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.

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Clarinet KeysWoodwind instruments derive their name from the basic fact that they were once all made of wood, they make a sound, and wind is blown through them.

The Woodwind Instruments

Saxophones, made of metal, were added to this group in the mid-19th century. Then, since the beginning of the 20th century, most flutes and piccolos have been constructed from metal. Clarinets and saxophones use single reeds, a thin piece of cane that sets the column of air vibrating, oboes and bassoons have double reeds. Flutes, piccolos and fifes do not have a reed. The flute, oboe, B flat clarinet, bassoon, recorder and saxophone are the most commonly taught woodwind instruments.   

Clarinet - comprises a sub-group of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The largest of this instruments, has more than a dozen types.  A clarinet has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed. The name is derived from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word clarino meaning a type of trumpet, since the first clarinets had a tone similar to that of a trumpet. Clarinets use a vibrating reed to produce a sound.

Bassoon - is a woodwind instrument in the double reed group that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor and occasionally even higher. The bassoon is a non-transposing instrument and is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, variety of character, and agility. It is known to have a more complicated fingering. Children typically take up the bassoon only after starting on another woodwind instrument, such as the flute or clarinet. 

Oboe - is a double reed. Careful manipulation of embouchure and air pressure allows the player to express a large range of timbre and dynamics. This instrument was developed in the Baroque era and best suited for orchestral and ensemble work.

Flute - The flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge.

Piccolo - is a small flute. Like the flute, it is normally pitched in the key of C, one octave above the concert flute. Music for the piccolo is written one octave lower than concert pitch. The fingerings on the piccolo correspond to those of the flute, but sound an octave higher as the piccolo is considerably less than half the size of the flute.  

Saxophone or simply 'sax' - is a conical-bored musical instrument invented by Adolphe Sax in the early 1840s. It is usually made of brass and is played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to the clarinet. Its image as a 'cool' instrument makes it a popular choice to play. Sounds are relatively easy to make.    

Descant Recorder - is an easy instrument to make a sound and a good place to start learning to play a woodwind instrument. It is primarily used during the 16th and 17th centuries when recorder consorts played music written for the recorder  

Ocarina - is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. It is typified by an oval-shaped enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouth tube projecting out from the body. It is often ceramic, but many other materials, such as plastic, wood, glass, and metal, can be used.

Hearing These Instruments

In Classical orchestra, some woodwind instruments work as part of a section within the orchestra. These are: two flutes, clarinets, oboes and bassoons. They are the woodwind section. During the 19th century, the orchestra expanded in which the woodwind occasionally doubled or additional members of this group were added according to the composer's preference.

In Military band, the repertoire of woodwinds are sometimes extended

In Jazz ensemble, in general saxophones, B flat clarinet and flute are used.  

Woodwind Instrument Players

Many woodwind players perform on more than one instrument of this group. It's primarily because the sound production of some woodwinds is similar, for example, the clarinet and saxophones.

Most players concentrate on one instrument until they have achieved some degree of mastery before moving to a second or subsequent instrument. Woodwind players have to cope with instruments that, although quite robust when compared with strings, rely on complex playing mechanisms, and often a wooden construction sensitive to temperature and moisture.

Often, reeds are source of anxiety for most professional players, who seem to be always in search of the perfect reed that allows access to high and low notes, soft and loud passages, with ease.

Children starting to learn to play woodwind instruments may experience some discomfort with lips being tired. A good mentor or teacher should guard against excessive discomfort and should know when to pace the practice during the early learning stage.   

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