This article comes from a technology review done by MIT. Many of us are faced with the challenges of teaching students of various disabilities. The good news is that there are some excellent new technologies being implemented. Take a moment to check out the above link and learn about the develops of cochlear implants and their impact on music and the hearing impaired.
This popped up in my feed a few days ago. MusicPLN.org is a relatively new online community for music teachers and pre-service music teachers to exchange ideas and seek professional development
Dr. Adam Brennan (Mansfield University) demonstrates the difference between earning a grade of "A" and a piece that is performed "artfully." This video will shed light on problems in our American Education System in a very interesting way!
Noteflight is a tool for music teachers and their students to use for notating music. Per Noteflight’s Wiki: “Noteflight is an online interactive graphical music-notation editor.” It is a free tool that can be accessed from nearly any computer with an internet connection/browser that supports Adobe Flash. From an educator’s perspective, students can now work on compositions or assignments both at school and at home without expensive notation software.
I found Noteflight fairly easy to use. Teachers looking to use this tool with their students can take comfort in knowing that tutorial videos, FAQ’s and help forums provide excellent help and support to users of varying computer expertise. Creating a free account takes only a few minutes. Students can easily access their work from a computer at school, as well as at home. This tool can readily be used in music theory classrooms as both an instructional aid and as a tool for students to do part writing or other assignments. A band director might use this tool to have students transpose parts or to transcribe a solo for jazz band.
I can already tell that my favorite use of Noteflight will be that I can have students transpose their parts! Next time you need a student to cover or double another part, have your students try inputting the notation themselves. Noteflight even has a transpose feature!
The New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) has a lot of resources for music teachers on their website. Everything from advocacy materials to music curriculum can be found on their site. The Technology Committee is part of the larger NYSSMA umbrella. On the technology committee's web-page you will find internet resources as well as music applications that work on the iphone (opens as a pdf.)
If anyone is looking for articles supporting a variety of uses for music technology, please check out SoundTree's website. SoundTree is a division of Korg, USA. Additionally, you will find a link located on the left side of the page for teacher resources, including lesson plans!
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has dedicated a portion of their website for students to explore orchestral music in a fun way. Many times students end up staying inside for recess (especially in the North East) due to weather. I have noticed that student's love to play games on the computer, why not music games?!?
Check out the fun games on this website, Beethoven's Baseball is one of my favorites!
