Elementary Music/Music Technology Blog

Today ended our winter trimester at school. As spring break begins (yeah!), I now have some time to update my website with my students’ works. This trimester, my second graders composed songs using the notes middle C (do), D (re), E (mi), G (sol), and A (la) and quarter, half, and whole notes in 4/4 time. We have been studying the pentatonic scale through songs and reading notes on the staff. I signed out the computer lab and had the students use Finale NotePad to compose their songs. To help them achieve success, I gave them a 4-measure B section to compose. I composed the A section and the completed song had an ABA form. They did an excellent job! They successfully composed using Finale NotePad. Their only obstacle was that many of them wanted to use the note F (fa). Afterward, since we had been studying music in African and Latin styles, I arranged two accompaniments in GarageBand for the students to choose from in an African style or a Latin style, to accompany their melodies. They could also choose to leave their song as just a melody with no accompaniment. I adored watching the students feel a sense of accomplishment and ownership over their compositions. Today, they received a CD compilation of their works and their faces lit up!

To listen to the second graders’ works, please visit my website and click on “2nd grade.“

Today, one of the 3rd grade teachers performed two songs from Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro for my kindergarten music classes. My kindergartners have been studying Mozart’s life, particularly his childhood, and his music. We read a book about Mozart’s life, moved to various works by Mozart (recordings of myself performing his flute and clarinet concertos), and watched a wonderful version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Many of the kindergartners loved watching his opera so much that they wrote about it in their classroom journals (this was music to my ears when the kindergarten teacher told me). As I was discussing Mozart with the 3rd grade teacher, who I knew was a vocalist, she stated to me that she had been studying and wanting to perform two songs from The Marriage of Figaro. I asked her if she wanted to come into the kindergarten music classes to perform for them. She was delighted to do so. Not only did she perform, but she explained the songs beautifully to her young audience. They adored her and they loved listening to her perform. On a side note, her schedule would not permit her to come to all of my kindergarten music classes, so she graciously allowed me to videotape her performance and presentation and I then showed it to the other classes.

In addition, a couple of years back, one of the second grade teachers hesitantly admitted to me that she plays french horn, but has not played it much in recent years. When a teacher admits that to me, I feel that they would like to play the instrument again if they had a venue. I then created an arrangement of Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring for the students for our holiday concert, and added her, another teacher who plays piano, and a teacher’s father her plays trombone, to play along with the students. It was extremely successful and from then, she has played many times.

One of the benefits of teachers performing for the students is that the students can relate more to the performance because it is being performed by their teachers. They know their teachers. It is like a new cool factor added to that teacher and to the instrument that the teacher plays.

I highly encourage you to find out if any of your teachers once played or sang in high school. Find out if any were all-state musicians. I usually have to do some detective work to find these things out and then have to use that information carefully, but when I do, the most wonderful results are produced.

I am so thrilled that The Music Education Blog Carnival is back. Back in July of 2008, Joel of www.soyouwanttoteach.com and Joe of musictechnology.net presented the first Music Education Blog Carnival. I was so proud to be a part of it as Joe and Joel incorporated my blog post titled Podcasting with the Youngest of Students.

The carnival continued until June 2009 and then it went on hiatus. I was so happy to read that Joe was starting up the carnival again. This edition features blog posts separated into three categories: Music Technology, Music Tips, and Music Pedagogy. There are many excellent posts from some amazing people such as Joe, Barbara Freedman, Andy Zweibel, Bonnie Brown, Theresa White, and many more. Check out the blog by clicking here.

The next edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival will be hosted by Carol Broos on April 1, 2010 – Carol Broos @ http://beatechie.com

This summer, I will again have the privilege of teaching “Integrating Technology into the Elementary Music Classroom: A Course For Elementary Teachers Taught By An Elementary Teacher” at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). I have fond memories of of CCSU as I spent 6 summers there earning my Masters of Science in Music Education.

The course will be offered from July 12-July 16. The course description is as follows: This hands-on course is aimed at elementary music teachers who are interested in integrating technology into the elementary general music curriculum. The course will include a survey of successful teaching strategies and lesson plans as well as an overview of hardware and software appropriate for the elementary level. The material covered in this course will be applicable to every teaching scenario from the teacher who teaches on a cart, the teacher with one computer in a classroom, and the teacher who either already has a classroom lab or who is interested in setting up a lab. Classroom-ready lesson plans, handouts, and software will be included.

If you are interested in taking the course, please click here for more information about registration.

Today is the 100th day of school at our school and my first graders are beaming with pride as they entered my classroom with their “100th Day of School visors.” On these visors were stickers and other items that added up to the number 100. In music class, we sang “The 100th Day Of School” by John Riggio  and “1-0-0″ by Teresa Jennings (both found in Music K-8). We then continued to work on “The 1st Grade’s 100 Favorite Song List” changing marker colors at every tenth number. I am slowly learning my students’ musical influences, and they range from Beethoven, to movie themes, to The Black Eyed Peas. The list is only half way completed so I cannot wait to see what other songs will be added.

How do you celebrate the 100th day of school in your music class?

The past two days have been eventful ones at the TI:ME/NJMEA conference. There were some amazing presentations that involved technological tools for music education such as YouTube, EAMIR (Electro-Acoustic Musically Interactive Room), music labs, microphones, software, hardware, and much more. The sessions were informative, rich with materials and ideas, and the presenters were knowledgeable and excellent. I heard many compliments about the conference, one being “Glad that TI:ME came to NJ. Great conference!”

My personal favorite sessions were ones that were presented by teachers who utilized these tools in their classrooms daily. One of my favorite sessions was Barbara Freedman’s students performing their nanoband music live. Her highschool students were performing and creating music live utilizing Korg’s Kaossilators and more, and they were amazing!

I wish that I could have attended every session. However, the twitter feed (or the twitter chat room) kept me informed about what was occurring in each session. I personally thank all of the presenters and educators that attended. I especially thank TI:ME’s sponsors, Alfred, MakeMusic, Noteflight, Shure, SoundTree, and Yamaha,  because without them, this conference would not have been possible. I hope to see you in 2011, where the conference will be in Ohio!

Photo: Playing in the Technology Sandbox provided by SoundTree and found at http://tweetphoto.com/11779499

The TI:ME/NJMEA Conference is off to great start! TI:ME’s pre-conference day was well attended and extremely successful. The sessions were top notch and excellent. Presenters such as Pisano, Frankel, Rudolph, Lockstampfor, Jacoby, Schmunk, Phillips, Freedman, and many, many more gave the participants new ways to rejuvenate their classrooms and minds with technology. As I overheard one of the participants comment in the elevator, “there is so much good stuff here, I am not sure where to go next. NJMEA got it right this year by offering all of these tech sessions.”

The evening began with an amazing keynote speech by Don Muro, who reminded us why and how to keep the musicianship in music technology. This was followed by a reception sponsored by Joe Berkovitz of http://www.noteflight.com (thank you Joe!) where Dr. Rick Dammers was presented with the TI:ME 2010 Mike Kovins Teacher of the Year award (sponsored by SoundTree-thank you!). The evening ended with a wonderful concert performed by Bill and Lynn Purse (Aergo).

This was an amazing day of wonderful presenters, excellent sessions, technology explored, and music as the main focus. You can keep track of the sessions on Twitter, using the hashtag #TIME10. I look forward to blogging about day 2!

Picture from http://tweetphoto.com/11801207 posted by SoundTree

I am thrilled that tomorrow will begin the TI:ME/NJMEA Conference in East Brunswick, NJ. TI:ME’s preconference day promises to be one both educational and excellent! Some of the gurus of music tech will be presenting, such as Tom Rudolph, Jim Frankel, Tom Johnson, Joe Pisano, Bill Purse, Don Muro, and more. Plus, TI:ME’s sessions continue into Friday and Saturday. There are also some great opportunities to test music technology like the Technology Sandbox and to hear amazing performances like Barbara Freedman’s nanoband of high school students.

You can register at the conference. Please come on down, via the Turnpike or RT 287, and join us at this great conference!

If you receive MENC’s Teaching Music magazine, please check out the feature article titled “Teaching the Digital Generation.” I was interviewed for this article and I explain some of my cross-curricular projects that I perform with elementary students. These projects are technology-enhanced. They will also be featured in my session at this week’s TI:ME/NJMEA conference.

Eventually, the article will be found at this MENC link: http://www.menc.org/resources/view/teaching-music-magazine

Next week, as NJ digs out of all of this snow, I will be presenting “Integrating Music Across the Curriculum with Technology” at the NJMEA/TI:ME National Conference in New Brunswick, NJ. I am currently working on my presentation and I am planning on including projects that involve the following:

• How technology assisted in an integration project with 3rd grade science
• How technology assisted in an integration project with 3rd grade social studies
• How technology assisted in an integration project with a 2nd grade unit on immigration
• How technology assisted in an integration project with a Kindergarten unit on farms
• Examples of how technology can assist with the music and math connection
• Examples of how technology can assist with the music and reading connection
• Examples of how technology can assist with the music and writing connection

If you are planning on attending the conference, please come check out my session on Thursday, February 18, at 1:55-2:55 in Cooper Lecture 3. In addition, I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. What integration ideas would you like to see in this session? Are there items that your school asks you to include in music? I welcome your thoughts and comments.