Ableton Live 8

ABLETON LIVE 8

While visiting Dewey School of Excellence, I witnessed one of the most effective ways to use technology in the music classroom. AbletonLive 8 is a music recording and looping program that I have used to record my own music, but I did not see it as a valuable tool in the classroom outside of a glorified recording tool. The following video gives a brief overview of the program and several ideas for use in the classroom.

At Dewey, they use the looping function to create covers of pop songs as part of their extracurricular music program. Students begin by recording a beat on drums. That beat is then looped (repeated) to provide the beat for the track. Students can then layer in other instruments such as guitars, keyboards, and vocals to create a full-length track. Many of the tracks they create closely resemble songs that students are familiar with. Students can then alter the lyrics to include facts about their school, attendance goals, or NWEA testing. With that in mind, this project is also a way to get students engaged in things going on in their school. It also creates a sense of pride when students hear their tracks played at the beginning of the school day. This website helps train teachers to use the software and gives several ideas for use in the classroom. 

I think this could also be used between schools to build competition as well as a sense of community between schools. Since the tracks can easily be shared and adjusted, music classrooms around the city (or anywhere for that matter) can collaborate on tracks together. For example, school A might record the beat and keyboard part and then send it to school B who will record the guitar and vocal parts. Classrooms can then Skype with each other (or pre-record videos) discussing their work or provide constructive feedback.

The following is an example of an artist who used looping software to cover a song completely acapella. This same concept can be used in the classroom. Videos like this can also get students excited to work with the software and to create their own musical creations. 

Electroaccoustic Music

Electroacoustic Music

As a music teacher and musical, I am both excited and cautious about how electroacoustic music is affecting the field of music. Electroacoustic sounds are electronic versions of sounds that are acquired from live instruments. Have you ever played an electronic keyboard that sounds realistic? Probably not. To make an electroacoustic piano library, sound engineers start with a real piano and record every note on every articulation and dynamic in several different acoustic environments. These sounds are then combined or looped to create an incredibly realistic sound. Composers can then start with a realistic sounding piano and manipulate the sound to emulate environments like a small room or church. Click HERE to listen to my own original composition using electroacoustic music. In this piece, I used mostly orchestral instruments. The electroacoustic choir I used was created by recording every vowel, consonant, and vocal range.

Popular music is no stranger to electronic sounds. It is very common to hear electroacoustic sounds in most music we hear on the radio. However, electroacoustic music is becoming more and more popular in the film industry. Instead of paying for a hundred instrumentalists to perform an epic orchestral piece, many producers are choosing to hire a single (or group of) composer to sequence sound libraries to sound like a realistic performance of an orchestral work. This means that musicians are losing opportunities to perform. As a musician, I know that performance opportunities (especially paid ones) can be hard to come by. I believe this is one of the biggest negative effects of this new technology. However, it does create jobs in other ways. Musicians are needed to create the "instruments" and sound technicians are needed to refine the recorded sounds. Composers are also being payed more due to their increased time commitment and work needed to complete projects. To read more about the history and applications of electroacoustic music, click HERE.

 

As a teacher, I believe this technology would be very useful in a classroom with older students. Once students are able to compose their own music, they can use electroacoustic sounds to create a realistic performance of their piece. This will allow young musicians to better hear and understand how instruments blend together and how to construct strong and impactful chords and phrases of music.

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds

A virtual world is a computer-based online community environment that is designed and shared by individuals so that they can interact in a custom-built, simulated world. Users interact with each other in this simulated world using text-based, two-dimensional or three-dimensional graphical models called avatars. Virtual worlds can be adapted to the needs of your students and content area, but can have the following uses…

1.     Communications scenarios: Students can communicate with their peers and those in the field they are exploring.

2.     Developing Tools: Students can use and create 3D models

3.     Staging an Exhibition: Students can set up a virtual exhibition of their work to display as a class.

4.     Virtual campuses: Online class meetings and tutoring

5.     Conferences Facilities.  The MAYO clinic in Second Life hosts virtual events on diseases for residents and even includes a bookstore.

6.     Virtual Field trip: Students can see and explore distant or unreachable places. There are also many virtual libraries and museums.

7.     Simulated Experiences: Students can learn through simulations such as a tsunami or hurricane.

8.     Safety-focused Lessons: Students can practice dangerous tasks and procedures before they do in real life (ie. Chemistry).

9.     Virtual World economies: Students can run a virtual economy to learn about economics.

10.  Student Activism.  Virtual Worlds can integrate seminars, workshops, exhibitions and films related to anti-bullying, violence and discrimination ect..

11.  Language Learning.  Text and audio forms of language can be integrated in meaningful ways to support learning a new language.

12.  Cultural Immersion.  Some courses are using virtual worlds to recreate interactive exhibits, such as exploring the heritage of Native peoples.

13.  Collaboration:  Students work together as a class or with others online to learn and create projects.

The uses for virtual worlds are continuing to grow and they can be used in any classroom setting. Selecting the virtual world that is right for your classroom can be difficult and require some exploration and experimentations. Below I have provided links and information to several popular virtual worlds.

1.    1.  Second Life: Second Life, for ages 13 and up, is similar to MMORPGs but without a set objective. Students create an avatar, explore the world, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, build, create, shop and trade virtual property and services with one another. 

2.    2. Minecraft: Minecraft is a game where you dig (mine) and build (craft) different kinds of 3D blocks within a large world of varying terrains and habitats to explore.

3.     3. OpenSim: Similar to Second Life, students build and explore a virtual world.

4.     4. Unity: Unity is a game engine: a program you can use to create avatar-based environments and intricate scripted objects.

3 Exciting Trend in Educational Technology

3 Exciting Trends in Educational Technology

#1: Augmented Reality: zSpace

zSpace uses a virtual reality screen, special goggles, and software to create an 3D, interactive environment to enhance learning. A single “Instructor” can be purchased for $6,100. A “STEM Lab” can also be purchased for $62K that includes 12 workstations

zSpace makes learning more exciting and interactive through the use of virtual 3D activities. Students can use this technology to explore objects that they normally would not be able to see outside of pictures and diagrams. For example, students can select internal organs from the human body and manipulate them through a 3D display. The same can also be done with insects, animals, and more. For more examples of lessons, click here. Lessons were created to align with national standards, so finding uses for their resources is quite easy.

#2: Adaptive Learning Software

Adaptive learning software creates an individualized learning path based on information the software gathers from the student. The software analyzes what the student already knows, does not know, and how quickly they learn the content. Moby Max is an example of adaptive learning software that is becoming popular in K-8 education.

Click here to view an interview of how this adaptive learning software is making its way into higher education. Its use is reducing time to complete degrees and more accurately assessing students.

#3: 3D Printing

3D printing is becoming a popular tool in the professional world. Thus, it is making its way into classrooms. To create 3d objects, a digital version must first be constructed using a computer. A machine then lays down man very thin layers of material to create the object. So, not only are students learning computer skills to create objects, they are then getting to see and interact with the objects they create. For example, students might design a guitar like the one above. With this technology, students can learn how an instruments size or resonance chambers can change the sound of the instrument

Virtual Choir

Virtual Choir

As I mentioned in a previous post, technology can be used to virtually link classrooms that can create music together. Eric Whitacre, a popular contemporary choral composer and conductor, uses this idea to an extreme. In the following video, Whitacre combined hundreds of video submissions into a final choral piece using voices of people who have never met. Whitacre first recorded a video of himself conducting the piece and musicians recorded themselves singing the song while following his conducting. More information on his projects can be found here.

 

In urban classrooms, choirs are often very small if they exist at all. This concept allows for individuals or entire choirs to contribute to a larger collaboration created by students around the world. Less advanced choirs have the option of only singing as many parts as they are capable of mastering. With this in mind, many less developed choirs can collaborate by singing different harmonies that can be combined into a final masterpiece.

This project also addresses many common core music standards including performing and analyzing music. For example, students will be recording their performances on youtube. They can then evaluate their performance and use personal and peer feedback to improve their performances.

In general, the purpose of this project is to link musicians of various cultures and abilities together through music. Classrooms all over the world can collaborate and generate feedback for one another. Click here for more resources on using Skype in the classroom. This is especially useful in urban environments where choirs are small and underdeveloped. The technology and collaboration involved will help engage students and get them excited about making music with others.

The opinions expressed here by me (and those providing comments) are mine or theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of AUSL, NLU, or any employee thereof. Neither AUSL nor NLU are responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied here or in any linked web site.

Creating Young Musicians Through Technology

Technology can be used in many ways in the music classroom, but I believe technology most enhances a student’s ability to learn music composition. In the days of Bach, music was hand written and the composer needed to be able to hear what the composition would sound like with all of the instruments. This is a valuable skill, but not accessible for most young musicians. With the use of technology, students will be much more successful at creating their own music.

 

Electroacoustic sounds give students a realistic version of their music. Students can hear how their composition would sound if it were performed live and can make adjustments to their piece based on what they hear. They may find that certain instruments do not sound well together or that the instruments they chose do not represent the emotion that want to audience to experience. Music Sparkles is an app that includes sounds from common and many uncommon instruments. This app can be used to help students experience the sounds of different instruments and learn instrument families. Toca Band is another app that lets kids pick from more than 15 musical characters and "play" them on stage by dragging and dropping them into the spotlights. Scape is another app that lets kids generate ambient music as they combine shapes, colors, and textures onto a blank palette. They can learn that music has different "moods" and explore the tranquil sounds. Garage Band is one of the most popular music composition technologies used by young students. This software allows students to sequence loops with different instruments to create rock songs

 

Smart Board in Music Class

Using a Smart Board in effectively music class can be challenging, but if used correctly, can enhance student learning. Many music classes that I have observed do not use Smart Boards even when they are given one. Even the most basic functions of the Smart Board can be used by those with little technology experience. At Johnson School of Excellence, we use the Smart Board to play videos with movements for the students to do as a class. This gives the students a "brain break" while also uses movement to emphasize style and steady beat. Students can also view youtube clips of live music performances and talk about the instruments they heard. Click HERE for an example of hour to use a Smart Board in music class.

Smart Boards can be used to promote literacy in the music classroom. Many music teachers teach by rote or out of books with tiny text. A Smart Board allows for this text to be displayed in larger font and can include images and activities to support student learning. Students will be singing the words while also looking at how they are spelled. The instructor can then focus on complex words that use unusual vowel patterns to improve literacy skills. For example, when teaching quarter notes and eighth notes to 3rd graders, a teacher might start by displaying the text and use iconic notation to represent the notes. The students will talk about a complex word in the piece and then sing the song using that word. Smart Boards can present iconic notation that is not normally represented in traditional sheet music. Students can use the touch screen function on the Smart Board to rearrange the iconic notation to form new compositions. The touch screen function makes music class more exciting and engaging for students. More resources on how to use a Smart Board in music class can be found HERE.