BP14_My GarageBand

I experimented a bit with GarageBand’s MIDI sequencer.  The internal voices are great, but I had some trouble keeping everything aligned.  The Blogger page did not want to accept a QuickTime or MIDI file, so I placed a link to this podcast here.  I’ll give orchestration another shot soon, but here is a 4 hand original piece for you - enjoy!

BP13_GarageBand

Click here to see my comments on Mark's experimentation with GarageBand.

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BP12_GarageBand

GarageBand is a powerful music program.  I had heard how easy it was to use its recording interface, but had no idea what else was here - and there's a lot!  The built-in loops allow the user to put together a variety of different compositions in of different genres.  Lessons can be purchased and downloaded, and GarageBand becomes as an e-learning tool for guitar and piano music from country to jazz.  Some of the video tutorials feature the original artist.  With a USB instrument attached, GarageBand can also serve as a MIDI sequencer.  This is where I'll experiment and see where it goes...more later...

from www.apple.com

BP11_OMM - MyPopStudio

Here is a linkto my one minute message about MyPopStudio.  Rock on!

BP10_Soundation

Click here to read my comments to Kevin’s review of Soundation.

BP9_Go Animate

Click here to read my comments to Mark’s commercial about GoAnimate.

BP8_My Pop Studio

In the popular the SIMS series of gaming sites, the viewer makes decisions and then the consequences of those choices are played out.  In MyPopStudio, you design the entire look of the Pop Star that you create:  from skin color to eyes to hair to clothing to shoes.  Going one step further, you also select poetry from the lyric bank, put together the form, and style of the piece.  In addition to the Music category, there are TV, Magazine, and Digital options as well.

In my opinion, this creative tool is not the most important feature.  This site goes depend than reinforcing basic skills, to addressing their age appropriate socio-emotional needs.  Interactive tutorials educate the viewer with fast images, hip music, and graphics.

The self-esteem of young girls builds up to age 9, then drops off quickly after that.  The poor self-image that can result can sometimes lead to more physical and emotional complications.  (Gurian, 2008) 

The program is engaging, but this is not just for young girls.  Beyond the easy animator, choices in music, clothing, hair, etc., the blog and curriculum guide are the real stars here.  Aimed specifically at girls, the hidden objective is for the student to question the images they see, and talk about themselves as well.  More importantly, through the download lessons, the site encourages open dialogue between adults and children about how she feels about herself.   Furthermore, the blog contains more tips from the game’s creators, as well as from adult viewers and experts about how to talk with children about what they see in movies, television, music videos, advertising, etc.

The site recommends that parents view the content with their children to see their creations, hear their music/lyric choices and ask questions about them.  If you work with children 9-14, particularly girls, or even have one at home – MyPopStudio is worth a look.

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Gurian, A. (2008, October 30). About Our Kids. Retrieved August 17, 2010, from Disorders and Treatments: http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/how_raise_girls_healthy_selfesteem

BP7_OMM-TimeGlider

from www.clker.com

Here is my video about TimeGlider.  I hope that you enjoy it and find it useful! (Be sure to view it in the "medium" window - for some reason, not all of the graphics appear in the smaller ones!)

BP6_Creaza

Click here to see my comments on Mike's blog.

BP5_MeMoov

Follow this link to my comments on Noelia's blog...

BP4_TimeGlider

“There is a time traveler in all of us” reads the opening sentence of the website, enticing the viewer to come and take a closer look. In TimeGlider, it is easy to create a product that not only shows a progression of events, but one that is interactive as well. Pictures, text, music, video, and hyperlinks can all be attached to one event on the timeline, allowing this specific moment in time to have a lot of depth and meaning.

sample TimeGlider timeline of World War I from
http://timeglider.com/app/viewer.php?uid=line_ww1

TimeGlider allows viewers to see the work of others and collaborate together on building a timeline project. Finished work can be posted for all to search and view. Looking for that for that special visual on the causes of the American Revolution? - it just may be there. In fact, there are examples of everything from change of seasons to the influences of rock and roll. A blog lead by creator, Michael Richardson, tells new features and uses of the product, while allowing users to comment on his posts. This would be a great opportunity for group work to underscore the adage that “everybody is smarter than anybody.” This collaborative feature – similar to that of a Wiki – makes this the type of tool to include in lesson planning.

Beyond the world of education, this tool is applicable beyond the classroom. Businesses are cautiously seeking out ways to harness the power of Web 2.0 tools without risking company security. (Donston, 2008) Perhaps productivity tools like TimeGlider would be a good place to start.

In addition to its use manipulating information that the user supplies, a unique feature is its searchable database and timeline creator drawing from the web archives of the New York Times. Simply type some key words in the search field, and articles with those tags will be put into a timeline automatically for you to peruse and edit for your own purposes. History found at your fingertips!

In my classroom, I would use this tool in music history lessons. I have used two other applications (TimeLiner and TimeRime) that serve the same function and produce material with a “slicker” visual appeal. TimeGlider can produce an equally rich interactive timeline that is easy to use and free!

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Donston, D. (2008, May 25). Enterprises Diving Into Web 2.0 Waters. (EWeek, Producer) Retrieved August 14, 2010, from EWeek: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/Enterprises-Diving-into-Web-20-Waters/

BP3_uTutti

I teach music in a PK-12 school – and I love it.  I do my best to bring my best self to my students, so that I can draw out the best in them.  If you have ever sat through a school music concert, then you can appreciate the difference when students are performing at their best – having a satisfactory process and performance is optimal (and less stressful) for everyone involved.

In addition to the regular administrative tasks that I share with my colleagues in other academic departments, there are several added tasks that remain somewhat “invisible” to the school community at large.  These tasks, while not difficult in and of themselves, eat away at time with the students.  Kuzmich proposes that the added “hats” that music teachers must wear contribute to the decline in retaining beginning educators.  He suggests that technology can help remediate that factor. (Kuzmich, 2009)

The market of services available has greatly expanded.  Angel, Blackboard, Pearson Education, SchoolNet, ThinkGate, and other comprehensive educational platforms offer a variety of tools for students, educators, and administrators to deliver everything from lessons to report cards. Each has its own features, functions, and foibles. (Academic Benchmarks, 2010)

The web-based program uTutti.com aims to specifically serve the many functions of a busy music teacher: student information, finances and inventory.  The name utilizes the Italian word/musical term “tutti,” meaning “all,” and “used as a direction in music.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)  True to its name, the features in uTutti attempt to do it “all,” and to push music education in that new direction.  A glance through the video tutorials (https://www.ututti.com/video) shows that this site is powerful and easy to use.

In my teaching day, I move through a series of computer applications to help with my work:  FirstClass, Blackboard, Work, Excel, SmartMusic, PowerPoint, and the school’s Senior Systems. With uTutti, most of those jobs can be taken care of here.  No additional software or importing of documents created in other programs is necessary – from grading to email it is all available on one convenient dashboard, ready for teacher use.

Another feature of this site is that it works to build a community of music teachers/uTutti users.  Through Facebook, Twitter, its own blog and numerous discussion forums available, it has the potential to connect music educators across the world wide web –      that is, if they can find the time!

Academic Benchmarks. (2010). Reports. Retrieved August 7, 2010, from Academic     Benchmarks: http://www.academicbenchmarks.com/partner/

Kuzmich, J. J. (2009, October 9). Juggling the Many Hats of a Music Educator.      Retrieved August 7, 2010, from http://www.sbomagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=32D9FE71069E4700B72330CBE40C4E71&nm=Technology&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=289F2E9ABD684091A791E219698A2627

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved August 7, 2010, from Merrian-Webster Online: http://mw3.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tutti

BP_Diigo Group

My Diigo group is ready for members!  I requested to join the Ripples group as well.

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

Below you will find screenshots of my iGoogle PLE pages

- now I just have to get more comfortable with actually using them!

HOME

FSO

AR/CBL

ETC

BP1_Google Reader

www.freeclipart.com

In music school, I loved learning the art songs of Brahms, Mozart, and Schubert set to the poems by poet and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  He is quoted stating that “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful ... implanted in the human soul.” Another incarnation of this remark adds a phrase to man's to-do list: ”…and speak a few reasonable words…“ (Goethe 2010)

In selecting my RSS feeds, I was looking to get access to news and information about technology in the Performing Arts classroom.  However, with Goethe in mind, I deliberately chose to seek out relating sites that portray how the beauty in differences, and the comfort of common ground can lead to better understanding and relationships in the world around us.

My first choice for information then was the beauty of the everyday thru the eyes of the New York Times’s Week in culture photos.  One could argue that this has little to do with the topic at hand.  However the underlying emotions of these everyday scenes remind us of the common human experience we all share.  Education, particularly the structure of this course is both a common and a personal experience.  (http://www.nytimes.com/pages/multimedia/index.html?partner=rss)

Looking to the national front, I selected This Week in Education to be aware of national education issues.  Topics range from social concerns and policy debate to pedagogy and teacher evaluation.  (http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/)

The Innovative Educator brings the focus to a personalized level.  The posts are teacher driven – stating how “it is,” and sharing of ideas and answers to the impact of the classroom on the student. (http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/)

As the name implies, Edutopia features best practices, examples, and resources for school environments as they “should be.”  The success stories exemplify what a community can do if everyone is doing their part to guarantee the best education possible for their children.  For me, the topic catching my eye was “Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best.” (feed://www.edutopia.org/edutopia_rss.xml)

Finally, no music teacher’s news would be complete without the National Association for Music Education.  This organization is a common link for teachers of this discipline across the nation.  (feed://www.menc.org/news.rss)

My Google Reader is already filling up with new posts – I hope that you enjoy mine! 

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Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. "Quotations of Wisdom Archive." Bob Plugg. 2010. http://www.quotationsofwisdom.com/view/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe__(1749_-_1832)/1351.html?search=music# (accessed August 4, 2010).