http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2FSoYouWantToTeach
Above is a link to a new entry in the blog “So You Want to Teach.” I apologize for continually commenting on this blog, but the entries are always extremely practical for pre-service teachers such as myself. This posting was about Facebook which is so practical to my life right now because I have been a new Facebooker for a little over a week at this point. I feel torn about the issues because I’ve heard several teachers advise against having a Facebook account. I plan on having absolutely nothing on my Facebook page that I would be ashamed of having other future employers or students see; however, I still feel nervous. I think the author is correct to wait until his high school students have graduated before friending them. Facebook could really allow students to enter our personal lives in ways they’re not supposed to. The argument to the author’s philosophy was to use privacy settings but I really don’t even know how to manipulate these yet. I am very interested on what other teachers have to say on the issue of Facebook. It is difficult for those of my generation to not have a Facebook now but I would certainly be willing to get rid of my account if it might jeopardize my career goals.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Blog #10: Reading Reflections for 9/28/2009
Articles Referenced in this Blog Entry: “Sequence-stration” by Scott Watson
“Using MIDI accompaniments for Music Learning at School and at Home” by Fred Kersten
I really appreciate that the authors of all of the articles we’ve been reading have focused on communicating to an audience that knows very little about technology. I’m fortunate that this class has started us from the beginning in terms of using these software programs. I’m even learning the definitions to words I’ve always wondered about, such as URL (which I now know means Uniform Resource Locator). I know that my future students will likely be up to date on all of these resources and I think it’s important that I use such interests to lead them to a better understanding of music. For example, as mentioned by Kersten, young people love surfing the net for music files and would be very motivated to find sound clips if I posted them to a site. The use of sequencing devices truly makes comprehensive musicianship possible. In order to take a MIDI file and import it into Sibelius, students will need some background knowledge in theory, form, and orchestration. After listening to several MIDI files over the course of this week, however, I am nervous that students might forget the importance of human expression after much exposure to the standard MIDI sound. It is difficult for a computer to recreate a performance with the same level of expressivity that a living musician could. I want my students to know that there is a true difference between music created by a computer and music created by a person.
The “Sequence-stration” article confirmed the notion that often MIDI files can sound extremely unmusical. Compositions can become cheesy as if from a “low-budget kung fu film,” as Watson put it. This might lower my student’s expectations for what good music is. Watson’s article truly made me excited to use programs such as Garage Band. I’ve never been a composer and it’s fun to think of myself as one. It seems that the program makes it quite easy to create basic accompaniments for melodies. It was interesting to read that Watson himself is an elementary school band teacher and he uses this technology at such a high level. Creating fun accompaniments to back-up beginning performers can get them extremely excited to practice. It still takes considerable thought, though to create such a harmony with appropriate instrumentation and style. It seems like it would take a great deal of experimentation to develop a familiarity with all of the instruments in Garage Band. Watson noted that they have even included several world instruments which would help me expose my students to styles of foreign cultures with considerable ease. I loved the “timbral alchemy” section of the article which explained that the number of different sounds one can create with a sequencer program is practically endless. Layering two different timbres seems like it could be extremely useful; I’m just not entirely sure how to do this on Garage Band.
Over the past few weeks as I’ve been required to use Sibelius 5 and now Garage Band, I’ve been forced to think more about theory and compositional technique. According to Watson, in order to write a piece that will sound good (or authentic) between different synthesizers, one needs to write idiomatically for a particular instrument. For my Sibelius project, I had to know the specific ranges of the few instruments I was arranging for. As a music education major, I should have known this information anyway. Using such software has encouraged me to revisit my music theory and orchestration background.
On a separate note, I found the “humanize” function to be interesting although I’m not fully certain of what it does. Watson indicated that it adds an element of human error to the computer performance of a specific note (“adding slight, random variations to note timing, key velocity, and duration,” as the article states). Another idea which Watson mentioned was to play various synthesized MIDI melodies for students and ask them to suggest an appropriate instrumentation for the particular passage. This would promote close listening and critical thinking. Overall, I think that music educators who are comfortable using MIDI programs can add a new level of creativity to their rehearsals and classrooms.
“Using MIDI accompaniments for Music Learning at School and at Home” by Fred Kersten
I really appreciate that the authors of all of the articles we’ve been reading have focused on communicating to an audience that knows very little about technology. I’m fortunate that this class has started us from the beginning in terms of using these software programs. I’m even learning the definitions to words I’ve always wondered about, such as URL (which I now know means Uniform Resource Locator). I know that my future students will likely be up to date on all of these resources and I think it’s important that I use such interests to lead them to a better understanding of music. For example, as mentioned by Kersten, young people love surfing the net for music files and would be very motivated to find sound clips if I posted them to a site. The use of sequencing devices truly makes comprehensive musicianship possible. In order to take a MIDI file and import it into Sibelius, students will need some background knowledge in theory, form, and orchestration. After listening to several MIDI files over the course of this week, however, I am nervous that students might forget the importance of human expression after much exposure to the standard MIDI sound. It is difficult for a computer to recreate a performance with the same level of expressivity that a living musician could. I want my students to know that there is a true difference between music created by a computer and music created by a person.
The “Sequence-stration” article confirmed the notion that often MIDI files can sound extremely unmusical. Compositions can become cheesy as if from a “low-budget kung fu film,” as Watson put it. This might lower my student’s expectations for what good music is. Watson’s article truly made me excited to use programs such as Garage Band. I’ve never been a composer and it’s fun to think of myself as one. It seems that the program makes it quite easy to create basic accompaniments for melodies. It was interesting to read that Watson himself is an elementary school band teacher and he uses this technology at such a high level. Creating fun accompaniments to back-up beginning performers can get them extremely excited to practice. It still takes considerable thought, though to create such a harmony with appropriate instrumentation and style. It seems like it would take a great deal of experimentation to develop a familiarity with all of the instruments in Garage Band. Watson noted that they have even included several world instruments which would help me expose my students to styles of foreign cultures with considerable ease. I loved the “timbral alchemy” section of the article which explained that the number of different sounds one can create with a sequencer program is practically endless. Layering two different timbres seems like it could be extremely useful; I’m just not entirely sure how to do this on Garage Band.
Over the past few weeks as I’ve been required to use Sibelius 5 and now Garage Band, I’ve been forced to think more about theory and compositional technique. According to Watson, in order to write a piece that will sound good (or authentic) between different synthesizers, one needs to write idiomatically for a particular instrument. For my Sibelius project, I had to know the specific ranges of the few instruments I was arranging for. As a music education major, I should have known this information anyway. Using such software has encouraged me to revisit my music theory and orchestration background.
On a separate note, I found the “humanize” function to be interesting although I’m not fully certain of what it does. Watson indicated that it adds an element of human error to the computer performance of a specific note (“adding slight, random variations to note timing, key velocity, and duration,” as the article states). Another idea which Watson mentioned was to play various synthesized MIDI melodies for students and ask them to suggest an appropriate instrumentation for the particular passage. This would promote close listening and critical thinking. Overall, I think that music educators who are comfortable using MIDI programs can add a new level of creativity to their rehearsals and classrooms.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Blog #9: Reading Reflections for 9/21/2009
Articles Referenced in this blog: “The MIDI-Digital Audio Shuffle” by Dennis
Mauricio and Steve Oppenheimer
Case Blackboard>Technology Assisted Music
Education>Course Materials>MIDI Resources.
This is a very difficult blog for me to write. I have read Mauricio and Oppenheimer’s article listed above and also several lengthy descriptions of what MIDI is exactly from the copious postings in our course materials section of Blackboard. Computers have always seemed like magic to me – I’ve never quite understood how they work. So these readings about the process in which MIDI communicates digital messages was slow-going and frustrating at times. The computer jargon is foreign to my vocabulary. I’m going to write what I do understand about MIDI. It is not a sound recording but a performance instruction. MIDI sends messages which explain how a synthesizer can re-create a performance. It is a standard way to communicate between different types of software. Before its development in 1982, much music could not be produced across software programs meaning that recording artists could not share their works. MIDI offered a solution to this.
To utilize MIDI files, I need to have a five pin cable. Synthesizers and computers which are creating or sending these files can have three different ports – MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, and MIDI THRU. The first receives messages, the second releases them, and the third allows messages to be sent from a series of synthesizers linked together – this is apparently called “daisy chaining.” MIDI explains a number of things about a musical performance such as note pitch, note length, volume of note, and the tempo (which is part of the set-up data). There is a fixed number of sounds which MIDI can identify for the synthesizer; however, the list is quite extensive. Dr. Estrella posted a comprehensive chart of this on his Exploring MIDI website. Because MIDI is not a sound file, but only a message about sounds, the standard MIDI file tends to be fairly small and is encoded as .mid. The form of these messages is still completely confusing for me. I don’t have an understanding of codes which begin with 0 or 1, or the difference between status bytes vs. data bytes. I now understand the term digital, though! Digital refers to computers because computers communicate through a series of digits (either 0 or 1).
The Mauricio and Oppenheimer article debates the appropriate use of either digital audio files or MIDI. It seems that digital audio files are much larger and may not be interpretable by some software. However, an audio file is an exact copy of a particular performance. The copy will be similar to the original and allows for better accuracy. MIDI files seem most convenient to music educators, however. They can be exported in and out of Sibelius so that melodies can be transposed or the instrument selection can be switched. Music teachers will of course need to make adjustments for their specific ensemble if they would like to use a piece of music they downloaded from the web. The Scorch application we explored last class seems very practical, although I don’t know exactly how to get permission to print-out a piece. The amount of space on a public school computer can also be fairly limited, so the compressed size of the MIDI file would likely be convenient.
The only problem I see about MIDI files is that they require some type of software to change the messages into sound. This could be problematic if the school I’m working at has not purchased Sibelius or another synthesizer program. But being able to share music can be so beneficial for students. Even just showing interested performers that they can go online to sites such as Just Jazz, which we explored last class, could be a boost in motivation. I hope my students will understand and appreciate that technology has made it possible to share all genres of music with people across the globe.
Mauricio and Steve Oppenheimer
Case Blackboard>Technology Assisted Music
Education>Course Materials>MIDI Resources.
This is a very difficult blog for me to write. I have read Mauricio and Oppenheimer’s article listed above and also several lengthy descriptions of what MIDI is exactly from the copious postings in our course materials section of Blackboard. Computers have always seemed like magic to me – I’ve never quite understood how they work. So these readings about the process in which MIDI communicates digital messages was slow-going and frustrating at times. The computer jargon is foreign to my vocabulary. I’m going to write what I do understand about MIDI. It is not a sound recording but a performance instruction. MIDI sends messages which explain how a synthesizer can re-create a performance. It is a standard way to communicate between different types of software. Before its development in 1982, much music could not be produced across software programs meaning that recording artists could not share their works. MIDI offered a solution to this.
To utilize MIDI files, I need to have a five pin cable. Synthesizers and computers which are creating or sending these files can have three different ports – MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, and MIDI THRU. The first receives messages, the second releases them, and the third allows messages to be sent from a series of synthesizers linked together – this is apparently called “daisy chaining.” MIDI explains a number of things about a musical performance such as note pitch, note length, volume of note, and the tempo (which is part of the set-up data). There is a fixed number of sounds which MIDI can identify for the synthesizer; however, the list is quite extensive. Dr. Estrella posted a comprehensive chart of this on his Exploring MIDI website. Because MIDI is not a sound file, but only a message about sounds, the standard MIDI file tends to be fairly small and is encoded as .mid. The form of these messages is still completely confusing for me. I don’t have an understanding of codes which begin with 0 or 1, or the difference between status bytes vs. data bytes. I now understand the term digital, though! Digital refers to computers because computers communicate through a series of digits (either 0 or 1).
The Mauricio and Oppenheimer article debates the appropriate use of either digital audio files or MIDI. It seems that digital audio files are much larger and may not be interpretable by some software. However, an audio file is an exact copy of a particular performance. The copy will be similar to the original and allows for better accuracy. MIDI files seem most convenient to music educators, however. They can be exported in and out of Sibelius so that melodies can be transposed or the instrument selection can be switched. Music teachers will of course need to make adjustments for their specific ensemble if they would like to use a piece of music they downloaded from the web. The Scorch application we explored last class seems very practical, although I don’t know exactly how to get permission to print-out a piece. The amount of space on a public school computer can also be fairly limited, so the compressed size of the MIDI file would likely be convenient.
The only problem I see about MIDI files is that they require some type of software to change the messages into sound. This could be problematic if the school I’m working at has not purchased Sibelius or another synthesizer program. But being able to share music can be so beneficial for students. Even just showing interested performers that they can go online to sites such as Just Jazz, which we explored last class, could be a boost in motivation. I hope my students will understand and appreciate that technology has made it possible to share all genres of music with people across the globe.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Blog #8: PLN: A Rule-Free Band Room?
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2FSoYouWantToTeach
Above is the URL to another very interesting blog from "So You Want to Teach." The author describes how he is not spending any time explaining rules to his middle school band students. He has posted the band handbook on the ensemble's website and sends home a form for parents to sign stating that they have read this. He does mention that he reviews a few policy issues at the first rehearsal, such as bathroom passess, phone use, etc. Joel believes that by the time students reach middle school, they know general rules for functioning within a classroom - such as raising your hand when you would like to contribute to the conversation. Occassionally, students will need reminders, but they do not need an entire lecture on the subject. The author notes that the school administration makes sure that the students know the larger school rules and these same principles can be applied inside classrooms. Middle schoolers do not need another six smaller sets of rules for each new room they enter. This is an interesting concept Joel writes about. He explains that his rehearsals revolve around trust which is an important element for good musical organizations. Joel also wrote that he spends the extra time which was previously spent on rule explanation on getting to know the students and learning names.
Above is the URL to another very interesting blog from "So You Want to Teach." The author describes how he is not spending any time explaining rules to his middle school band students. He has posted the band handbook on the ensemble's website and sends home a form for parents to sign stating that they have read this. He does mention that he reviews a few policy issues at the first rehearsal, such as bathroom passess, phone use, etc. Joel believes that by the time students reach middle school, they know general rules for functioning within a classroom - such as raising your hand when you would like to contribute to the conversation. Occassionally, students will need reminders, but they do not need an entire lecture on the subject. The author notes that the school administration makes sure that the students know the larger school rules and these same principles can be applied inside classrooms. Middle schoolers do not need another six smaller sets of rules for each new room they enter. This is an interesting concept Joel writes about. He explains that his rehearsals revolve around trust which is an important element for good musical organizations. Joel also wrote that he spends the extra time which was previously spent on rule explanation on getting to know the students and learning names.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Blog #7: PLN: 10 Things For a First Year Teacher To Do
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2FSoYouWantToTeach
Pasted above is a link to the “So You Want to Teach” blog. In this entry, the author relates to teachers who are entering the field for the first time this fall. He remembers how overwhelming the new job can be and encourages readers not to make an ultimatum about the career of teaching based on their first reaction. His major recommendation is to keep a level head at all times and to think about decisions before reacting to stressful situations. Joel provides ten suggestions for new teachers. Most of them make a great deal of sense. I always appreciate advice for first year teachers! I also really liked the list of related articles which are linked at the bottom of the blog. Most of them are about dealing with stress and would be worth taking a look at.
Pasted above is a link to the “So You Want to Teach” blog. In this entry, the author relates to teachers who are entering the field for the first time this fall. He remembers how overwhelming the new job can be and encourages readers not to make an ultimatum about the career of teaching based on their first reaction. His major recommendation is to keep a level head at all times and to think about decisions before reacting to stressful situations. Joel provides ten suggestions for new teachers. Most of them make a great deal of sense. I always appreciate advice for first year teachers! I also really liked the list of related articles which are linked at the bottom of the blog. Most of them are about dealing with stress and would be worth taking a look at.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Blog #6: Reading Reflections for 9/14/2009
Articles Referenced in this blog: “The Vermont MIDI Project” by Steven Estrella
“Creative Thinking and Music Technology” by
Peter Webster
“TI:ME Teaching Standards” in Technology
Strategies for Music Education
Ch. 14: Music Education Applications in Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software
The two readings I enjoyed most from those mentioned above was the article on the VT MIDI Project and chapter 14 in Sibelius. After reading the former, I was amazed at what Sandi MacLeod did for students of the VT and NY schools who have now implemented this program. I completely agree that composition teaches students more about the elements of music than do most other experiences. The structure of many current public school music programs is mostly performance focused and does not allot time for writing music or instruction on how to write music. This type of creation, though, would truly excite students to pursue the art seriously. I was impressed with how young these student composers are! The article mentioned several middle school works and even a few created by fourth graders.
The composers who collaborate with these young students must have a very positive effect on the kids. I enjoyed reading that to be a mentoring composer of the Vermont MIDI Project, one must go through some amount of training in how to work with young students. The article mentioned that composers are asked to always be positive about a new work and to state criticism gently. They are not to be overly insistent and know that the students have the right to reject the suggestions made by the composers. The philosophy here sounds very student-focused.
It is also great, that the students are asked to describe their piece along with their artistic decisions. This encourages them to think more closely about their writing. Composers ask simple questions at first, such as, “Is this melody singable or playable” or “Does this remind you of anything a piece you’ve heard in the past?” These prompts are perfect for aspiring composers. The student must complete a series of revisions which means that this instruction is sequenced. Attempting to write a new piece using computer notation software would open-up a world of questions on how music works and how different sounds function within a composition. I like that VMP holds a four-day Summer Institute every summer, meaning that schools have yearly opportunities to join this program and that even teachers with limited technology skills can be trained to avail this resource to their students. I hope to be competent with Sibelius in order to help my future students learn how to use the program.
Although I still feel a little nervous using a sophisticated software such as Sibelius 5, chapter 14 made it clear that the program can be an incredible teaching tool. For the ensemble director, its most important use is the ease in which a melody can be given to all sections of the group. If there is a difficult passage that my young trumpet players are struggling with, but it highlights several musical concepts which I would like the entire band to attend to, I could transcribe the melody for every instrument and hand it out in score form. This would also manifest to the musicians that the notation is different for every instrument. Bassoons cannot look at the same cleft that flutes look at, for example. This might even lead into the beginnings of score reading. It seems that extracting the rhythms from any passage is fairly easy with Sibelius 5 as well. The chapter mentioned that Sibelius includes more than 1,700 worksheets designed for the music classroom. What an amazing resource! Before beginning a piece, I could hand-out one of these worksheets which addresses the particular concepts highlighted in the new music, rather that be a new key signature, a new mode, complex rhythms, or intricate dynamic markings. This would focus the class’s attention on the important features of the piece.
Sibelius can also provide part of a melody with additional staff paper for students to finish the composition with. Students might really enjoy this project if they’re given a starting point to work from. The author also explains that Sibelius includes several poems which students could write a melody to. Some might prefer this, particularly if they were allowed to choose their text. It’s going to take some time to explore all that this program has to offer, and my greatest fear is that when new versions are made, they will be dissimilar from the one I am studying. Technology is constantly changing but hopefully some of the basics will remain unchanged.
“Creative Thinking and Music Technology” by
Peter Webster
“TI:ME Teaching Standards” in Technology
Strategies for Music Education
Ch. 14: Music Education Applications in Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software
The two readings I enjoyed most from those mentioned above was the article on the VT MIDI Project and chapter 14 in Sibelius. After reading the former, I was amazed at what Sandi MacLeod did for students of the VT and NY schools who have now implemented this program. I completely agree that composition teaches students more about the elements of music than do most other experiences. The structure of many current public school music programs is mostly performance focused and does not allot time for writing music or instruction on how to write music. This type of creation, though, would truly excite students to pursue the art seriously. I was impressed with how young these student composers are! The article mentioned several middle school works and even a few created by fourth graders.
The composers who collaborate with these young students must have a very positive effect on the kids. I enjoyed reading that to be a mentoring composer of the Vermont MIDI Project, one must go through some amount of training in how to work with young students. The article mentioned that composers are asked to always be positive about a new work and to state criticism gently. They are not to be overly insistent and know that the students have the right to reject the suggestions made by the composers. The philosophy here sounds very student-focused.
It is also great, that the students are asked to describe their piece along with their artistic decisions. This encourages them to think more closely about their writing. Composers ask simple questions at first, such as, “Is this melody singable or playable” or “Does this remind you of anything a piece you’ve heard in the past?” These prompts are perfect for aspiring composers. The student must complete a series of revisions which means that this instruction is sequenced. Attempting to write a new piece using computer notation software would open-up a world of questions on how music works and how different sounds function within a composition. I like that VMP holds a four-day Summer Institute every summer, meaning that schools have yearly opportunities to join this program and that even teachers with limited technology skills can be trained to avail this resource to their students. I hope to be competent with Sibelius in order to help my future students learn how to use the program.
Although I still feel a little nervous using a sophisticated software such as Sibelius 5, chapter 14 made it clear that the program can be an incredible teaching tool. For the ensemble director, its most important use is the ease in which a melody can be given to all sections of the group. If there is a difficult passage that my young trumpet players are struggling with, but it highlights several musical concepts which I would like the entire band to attend to, I could transcribe the melody for every instrument and hand it out in score form. This would also manifest to the musicians that the notation is different for every instrument. Bassoons cannot look at the same cleft that flutes look at, for example. This might even lead into the beginnings of score reading. It seems that extracting the rhythms from any passage is fairly easy with Sibelius 5 as well. The chapter mentioned that Sibelius includes more than 1,700 worksheets designed for the music classroom. What an amazing resource! Before beginning a piece, I could hand-out one of these worksheets which addresses the particular concepts highlighted in the new music, rather that be a new key signature, a new mode, complex rhythms, or intricate dynamic markings. This would focus the class’s attention on the important features of the piece.
Sibelius can also provide part of a melody with additional staff paper for students to finish the composition with. Students might really enjoy this project if they’re given a starting point to work from. The author also explains that Sibelius includes several poems which students could write a melody to. Some might prefer this, particularly if they were allowed to choose their text. It’s going to take some time to explore all that this program has to offer, and my greatest fear is that when new versions are made, they will be dissimilar from the one I am studying. Technology is constantly changing but hopefully some of the basics will remain unchanged.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Blog #5: PLN New York Times Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/nyregion/29teachers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Listed above is a news article posted in the Region section of the New York Times which was sent to my Google Reader account. Due to budget problems, the US Department of Education put a hiring freeze on new teachers last spring. Principals were told that they need to hire staff members who are already on their district’s payroll but have no permanent position in order to fill their vacancies for the fall. Principals have refused to hire from this pool, however, knowing that they are unqualified. In the city of New York, this has left 1,800 positions still open! Many well-qualified, unemployed teachers are very frustrated that they cannot apply for jobs that are open and principals are upset that they are now being limited in who they can select as faculty members. Many of these New York positions will remain open by the start of classes on September 9 forcing many schools to enlarge class sizes.
Listed above is a news article posted in the Region section of the New York Times which was sent to my Google Reader account. Due to budget problems, the US Department of Education put a hiring freeze on new teachers last spring. Principals were told that they need to hire staff members who are already on their district’s payroll but have no permanent position in order to fill their vacancies for the fall. Principals have refused to hire from this pool, however, knowing that they are unqualified. In the city of New York, this has left 1,800 positions still open! Many well-qualified, unemployed teachers are very frustrated that they cannot apply for jobs that are open and principals are upset that they are now being limited in who they can select as faculty members. Many of these New York positions will remain open by the start of classes on September 9 forcing many schools to enlarge class sizes.
Blog #4: Reading Reflections for 9/7/2009
Articles referenced for this posting:
“11 Innovative Uses for Notation Software” by Scott Watson
“Notation Software: The Ultimate Tool for the Music Teacher” by Dr. Tom Rudolph
“Notation Software: A Versatile Tool for Music Educators” by C. Floyd Richmond
After working with Sibelius more closely and reading these articles, I certainly believe that it is essential for music teachers to be familiar with notation software programs. I think that its most important use for the ensemble director is its ability to transcribe music. It is unwise to assume that every piece of repertoire ordered for a school band will arrive fitted for that specific group. Often, there may be parts that are too technically challenging for some players – Rudolph mentioned that often he needs to rearrange the clarinet parts for his young students who cannot cross the break yet. Or the orchestration may not align with the band’s roster. Often a band director will have far too many saxophones but almost no tubas. Putting the “second altos” on the tuba part would be a good solution.
Watson added that notation software can reduce the stress in an ensemble director’s life. He explained an example where the band was needed to play for a school assembly. Rather than having the entire group participate, he rearranged the music to fit a more select ensemble of volunteers only. The ability to transpose music and print out new parts could yield wonderful chamber music. A director could prepare music for small groups which the players are generally interested in practicing and performing. I do think that this takes a degree of skill on the director’s part, however. Watson mentioned the possibility of transcribing a piano accompaniment for a solo instrument into band parts. I’m not sure if I’m competent enough to do this. He even described a situation where he wrote a harmonic accompaniment for a trumpet solo, and, although he wrote that the accompaniment was simple, I’m afraid that still might be out of my league of compositional skills. Encouraging students to write their own meloldies, though, and then allowing them to put their work onto Sibelius sounds exciting, though. They could begin with manuscript paper, writing a melody for their instrument only and then later it could be imported into Sibelius. Students would be incredibly motivated to see their work printed on the page.
I had difficulty relating to Richmond’s article, however, because mostly wrote about activities for which each student would need access to a computer. If I am working with a school ensemble of eighty, it would be hard to get each student onto a computer. Richmond advocates compositional projects through the use of notation software but I really think that the basics of theory should be learned using paper and pencil first before a new computer program is introduced. Richmond and Watson referred to a notation software’s ability to play back music for the students. I understand that Sibelius can do this but I think original recordings would be preferable. When learning a piece of repertoire students should listen to a real ensemble perform with real people making real musical decisions. This will widen their musical vocabulary. Listening to several interpretations will also help.
Overall, I think that implementing notation software into the classroom can really impress and motivate students. I liked how Watson noted that his students loved to have music dedicated to them. This is so true and it can certainly provoke a compositional interest in them. My greatest fear is that I am still unfamiliar with computers in general. Statements such as “Any modern sequencing software can export a recorded performance as a standard MIDI file that can then be imported into a notation program for playback” (Richmond, p.39) are really difficult for me to understand. To be honest, I don’t know what a sequencing program is right now. “Quantization settings” was also above me. I look forward to defining these terms in the near future.
“11 Innovative Uses for Notation Software” by Scott Watson
“Notation Software: The Ultimate Tool for the Music Teacher” by Dr. Tom Rudolph
“Notation Software: A Versatile Tool for Music Educators” by C. Floyd Richmond
After working with Sibelius more closely and reading these articles, I certainly believe that it is essential for music teachers to be familiar with notation software programs. I think that its most important use for the ensemble director is its ability to transcribe music. It is unwise to assume that every piece of repertoire ordered for a school band will arrive fitted for that specific group. Often, there may be parts that are too technically challenging for some players – Rudolph mentioned that often he needs to rearrange the clarinet parts for his young students who cannot cross the break yet. Or the orchestration may not align with the band’s roster. Often a band director will have far too many saxophones but almost no tubas. Putting the “second altos” on the tuba part would be a good solution.
Watson added that notation software can reduce the stress in an ensemble director’s life. He explained an example where the band was needed to play for a school assembly. Rather than having the entire group participate, he rearranged the music to fit a more select ensemble of volunteers only. The ability to transpose music and print out new parts could yield wonderful chamber music. A director could prepare music for small groups which the players are generally interested in practicing and performing. I do think that this takes a degree of skill on the director’s part, however. Watson mentioned the possibility of transcribing a piano accompaniment for a solo instrument into band parts. I’m not sure if I’m competent enough to do this. He even described a situation where he wrote a harmonic accompaniment for a trumpet solo, and, although he wrote that the accompaniment was simple, I’m afraid that still might be out of my league of compositional skills. Encouraging students to write their own meloldies, though, and then allowing them to put their work onto Sibelius sounds exciting, though. They could begin with manuscript paper, writing a melody for their instrument only and then later it could be imported into Sibelius. Students would be incredibly motivated to see their work printed on the page.
I had difficulty relating to Richmond’s article, however, because mostly wrote about activities for which each student would need access to a computer. If I am working with a school ensemble of eighty, it would be hard to get each student onto a computer. Richmond advocates compositional projects through the use of notation software but I really think that the basics of theory should be learned using paper and pencil first before a new computer program is introduced. Richmond and Watson referred to a notation software’s ability to play back music for the students. I understand that Sibelius can do this but I think original recordings would be preferable. When learning a piece of repertoire students should listen to a real ensemble perform with real people making real musical decisions. This will widen their musical vocabulary. Listening to several interpretations will also help.
Overall, I think that implementing notation software into the classroom can really impress and motivate students. I liked how Watson noted that his students loved to have music dedicated to them. This is so true and it can certainly provoke a compositional interest in them. My greatest fear is that I am still unfamiliar with computers in general. Statements such as “Any modern sequencing software can export a recorded performance as a standard MIDI file that can then be imported into a notation program for playback” (Richmond, p.39) are really difficult for me to understand. To be honest, I don’t know what a sequencing program is right now. “Quantization settings” was also above me. I look forward to defining these terms in the near future.
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