Elementary Music/Music Technology Blog

While I was reading about the newest 3G iPhone on the apple website, I then went and visited the iPod portion of their website to see if the iPods have been updated. While reading about the iPods, it reminded me that I have been asked by numerous music teachers about the iPod and which would be the right iPod for his/her music classroom.

How does the iPod benefit the music classroom?
First, any mp3 player can benefit the music classroom. It does not need to be an iPod. I tend to lean towards the iPod because it is user-friendly, it can be used on a MAC or PC, and it works easily with iTunes, which is a free digital media player application for MAC or PC.

Second, an mp3 player or iPod benefits your classroom in many ways:

1. You no longer have a stack of CDs cluttering your space because you can import your CDs to iTunes, make a playlist for each class or grade that you teach, and then click and drag that playlist to your iPod.
2. You no longer have to change CDs during class because the songs will be contained on the iPod.
3. You can plug your iPod into a stereo system, or any speakers that you purchase from Staples, Best Buys, etc., or you can play it through a boom box by purchasing the FM transmitter adapter. Therefore, the iPod is easily adaptable to any teaching situation, whether you teach in music classroom or on a cart.

Stats:
If you do decide to purchase an iPod for your classroom, which iPod is right one? There are four basic iPods: The iPod Shuffle, the iPod Nano, the iPod Classic, and the iPod Touch.

• The iPod Shuffle comes in 1GB (240 songs) for $49 and 2GB (500 songs) for $69.
• The iPod Nano comes in 4GB (1000 songs) for $149 ad 8GB (2000 songs) for $199.
• The iPod Classic comes in 80 GB (20,000 songs) for $249 and 160 GB (40,000 songs) for $349.
• The iPod Touch comes in 8G for $299, 16 GB for $399, and 32 GB for $499.

What do the differences in these iPods mean for music teachers?
The iPod Shuffle is the smallest of the iPods and has no screen. It is not helpful for a music teacher because you cannot read the title of the musical piece that is being played. This makes it difficult for the music teacher to select a song during class.

The iPod Nano is a great iPod for a small music budget. The 8GB Nano holds 2000 songs, which is more than enough for one year of elementary general music classes. It also can play videos, games, and store photos, but they will cut down on the amount of songs it can hold. It has a screen so it makes it easy for the music teacher to read and select a musical piece for class. You can also quickly set the repeat function by the press of a button (new feature–the older iPods did not have this feature so assessable). This is nice if you have your students practicing a recorder piece that you would like them to repeat over and over again.

The iPod Classic is a wonderful iPod for a larger music budget. Similar to the Nano with its ease of use, its differences comes in size and storage space. If you want to put your entire school’s music library on your iPod, including your Silver Burdett or McGraw-Hill CDs, then the iPod Classic is the right fit for your music classroom. Since it can hold up to 20,000 (60GB) or 40,000 songs (180 GB), you will enjoy the fact that your music library can be contained on one iPod. Finally, it also can play videos, games, and store photos, but they will cut down on the amount of songs it can hold.

Another excellent feature of both the iPod Nano and the iPod Classic is that you can connect a $50-$60 microphone to it and turn it into a voice recorder. Now your iPod not only plays music, but it is also an assessment device. These microphones are made my Xtreme Mac MicroMemo (now only found on Amazon), Griffin, or Belkin.

The iPod Touch has functions that are similar to the iPhone. You can play music, videos, connect to the internet through WiFi, store your photos, and check your email. Though these functions are wonderful for personal use, they do not lend themselves to a music classroom. In addition, there is currently no microphone that will fit this iPod. For these reasons and the fact that it is the priciest of all of the iPods with a small amount of storage space, I do not recommend the iPod Touch for a music classroom.

Recommendation:
Therefore, I would recommend the iPod Nano for smaller music budgets and the iPod Classic for larger music budgets with large music libraries. The accessories that would be required would be speakers to amplify your iPod.

Do you use an iPod in your music classroom? If so, which one?