. Ken Robinson (2011) believes that creativity is as important as literacy and that schools need to offer more opportunities for students to develop their creative abilities.  The ability to think creatively should be a high priority for a well-rounded education.   

      The creative process should involve these 4 steps and are sometimes cyclical - preparation,  incubation, illumination, and verification.  Preparation is the collection of information, knowledge, and skills.  Incubation is the inward problem solving.  Illumination could include elaboration and insight on the problem. Verification is when others see the finished product.  This can circle back to step one after the assessment of verification.  These steps should be fostered in the classroom by the teacher and peers.   The student should be prepared by the teacher, given time to think on the problem or piece being created, resources to illuminate and create a product, and then assessed - either by the teacher or by peers.  

      Webster (2012) said "Creative thinking is a dynamic process of alternation between convergent and divergent thinking, moving in stages over time, enabled by certain skills (both innate and learned), and by certain conditions, all resulting in a final product." We, as teachers, have to create an environment that fosters creativity through the teaching of skills, encouraging environment, and resources that will help our students soar. 

Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing and Responding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press.   

PLN Week 1:
There are several ideas from the readings and lecture this week that resonated with me.  First being that there are so many ways to professionally development myself.  Second being that I thought I knew many things about computers and technology in general when it came to education, but reading all that is available for teachers really opened my eyes.  Third, I definitely would consider myself a digital immigrant as opposed to a digital native.  I have found I have much more to learn through this class and through my colleagues.  
I have often said that there is not enough professional development offered to "specials" area teachers in the public schools.  Most of the time, we sit in on math or reading workshops instead of something that would be more specific to our "special" area, whether it be art, music, library, or PE.  After reading Bauer's journal article, I realized that we all need to be developing professionally on our own.  It is possible to find other articles and workshops outside of the district offered classes.  We as professionals should be looking constantly for new ideas and lessons to work into our classrooms.  I have used Pinterest and other teachers' blogs to develop my classroom, but could dive even further. 
In the reading, Bauer outlines all the components of a computer and other technology that is available.  There were a few that I was not aware of and did not really know how to use them.  I am still curious as to how some of the different peripheral devices can be used in the classroom.  I am excited to look into Rock our World with my students this year. 
I would have never considered myself a digital native, considering I went to college with a Brother word processor and a flip phone.  However, after reading this week, I would consider myself a digital immigrant working towards knowing what I can use in my classroom and really utilizing all resources.  

Bauer, W. I. (2014) Music learning today Digital Pedagogy for Creating Performing and Responding to Music. New York, NY Oxford University Press.
Bauer, W. I. (2010) Your Personal Learning Network: Professional Development on Demand. Music Educators Journal.
Technology for music teaching and learning. Week 1 lecture.