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.

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.  

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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!

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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.

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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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AtPlayMusic's Recorder Training App Review

AtPlayMusic Recorder AppI've looked at quite a few Recorder training apps in the last few months.  All have promised to easily teach a person to play the recorder with a minimum of effort.  I've been sadly dissapointed with most of them but today I had the chance to look at the AtPlayMusic Recorder app.  For once I actually enjoyed playing through the app and I was impressed with how they progressed through the instruction.  Read on to find out what I liked and why this could spell the beginning of some very good future offerings from the same company.

A Great Step In The Right Direction For Music Education and Training Apps

AtPlayMusic Recorder is the product of a lot of work from a very talented group of individuals centered in and arround the Minnesota area.  With several prominent Minnesota Symphony Orchestra members on the ticket as well as some notable educational software industry gurus the app already has what many of the others don't, a strong pedagogical foundation to stand on.  The app teaches a student to play the recorder using a series of games connected together with animated 3D videos of a teacher and his student.  The videos are well done, and although the transitions seem a bit choppy at times they do not detract from what I would say is a very good overall progression through the basics of hand position, instrument parts, breathing and blowing, and note formation.  If I was going to ask a student to learn to play recorder solely by using an iPad app this is the only one I have tried so far that I believe could actually do it in a way that would have the best guarantee of success.

Pros:

  • Great use of perspective during video demonstrations.  I love the inside the mouth view for showing where to tongue as well as the fly  through of the recorder to point out all the parts.
  • The games are nicely done for the most part, and actually teach proper technique rather than throwing the child straight into fingerings.
  • Future downloadable content will add additional songs and notes.  This beginner app only teaches G, A, and B.

Cons:

  • The transition into using whole, half, and quarter notes felt a little rushed and under-explained.  Still, there is enough repetition that most any student should be able to figure it out.
  • While the first two games are obviously interactive and well made the rest of the games are not as well developed.  It was immediately obvious that the app was not listening to my notes and gave me top scores no matter how I played (even if I did not play at all).
  • Kind of short.  I finished the entire thing in about 20-25 minutes which included customizing my avatar.

It should be noted that one of my cons above regarding the interactivity of the playalong games is probably a limitation of the iPad rather than of anything they could do with the software.  I have been told by other individuals who work for a certain big name interactive practice software company that getting the ipad to do real time analysis of notes as they are being played is not within the capabilities of the iPad hardware at this time.  In other words, the non-interactivity of those playalong games is a downer but there is nothing the company could probably do to make it work with the technology at this time.

Overall I think the AtPlayMusic Recorder app is definitely a great, solid step in the right direction for music pedagogy apps.  I look forward to seeing what the company does in the future and have heard that they eventually hope to move on to other instrument such as electric bass, woodwind, and brass instruments.  Kudos to them for trying and I wish them the best of luck.

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