Musically Yours!!

In a number of previous posts, I have given examples of some really fantastic interactive sites for the music classroom.  I recently, however, stumbled upon the guru of all musically oriented interactive sites.  Also referred to as the Children’s Music Page, this site combines the likes of interactive songs, online activities, instruments making crafts, sheet music, worksheets, and much more.  This would make a wonderful resource to use in both a classroom and home environment.  I believe this site could entertain and teach children about music in a truly fun way!

The Unspoken Word, a sister site to Music Notes, provides students with a more in-depth insight into the areas explored on Music Notes, with the addition of a very cool “interact” option in which one can view video interviews with some very famous composers, as well as share original works.       

Music Notes allows students of all ages to interactively learn about music theory, history, genres, professions, and instruments.  This is a really great site to help aid with both in class and take home research and assignments!

As presented in a previous post, many music majors drop the title of “major” after only a semester or two due to the fact that music theory is such a killer.  The truth is, it really does take a lot of hard work, dedication, determination, and practice to completely understand all the concepts presented within the four semester theory block.  With the aid of eMusicTheory, students now have an outlet to study whenever/wherever they please!  Hopefully with the continued use of interactive sites such as this, many more people who truly love music will be confident enough to stick with it and change people’s lives!

As long as I can remember, Nintendo has been of huge interest to many young minds (and, as it turns out, adults too!).  And yes, while these games are extremely fun and inevitably addicting, it has always been hard for me to see the value in them.  Nintendo, however, is being to change my views with the creation of the Nintendo Wii.  With this amazing device, subjects such as music and physical education are beginning to be noticed by one and all.  Although “playing” instruments on Wii Music, or even singing with Karaoke Revolution, are not at all similar to what it is like to play and sing in “real life,” these games can be a great way to teach the basics of notation, note values, pitch relationships, and rhythms.  While something like this would, obviously, not be used on a day to day basis in the classroom, one might bring it out every so often as a reward! 

If composing music happens to be your calling, then Finale is the program for you.  With Finale, one is able to quickly and easily create a composition with just a few clicks of the mouse.  Identified as “the world’s most powerful music notation software,” Finale not only makes it much easier to composer and arrange, but it also provides students with the ability to hear their pieces as they work (to make sure that what they imagine is actually transforming on paper!) and the unique opportunity to share their music with others in the hopes of creating group editing environments.  As someone who has used Finale software many times, I can vouch for its credibility.  It really is a fantastic technology that all music teachers should have for their classrooms.  After all, who knows, you may just have the next Mozart in your class, just waiting to break free!

Practice makes perfect—and thanks to SmartMusic, practicing will never be the same mundane routine again!  This interactive program allows students to practice band, orchestra, or choir compositions at home in as easy as one-two-three.  With the complete accompaniments for thousands of titles, students can now practice their ensemble music as if they were practicing with the whole group.  SmartMusic also provides a variety of warm-up exercises, and has the ability to record ones progress, making assessment a smooth process!  Check out this video to learn more: http://www.smartmusic.com/flash/parent.htm

As a musician and practicing conductor, I have learned to appreciate the importance of a “good ear.”  In music, whether one is playing an instrument, singing, or conducting, a multitude of aspects, such as energy and projection, singing together, diction and expression, pitch accuracy, tone quality, correct rhythm, concentration and focus, and posture must be under constant analysis.  As you may imagine, it can be quite difficult to pay close attention to all of the above aspects at the same time, making it priority for musicians to develop a good ear.  While there are many outlets available to students who wish to practice this development, many of them involve the participation of ones peers and teachers…until now!  Thanks to Ear Training on the Net, students now have the opportunity to practice aural training in the privacy and comfort of their own homes, without feeling the pressure of having to perform flawlessly.  Whether its intervals, chords, scales, or cadences that you wish to perfect, this site has multiple ways in which one can learn to comprehend these concepts.  The web is truly amazing, and has once again provided a terrific resource to be used within the wonderful world of music!

It seems that the world of music and technology have collided once again, resulting in an up and coming new “fad” known as voiceless opera.  Imagine sitting in a theater, anxiously anticipating the world debut of a critically renowned post-modern opera.  As the curtains open and the lights fade, the stage appears to be vacant of any signs of life.  It seems that the only sign of life is that being projected from a large screen, placed center stage.  The screen displays pictures which represent a given text, such as a set of poems, while the “soundtrack” consists of purely electronic/computerized effects, no actual singing is involved.  Hence, the voiceless opera!  As one composer of this genre, Willie David Fastenow, puts it, “It seems that with an opera that the text and the setting are very programmatic. It’s there to tell a story, it’s there to get something across and the voice is featured. And that was paramount to this as well. The text was very important to the piece in the same way; it held the same importance as in the treatment of an opera. But instead of having song, I had the technology sort of sing it, or produce the text.”  I think this is an interesting point, because the music and text within an opera are inseparable.  It will be surprising to see the type of reaction this new fad generates. 

To view an excerpt from Mr. Fastenow’s voiceless opera “Lifelines,” visit the Sound and Technology Blog!   

Not all that long ago on A Music Education Blog Collective, Joseph Abramo contemplated the question—“are the traditional ensembles worth continuing?”  As a musician and future teacher of music, this is an extremely scary concept.  While it is true that there are multitudes of new technologies that are continually changing the way in which the music classroom is conducted, I do not believe these technologies should be used as the sole basis for transferring musical knowledge or for manipulating musical performance.  Abramo, however, seems to think otherwise, exclaiming “I call for the end of traditional performance ensembles and the institution of new ensembles like Princeton Laptop Orchestra.  I’m not looking to add these types of ensembles; I’m saying they should replace the traditional ensemble.”  Of course, his only argument for this absurdity was the idea that through the introduction of technology, infinite timbres would be readily available compared to the limited few that traditional instruments, such as woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion, are typically characterized by.  I agree that computerized music should not be completely moot, for it is definitely gaining its place within 21^st century composition, but it would be a shame to throw away an entire music department simply in strive of perfection.  Without the human element, required to produce artistic expression, music is not music.  Music is meant to be interpreted through emotion, and that is something that computers will never posses.  So, do I think that band, chorus, and orchestra should be “put to rest?”  ABSOLUTELY NOT!!                

After being intrigued by the integration of SFS Kids (present in a previous post) in the classroom, I was motivated to look into other interactive websites that can be utilized in the music classroom.  Among the most memorable was PlayMusic.org.

This is a site that provides youngsters the opportunity to explore the multiple realms within the world of music.  Students are provided the opportunity to learn about instruments, notation, and composing while listening to styles from all over the world.  Also present on this site are interviews with young, up and coming musicians, composers, teachers, and instrument makers, as well as a very cool “chat” forum in which students can interact with other students from all over discussing with each other their musical knowledge.  There are also links to other musical websites that contain information on how to make homemade instruments, how to get in contact with music teachers from around the world, and how to find a community chorus or orchestra to get involved with! 

Video games are commonly connected to discussions on violence and gore, but not when the Symphony Orchestra has anything to do about it!  This website also has a gazette section that has fun antidotes about such issues.           

Earlier this week, while in the process of completing a practicum in which I work with first grade students who have exceptionalities, I was presented with an instructional alternative for those individuals who were unable to focus or properly engage in the musical activities.  The San Francisco Symphony Kids’ Site was that alternative.

Although these children had to be removed from classroom instruction and placed with a “private” teacher, it was not as if they were neglected musical instruction.  In an attempt to aid in the focus and attention spans of these students, they were placed at a computer terminal in which the SFS Kids website was attainable.  It was amazing to see the transformation that took place!  These children were able to walk themselves through lessons in tempo, rhythm, pitch, harmony, and symbols, as well as play a tune and composer their own small composition.  So, even though they were not in the “traditional” classroom setting, they were still able to participate and learn concepts that they would have learned, had they been able to stay in class.  In my opinion, for this particular group of learners, I believe they may have benefited more from this interactive website anyhow, for it is not only fun, but it combines engaging color schemes, wonderful sounds, delightful icons, moving icons, and much more to grab, and maintain, their attention! 

However, I believe this site to be a fantastic source for any youngster, no matter what developmental level.  Whether it be in a classroom environment or just something fun to engage in at home, consider this your “premier web destination for learning about music!”      

Just a few more fun tunes from childrens music artist Eric Herman!

In celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, award winning musician Eric Herman, creator of “Cool Tunes for Kids,” created an extremely fun video and song entitled “Bluebeard, Blackbeard, and Redbeard.”

Eric Herman is a name which an music teacher should become familiar with! He has multiple websites and blogs, and participates in concerts and workshops emphasizing the extraordinary impact that music has in our everyday lives.  His videos are a wonderful way to provide teachers with a an engaging activity to introduce or emphasize certain topics! According to Mr. Herman himself, his music sounds like “somewhere between Shel Silverstein, The Beatles, and Seseme Street.” To learn more about this incredibly interesting individual, visit his website at: http://www.EricHermanMusic.com  

Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna!” from the critically renowned Carmina Burana, is without a doubt one of his most famous compositions.  A largely recognized, yet unknown work, 1936’s “O Fortuna!” deals with issues such as love, gambling, and fate which we are, to this day, still contemplating.  Ultimately introducing the “Wheel of Fortune,” Orff’s composition brilliantly mimics the wheels continuous rotation!

 Text translation:

                                 ”O Fortune,                                  
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
and waning;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as fancy takes it;
poverty
and power,
it melts them like ice.

Fate, monstrous
and empty,
you turning wheel,
you are malevolent,
your favor is idle
and always fades,
shadowed,
veiled,
you plague me too.
I bare my back
for the sport
of your wickedness.

In prosperity
or in virtue
fate is against me,
Both in passion
and in weakness
fate always enslaves us.
So at this hour
pluck the vibrating strings;
because fate
brings down even the strong,
everyone weep with me.”

*Check out Carl Orff’s ”O Fortuna!” transcribed for Orff instruments and performed by a group of fabulous third and fifth grade music students at TeacherTube!

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=6af8e0d9a6d123d5c385
 

Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you an experimental blog which I can guarantee will prove to be fun-filled!  But, before you start allowing yourself to get lost in all the wonderful information, let me introduce myself.  My name is Jaime and I am a music education major at Washburn University (thanks to numerous music and academic scholarships)!  It is my belief that learning, and teaching, should be fun and interactive and has the ability to reach more people if one is taught who then goes out and teaches others, and it is always important to keep trying and remember that it is okay to admit that you do not know something. 

With the above in mind, I hope to utilize this wonderful source to the best of my ability, providing you with insight into the magnificent world of music education!  Please feel free to look around and leave comments!!

Musically your-Jaims