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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How To Teach Music Lessons Via The Internet

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A photograph of a guitar Until recently teaching music via the web has been limited to static, text based courses such as music theory or history. Today however, new software and hardware advances have made this fantasy into a reality for students and teachers all over the world. This article provides a primer on how to begin teaching music classes or lessons in a private, one-to-one environment via the Internet. Other articles in this series will discuss how some musicians are teaching one-to-many lessons via video sharing services such as YouTube and video streaming sites such as Ustream.

 

Why Teach Music Lessons On The Internet?

The beauty of the concept of teaching live, person to person music lessons on voice or on an instrument becomes incredible appealing when a person begins to realize the breadth of opportunities that a student can access by taking or giving online music lessons .

  • An aspiring violinist in the middle of Iowa could have a private lesson with a world class musician in Prague without leaving the comfort of his living room.

  • A conducting class could have a face to face master class with the conductor of a major symphony orchestra.

  • A pianist could perform a live audition for a panel of judges scattered around the globe.

All of these examples are completely possible using free software programs and do not require huge investments in time or money.  Some music educators are already using this technology on an ongoing basis.  Some people such as pianist George Litterst and his company TimeWarp Technologies have made a business out of not only teaching music online but also creating software that makes the process easier and more productive.  His Classroom Maestro and Home Concert Xtreme products help students visualize and understand musical topics that are presented during an online music lesson.  They are used in conjuction with the other vital components mentioned below.

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What Is Needed To Teach Live Online Music Lessons?

One of the most popular video conferencing applications is also the most simple and robust program available for teaching music lessons via the Internet. Skype is a free Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) application that also provides video support via a web cam. Other useful clients for teaching music lessons include the free iChat client on Macintosh computers and another free VOIP program called Oovoo. In addition to Skype and a web cam a user must have a good quality microphone (preferably one that connects via standard microphone connections as USB microphones can have lag issues).

Finally all of these items must be used together with a fast computer (Mac or PC) and a broadband Internet connection with fast upload speeds. Upload speed is much more important than download speed for the purposes of streaming a live music lesson over the Internet. The upstream bandwidth should be at least 300k/second and if possible as high as 500k/second to give the best possible quality with very low latency (delay).

 

 

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