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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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Chris Beyt is a guitarist and educator with a bright future ahead of him. Having already completed two music degrees at some of the countries top schools, he is currently a DMA candidate at the University of Illinois. Aside from his busy course schedule, Chris is also a busy performer and has recently accepted his first college teaching position.

Interview with Hal Leonard's Jeff Arnold

alt You may not know Jeff Arnold by name, but if you have ever bought a guitar book from Hal Leonard you definitely know his work. As a high ranking editor within the guitar department, Jeff oversees the development and release of dozens of books each year, many of which we are all familiar with. Aside from his work at Hal Leonard, Jeff is an accomplished performer who has been a mainstay on the Milwaukee music scene for decades.

Buying an Acoustic Bass for the Music Program

alt When purchasing an acoustic bass for your music program, there are several things to keep in mind. With a little expert help and some general know how, a solid choice can be made and a quality instrument can be used by the students for many years.

Creating Walking Bass Lines

One thing that seems to give students a headache is choosing notes to construct a walking bass line. More often then not, the hang-ups are mental and can be easily remedied with some practice and a little theory knowledge. Let's look "under the hood" of walking lines to help and remove some of the mystery behind their construction.

Constructing Walking Bass Lines

Guitar Strings Improvising walking bass lines is a demanding undertaking that should be confronted not only by jazz bassists, but other instrumentalists as well. This article presents a simple process for creating swinging bass lines that will be valuable to teachers and students of jazz alike.

Interview with Guitar Virtuoso Jack Grassel

Jack Grassel was once listed in Guitar Player magazine as one of the top ten guitarists in America (you don't know). In case you are one of those people who hasn't yet heard of Jack let me be the first to introduce you to one of the best guitarists and guitar educators in the country.

A New Wave in Music Sight Reading: Sightreadingfactory.com

In this in depth and informative review of SightReadingFactory.com guest author Jayson Gerth provides us with a practical music teachers perspective on how this new online resource can help your students learn the sightreading skills needed by both jazz and concert musicians.

Mikey Digital Microphone for iPhone, iPod, and iPad

Blue Microphones makes some of the most popular USB based podcasting and general recording microphones available on the market. They do a great job of marrying high end components with a great sense of style that makes the mics not only great to record on but fun to record into as well. Now Blue Microphones has come out with their latest iPod/iPad microphone, the Mikey Digital. The original Mikey came out several years ago and gained quite a following among those that wanted to use their portable devices as field recorders. Â Used together with or without the free BlueFiRe iOS app the Mikey Digital turns any iPad, iPod, or iPhone into a complete portable digital audio recorder capable of holding its own with commercial products by Zoom, Sony, and others.

Essential Free Music Education Software

Computer monitor Making due with smaller budgets seems to be the new normal these days so finding creative ways to provide cutting edge music education programs is getting harder and harder. With a little flexibility though a teacher can still provide high quality software based tools for use in their classrooms without paying a dime. Take a closer look at MusicEdMagic's 2012 list of essential free music education software for use in both the classroom and at home.

Modern Live Sound DVD Helps With Sound Reinforcement Questions

When I taught high school band I was constantly having to worry about, adjust, and fix the amplification system in my school gym and also the portable units that we would occasionally take with us to special events. The thing was that I never really had a clue what I was doing, I just set the thing up, adjusted it the way I thought sounded good, and then let the chips fall where they may. Well, Alfred just came out with a new DVD called Alfred's Pro Audio Series: Modern Live Sound that is supposed to be a "practical, step-by-step guide to mixing for todayâ€™s sound reinforcement engineer." Apparently they also have a version specifically for use in churches that might be more appropriate for those of you still performing in gymatoriums.

How To Select The Best Digital Audio Recorder For Your Classroom

Yamaha PockeTrak W24 Digital Audio Recorder Digital audio recorders are becoming an almost essential part of every music education classroom. Teachers use them as assessment tools, to record individual student performances for later evaluation, or for recording and evaluating large ensemble rehearsals. Other classroom uses like producing podcasts or for individual student practice and reflection are also great reasons to consider investing in a digital audio recorder. The newest units are ultra-portable, easy to use, and in most cases provide excellent sound quality.
The contest for the free W24 is now closed. However you can still enter to win other great prizes in the 2010 MusicEdMagic Giveaway.