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Several years ago I remember reading about a device called the MusicPad. That novel little gadget was essentially a stripped down laptop computer with one purpose in life, to allow you to display, edit and flip through your sheet music without the hassle of... flipping through your sheet music. The MusicPad is still around, and in fact has gone through several changes since its initial concept, but now onto the scene comes a device so incredibly simple (and comparatively cheap) that it almost makes the MusicPad seem unneccesary (at least when it comes to flipping pages on the fly).
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- Written by Chad Criswell
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Finally today I got around to reading the October 2007 issue of SBO magazine. In between lessons I flipped through the pages to come across a strangely titled article by Kenneth Thompson titled Keep It Simple. As I skimmed the article to determine what exactly it was about I realized that this was an article that I really needed to read... Carefully!
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For those of us that are fans of the WiiMote Whiteboard (a DIY interactive whiteboard that consists of a $40 WiiMote, a Bluetooth dongle, and a piece of special software) a new accessory due to premiere in November 2010 may make low cost IWB's even more commonplace. Called the uDraw and made by the folks at THQ the device is a drawing tablet that has a holster on the left side for a standard WiiMote from a Nintendo Wii video game system. The uDraw is intended to be used by three different video games, including Pictionary, but it is almost certain to be only a matter of time before Johnny Chung Lee or one of the hundreds of other WiiMote Whiteboard enthusiasts get their hands on the device and mold it into serving classroom needs as well.
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Each year I look forward to the television broadcast of the DCI Championships. Over the years the length of the broadcast has dwindled, with fewer performances and more documentary materials being added. I always enjoy watching the show and encourage my students to watch it at home with their families, but I still long for the days when we could see all of the top twelve corps without commercials on PBS. Things are getting too commercial in my opinion, but sadly I guess that is the way things are going to continue to move. Read on to find out more about the date and time of this year's broadcast of the DCI World Championships on ESPN2.
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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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The very popular Finale Notepad will soon be getting a major upgrade for its 2009 edition. New features are being added, but this most basic of music notation software programs will no longer be free.
Read more: Finale Notepad 2009 To Get MusicXML and New Price Tag
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Is the use of electronic instruments in a marching band brilliant or blasphemy? It really depends on who you speak to. The honest truth though is that as our schools and society change, so too is what our audience enjoys watching during halftime. While every piece of music heard on the radio uses electronic instruments of some sort the marching band has remained almost exclusively acoustic except for several brave, innovative programs across the country. In each of these cases the inclusion of electronic instruments has not been a hindrance but a blessing. Why? And what can other teachers learn from their experiences?
Read more: Using Electronic Instruments In The Marching Band
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Today Noteflight released to the public their new updated version of their popular online music notation program. The big news? Those on tablets such as the iPad can finally use Noteflight and all of its capabilities without resorting to end-around methods like using special browser apps. So after all of the hype about Noteflight 3.0 on the iPad was it worth the wait?
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Everyone likes a freebie, and stretching your school budget by making use of free concert band sheet music is one that every band director can enjoy. For those that have in their heads that free concert band music automatically means poor quality, take heart, many of the freebies you will find on the sites listed below are from lesser known but capable composers and many of their selections can work well in many ensembles. Read on to see the list.
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There was a time, not so long ago, that having a web site for your music program was considered cutting edge communication technology. Today though, over forty years after the birth of the Internet and in this age of instant information, having a simple, static web site just don’t seem to be adequate any more. The growth of text messaging and sites like Twitter, Facebook, and others have changed the way we communicate. At the same time our increased usage of smart phones and other mobile devices means that people are beginning to expect more from us than a simple static HTML web page. To really get our message out we have to be willing to get a little more social.
Read more: Social Media and Communication In The Music Classroom
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Last week I had the opportunity to present a session for the Heartland AEA's monthly Technology in the Classroom program. While the room was rather slim for music teachers in particular (the mornings sessions were dedicated to fine arts and PE in general) I still got a bit of a laugh when people realized what the title of the presentation meant. I called it "No! You Can't Call It A #Hashtag!" If you don't get the joke just think about it for a bit. :)
Read more: The Best Tech Tools That I Use In My Music Education Classroom