Aural Training Resource Site

Low Cost MusicTechnology Options For The Music Education Classroom

Low Cost MusicTechnology Options For The Music Education Classroom

Finding ways to stretch your budget in a music classroom is always important and even more so when trying to purchase high tech electronics, software, and other materials. This article provides an updated list of dozens of different low cost or free alternatives to expensive music education products. It includes such categories as music notation software, drill design software, special needs hardware, and many more.

The Star Spangled Banner- Free Sheet Music For Band Inst.

The Star Spangled Banner- Free Sheet Music For Band Inst.

This document contains sheet music for all common instruments to play The Star Spangled Banner, also known as the sheet music to the National Anthem of the United States of America. You can view the sheet music online or download the individual parts arranged for all common concert band instruments. If you do not see your instrument listed please scroll to the bottom of the page and try one of the the other instruments. Most musicians will be able to find at least one instrumental part that matches their range and preferred key signature. If you are seeking a simple piano version of the song please select from the voice, trumpet, or alto saxophone versions.

Using Plickers as an Assessment Tool in the Music Education Classroom

Using Plickers as an Assessment Tool in the Music Education Classroom

Music, band, choir, and orchestra classrooms can be huge and assessing the knowledge and retention of individual students in such a large class can be daunting. Plickers are one of several solutions that can be adapted to work in large groups, making the act of assessing a student’s understanding a little easier and a whole lot faster.

Is Marching Band A Sport? Pros, Cons, and a Reality Check

Is Marching Band A Sport? Pros, Cons, and a Reality Check

In recent years the question of whether or not marching band is a sport has been brought up time and time again for various reasons and by various groups. On one side you have the YES crowd who says that marching band is competitive, physically demanding, and every bit as much a team event as any traditional sporting event. On the other side of the coin are those who say no, that marching band is NOT a sport and it is a musical pursuit that happens to involve coordinated movements. Both sides are right, but to make a final decision we need to look deeper into the facts. Read on to find out what they are!

Portable Digital Audio Recorder Buying Guide With Reviews

Portable Digital Audio Recorder Buying Guide With Reviews

Scroll down to view the comparison chart of over a dozen different portable digital audio recorders.

Buying a portable digital audio recorder is a major decision. The balance between price, features, and quality is a fine line that has many different options to choose from. There are dozens of different models of portable digital audio recorders, some of which have drastically different sets of features yet sell for roughly the same price. This easy to read head to head comparison chart and guide to many of the more popular portable digital audio recorders is intended to help potential buyers more easily see these differences and make an educated buying decision.

Apps and More for the Choral Classroom

Apps and More for the Choral Classroom

The number of apps, software, and gadgets available for use in the music classroom continues to grow each year but finding things that can actually be beneficial to your classes grows more and more difficult as well. We spoke with Dr. Christopher Russell, Director of Choirs at Oltman Middle School in St. Paul Park, Minnesota to get his must-have list of apps.

Details

I remember in my college aural training class having to memorize intervals based on familiar songs, i.e. perfect fourth is "Here Comes The Bride." Well, as I have been noticing lately all the tunes that I grew up knowing and recognizing for this purpose are no longer well known by the current generation of elementary and high school students. Luckily the folks over at EarMaster have created an online page full of interval examples from more modern songs that many of today's students will actually know (am I really so old that no one recognizes the Star Trek theme for the minor seventh any more?).

Aural Training Made Easy

The list of songs that the EarMaster Interval Song Examples Chart provides is actually quite extensive, the only problem I have with it is that to play the songs you have to visit YouTube, which in most schools these days is blocked by the district's Internet firewall software. They also provide an on screen demo of each interval, complete with visuals of the piano keyboard, a guitar fretboard, and standard notation. The demo even plays the interval (up or down) so the student can at least hear the interval even if they can't access the video in class. For simple, easy mental hooks to help kids remember aural intervals be sure to give it a look.

For more detailed aural training practice you can always take a look at the full version of EarMaster Pro (read my review of EarMaster Pro here or my newer review of EarMaster Pro 6 here). Other alternatives include training software like Auralia which also does a very respectable job. Of the two I like the EarMaster Pro software better just because of the interface, but individual students may have different opinions depending on how much exposure they have had to it.

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