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.

 

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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.

 

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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.  

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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!

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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.

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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.

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7 Online Promotion Techniques to Boost Attendance at School Band Concerts

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Concert Band ConcertThe guys at TicketPrinting.com have written an article on developing a great email marketing campaign will drive people to your band concerts by keeping them continually informed and interested in the program. Here are a few tips for a successful band newsletter campaign.

 

  {mosimage}   1.  Develop Email Marketing Campaign

Developing a great email marketing campaign will drive people to your band concerts by keeping them continually informed and interested in the program. Here are a few tips for a successful band newsletter campaign.

  • Provide Relevant Links: Incorporate relevant links into your newsletter. Include some links to the band page of your school site. Newly posted blogs, articles, interesting forum discussions, schedules, podcasts, are some examples. Also, incorporate some interesting 3rd party resources. For example, parents may be interested in university choir events, or upcoming clinics in the area.

  • Catchy Titles: Make sure the titles of your newsletters are memorable and exiting. A distinct look and personality should be portrayed in each title. These things will help recipients easily identify your email.

  • Establish a Schedule for Writing and Distributing: Establish a set frequency based on resources and the ability to produce relevant information. This makes budgeting and planning easier, and is required to hold people's attention and keep them looking forward to receiving your emails. For more info on email distribution frequency read my article, "Email Marketing for Schools: Why and How."


  1. Host Blogs/Forums

Hosting a blog is a very effective way to promote your program. Blogs keep people continually informed and interested. It's is important to reach a distinct audience with a blog, so create a separate blog on the band page rather than posting band blogs on the school's main blog page. Remember to include pictures in your blogs for visual reference. Also, for a good resource for creating great blog content, visit http://www.buildabetterblog.com.

  1. Integrate Wiki Pages

A wiki page is a webpage given the capability to be edited by website visitors. Not many schools have wiki pages, which presents you with a great opportunity. Create a wiki page that is linked from the band homepage. Parents, students, teachers, or anyone involved can post pictures, stories, and comments. This creates a sense of involvement that sparks interest and participation. The insightful content will also spark the interest of visitors not contributing to the wiki pages. Wiki pages communicate real, personal experiences and interaction, and invoke excitement. JotSpot provides a fully integrated wiki application that makes creating wiki pages a breeze. While most wiki pages are mostly text based, JotSpot allows you to create rich web-based spreadsheets, calendars, documents and photo galleries with ease. For more information on general wiki page creation, visit www.intersci.ss.uci.edu.

    4.  Post Regular Video and Podcasts

Rich media content will help give potential attendees a better idea of what your concerts are really like. Most people are not aware of how exiting band concerts really are. Collect audio and video files during the best parts of your concerts and post them on the band homepage. By posting audio as a podcast, anyone can download the files and share them via Ipod, email, or MySpace post. Posting video content on MySpace or YouTube makes for easy sharing as well. Video and podcasts go a long way toward creating buzz and excitement. Be sure to provide links to new media in your email newsletters. Also, remember to post new content regularly, otherwise the appeal is lost. In order to preserve talk and excitement, people must have something new to talk about.

     5.  Incorporate a Web Calendar

It's essential to integrate a web calendar into the band homepage. A web calendar allows visitors to quickly view upcoming games or other events. The real advantage of a web calendar is the ability to integrate an RSS feed (described below.) There are many web calendar applications out there. Trumba event calendars (www.trumba.com) are easy to use and boast a number of features. Google and Yahoo also offer free event calendars.

     6.  Establish RSS Feeds

An RSS feed is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of the above components. RSS stands for "really simple syndication." By subscribing to your school's RSS feed, visitors can receive automatic updates on new website content. Upcoming games, new podcasts or video content, newsletter releases, blog posts, or relevant news should be put on your RSS feed homepage. An RSS feed can also be integrated with your web calendar or published on other web sites. In a time constrained world, people cannot regularly check your website for news and upcoming events. An RSS feed will keep your school at top of mind for potential event attendees. For more info on creating RSS feeds visit http://www.wilsonweb.com.

     7.  Consider Social Networking

You might not want to get too entrenched with social networking sites, but you don't want to get left behind either. Place someone in charge of keeping track of changes in technology so you can react strategically.

Remember to post some of your better videos on YouTube and MySpace for easy sharing. Post pictures on Flickr, a picture sharing social networking site. Doing these things might not directly affect concert attendance, but will go toward creating a better web presence. By providing quick access to this content, there is a better chance it will become widely distributed.


By Lance Trebesch and Colt Lapham

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www.TicketPrinting.com

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