The Importance of Using a Tuner: Finding Your Perfect Pitch
The Importance of Using a Tuner: Finding Your Perfect Pitch

Music is a beautiful language, but like any language, it relies on clear communication.  Just like people speaking the same language can do so with different accents to their voice so too can musicians play the same note but with slight changes in the way it sounds.  The pitch may be a bit high or a bit low, and over the centuries musicians have come up with ways to analyze these differences so that multiple musicians can better "play in tune."  Just as proper grammar and pronunciation are essential for understanding spoken words, playing in tune is paramount for creating harmonious music. This is where the tuner comes in.  For the beginner (or even the more advanced musician) it can be a vital tool for developing accuracy of pitch.

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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Hand held digital audio recorders have until now sacrificed ease of use and flexibility for size and convenience. With the Zoom H4n Zoom electronics has come up with an intelligent merger of both design and functionality, putting almost all of the functions of a desktop recording studio into a package that looks good, feels solid, and does its job very well.

 

 

 Zoom H4n Gets Top Marks As A Top Tier Portable

Zoom H4-nThere is a reason that the Zoom H4-n has consistently scored as one of the top rated digital audio recorders almost every year since it debuted. It's one of the most solid, versatile portables that you can buy and the glowing customer reviews prove it.  I used the H4-n over a period of two weeks to record my school band rehearsals as well as to record general outdoor sound clips for use in a now defunct podcast series.  The thing that makes the H4-n so valuable to me as a teacher and as a musician in general is that it can serve so many different roles and do so with very high quality, clean audio recording capabilities.  

The first thing you notice when you look at the H4-n is that it is much larger than what you would think a hand held recorder would be.  It's big, roughly the size of three old cassette tapes stacked on top of each other, but inside that package are two high quality capsule microphones arranged in an X-Y coincident pair pattern.  If those two mics aren't sufficient, like if you want to record multiple audio sources at once you can also plug in two XLR mics into the H4-n's built in, full size XLR combo jacks.  This allows you to record up to four channels of audio at one time.  

In terms of audio quality there are very few recorders out there that do as good a job at accurate audio reproduction.  While recording my ensembles it picked up things that I never noticed in real time, and after things were done I could either listen to the files through the built in speaker or headphones or I could pop out the SD card to edit on the computer.  

While it's not the smallest recorder out there the features available on the Zoom H4-n make the inconvenience of the larger size totally worth it in terms of usability and versatility.  In many ways it's like having a full blown recording outfit in your briefcase and well worth the investment.

Primary Features of the Zoom H4n

Type of Recorder (Pocket/Desktop): Pocket
Number of recording channels: 4
Multiple Pickup Patterns: Yes, 90/120/360
Best WAV Recording Formats: 24 bit/ 96kHz
Best MP3 Recording Format: 320kbps/ 48kHz MP3
Mic setup/coincident pair/etc.: coincident pair X/Y
Internal Speaker: Yes
Inputs and Outputs: Mic/Line/XLR x2/Phone x2
Phantom Power for External Mics: Yes
USB Connectivity: Yes w/cable
Integrated Tuner/Metronome: Yes
Software Included: Cubase LE
Size and Type of Memory: 1GB SD Card
Maximum Memory: 32GB SDHC
Windscreen: Yes
Batteries/Supplied: AA x 2/ not provided
External Power Connector/Supplied: Yes/ provided
Plug and Play: Yes
LCD Backlight: Yes
Variable Pitch Control: Yes
Variable Speed Playback: Yes
Included Accessories: Solid plastic carry case, mic clip adaptor
 

To compare this portable audio recorder with other similar recorders from other companies please visit our Portable Digital Audio Recorder Buying Guide or our Desktop Digital Recorder Buying Guide

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