Our Repertoire Development Team has been extremely prolific lately, constantly adding to the SmartMusic Library. In addition to legions of band and orchestra titles, they recently added two solo collections of easy tunes that you may wish to share with your students just for fun:

To find them on-line, visit SmartMusic.com and click on Find Music to get here, then under "Solos and Methods," enter "Easy Christmas" or "Movie" in the title field. In SmartMusic 2010, click on Solos, specify your instrument, and scroll to the letter E for "easy."

All titles include music on-screen, are in friendly keys, and allow every student to play the melody. I think the skill level is appropriate for second to third year students and above, so nearly anyone with SmartMusic 2010 can enjoy practicing these pieces today, whether they plan to perform them in front of friends and family or send them recordings made in SmartMusic.

Want to share this news with your students who are using SmartMusic? Download our flyer and post it in your classroom or send it home to parents.

Happy holidays!
 

I had Finale NotePad installed in the school's computer labs with the intention of having students use this powerful and low-cost notation software to learn about writing music notation. The idea was that students would learn about the technology and receive reinforcement of basic theory concepts (time signatures, note values, etc.). In time I found more and more uses of NotePad, some of which even included SmartMusic.

For one activity I had my seventh graders create some examples of the basic sixteenth note rhythms we were learning in class. Here are some details:

Pre-Activity
In my classroom, I gave some quick lessons regarding the basic use of Finale NotePad. I connected an LCD projector to my computer so everyone could see, and I took some selected screenshots and printed some follow-along handouts.

Wanting the activity to go smoothly in the computer lab, I made a fairly detailed set of instructions. Prior to going to the computer lab, I reviewed the activity with the students and the school policies pertaining to the use of the computer lab.

In the computer lab, I again used a computer connected to an LCD projector - should anyone have questions about the use of NotePad I could demonstrate for all to see.

The Activity
The goal was for the students to use NotePad to create a four-measure example using identified sixteenth note rhythms. For this example, I predetermined the time signature and rhythm sequence but the note choice was up to them. I discussed with them some ideas that would help their examples to be playable and sound "good."

Each student opened NotePad and set up their document for their instrument, and used their name as the title. Listening to the playback through headphones, they busily set about creating their examples.

After the students were done, they saved their work in a folder I created on the school network. I did this activity with more than one class and created separate folders for each. Students who did not complete the assignment during class could access their work at another time.

Post Activity
Next I used the full version of Finale to assemble all the student NotePad files. In a few cases I edited awkward jumps that were not suitable for specific instruments. The students performed their examples for the class before the entire class tried it.

Then using Finale, I created assessable SmartMusic files using the student examples. Students had unknowingly created material that would be used for thier own assessment!

Imagine how exciting it was for students to have their "masterpieces" used for the class to study and then be used for assessment! Talk about students taking ownership! There could be many variations on this activity. You might, for example, have a section on adding dynamics or articulations.

I hope this gives you some ideas of your own!
 

Ever put on a jacket you haven't worn for ages, stuck your hand in the pocket, and found a $5 bill? I love when that happens. Today I hope to give some of you that same feeling by alerting you to something cool you didn't know you owned.

Of course you know that SmartMusic has a built-in tuner. But do you know about the drone feature? Let's check it out. In SmartMusic 2010, look in the upper right-hand corner of the screen for "Practice Tools," click on it, and specify "Tuner." Then click on "Drone," and note that nothing happens. Hmm.

If you subsequently play a note on your instrument, however, the tuner will play back the same pitch in a long tone. Think of this function like a bagpipe, but without the rich cultural heritage and the smell of haggis: You give the tuner a note and it'll hold it for you. Now you are free to play a second note and tune up the interval between the two notes.

My band director friends tell me this is a great help when your students are learning to discriminate intonation in 3rds and 5ths, for example. It also frees the teacher from playing a pitch on their own instrument (and holding it in tune unwaveringly) so they can fully concentrate on the student's performance.

Enjoy!

In the coming weeks, this blog will feature interviews with the winners of the "Share Your SmartMusic Story" contest. If you haven't read the winning essays, you can view them here. This week we'll start with our grand prize winner, Sister Gail Buckman.

Sister Gail began her musical studies with the piano in grade school, and taking up the clarinet, she was in band, orchestra, and chorus in high school. She received her bachelor's degree from Notre Dame College in St. Louis, Missouri, and her master's in music education from University of Missouri-Columbia. She is now in her forty-second year of teaching in the St. Louis area, and has been at Saint Gabriel the Archangel School for the last thirteen years. Sister Gail started using SmartMusic about three years ago and it is now an integral part of her program.

How did you react to learning you had won the "Share Your SmartMusic Story" Contest?

You do things because they're good for your students. You don't expect to get a reward for them, but this is like icing on the cake.

Why did you decide to use SmartMusic?

I first thought SmartMusic was a way to teach by rote. I attended several workshops and learned more about it and saw that it was not that. I felt that it could fit into my program. I saw the immediate feedback it would be able to give students as well as how the tempo could be changed without changing the pitch.

What did you do to get SmartMusic up and running?

Besides the students being able to use it at home, I wanted to use SmartMusic as part of my teaching in the classroom. We did some fundraising to purchase a laptop computer, speakers, a projector and a screen. There was no Internet in my classroom when I started using SmartMusic so I had to figure that out as well.

Now that you have been using SmartMusic for awhile, what type of effect has it had with your students?

When the kids first saw the red and green notes, they were captivated just like I was. To be able to see if they played right or wrong immediately was amazing! My clarinet players are progressing so much faster with all the literature and exercises that are available.

It is remarkable how much SmartMusic has helped my trombone players. Positions are not exactly the same on every instrument. For example, if a student plays the note D in what is supposed to be fourth position and SmartMusic shows a red note Db, I can say to the student, "Now what do you have to do to get that to a D natural?" This helps make this process so much easier as the feedback is immediate. They don't have to wait to find out what needs to be corrected like you do when you take an in-class test the old way and have to wait to find out. Students having SmartMusic at home is an extension of my classroom.

Are students using SmartMusic at home?

Just about all of my 120 students are using SmartMusic at home. It is really part of our curriculum now. It is not just something extra we do. I send out SmartMusic assignments and the students can do them here at school, at home, or at a friend's house.

The Gradebook helps me keep track of the students. I can easily see who has done the assignments. If a student hasn't submitted an assignment, I don't have to chase them down. This is important because I only see my students a few times a week. I click on their e-mail address (or their parents') and send them a reminder. This is such a big time-saver. I have a beginner trumpet player who told me he plays with SmartMusic every night and it's more fun than a video game!

How do you use SmartMusic during a class?

When I start a class, I turn SmartMusic on. I use it throughout the class when I need to for different purposes, for example, ear training and scales. Because I have a screen and can project SmartMusic, I can have the students focus all at one time on what I am teaching. Even if what I show is for another instrument, all the students can look at the rhythm, music symbols, or just how the music is set up. I like that I can always talk about music and not water down the vocabulary. This pulls them in and helps make my teaching time and their learning more efficient.

What type of comments have the parents given you?

After I demonstrate what SmartMusic can do at a parent meeting, they ask, "Why wouldn't you want to use this?" They are surprised to find out that the cost of SmartMusic is very reasonable. Parents who have played an instrument say that they want to pick up their instrument again because it looks like so much fun! When their child practices with SmartMusic, it is easier to hear the mistakes and then the progress that is being made. Parents who don't know music feel like they have a better handle on what their kids are doing.

What do you think about SmartMusic 2010?

When I first saw the new interface, I wasn't too sure about it because I was so used to the other screen. The kids seem to find it so much easier. I like how you can type in words to do a search so finding music is easier than it used to be. There are many new features but one of my favorites is the new Playlist function.

What do you think about using technology in your classroom?

Technology is an enhancement to my teaching. SmartMusic has so many useful features that I can use with students and in the classroom. For example, it is so easy to record students and then have them listen back and analyze their performance.

Do you have any special plans with the prizes you have won?

I plan on using the $500 JW Pepper gift certificate to buy music that is in SmartMusic! Part of the $2,500 will go to my community and part will be for the band program. We are thinking of possibly starting some type of scholarship program.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I want to thank everyone at MakeMusic for sponsoring the Share Your Story contest and for what you are doing with SmartMusic. I like the access you are making for teachers, like the blog for instance.

Thank you, Sister Gail, for being an inspiration for us all!

At the beginning of last week wrote about the process of selecting solo accompaniments in SmartMusic 2010, and I briefly touched up opening repertoire at that time. Today I'd like to review that topic in a little more depth.

For an example, I've launched SmartMusic, clicked on the big "Solos" button, specified "Flute," then navigated to page 2 where I've chosen "Rubank Book of Flute Solos (Intermediate)."

In this case, I have selected a book that contains several solos. Upon choosing "Menuet From Platee," that selected solo now appears in bold letters, with some details below:

Look just under the title for "Composer/Composition Notes." This is wonderful feature that was somewhat hidden in previous versions of SmartMusic.

Click on "Composer" to see this:

Click on "Composition Notes" and the following information will be displayed:

How about that! Students have access to information that can help them have a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the music. I believe this is important in the concept of comprehensive musicianship.

By closing the composer/composition Notes and selecting Open, the chosen file will be immediately downloaded to your computer and then opened in SmartMusic. If you wish to continue browsing solos without immediately opening the file, select the Download for Later option. The music will be downloaded to your computer while your search is continued.

To find the music you downloaded, go to the Home screen and beneath My Music, select Solos. In the case of a compilation, all solos in the entire book are downloaded.

After the music is opened in SmartMusic, you can easily find it by selecting "Recently Played" under "My Music":

Please let me know if you have any questions about opening or finding music in SmartMusic 2010.

In last week's blog, I offered various methods on how to find solo literature in SmartMusic. This week I would like to highlight a teacher I met this past summer who has put SmartMusic to excellent use in his program, including getting wonderful results using solo repertoire at contest time.

The following article appeared in a SmartMusic Newsletter and I think it offers a great snapshot of Benny's approach to solo preparation. Remember, you have access to all SmartMusic Newsletters at the Educator Resource Center under the "Other Curriculum Resources" heading. These newsletters include helpful articles regarding SmartMusic and Gradebook written by teachers that are using SmartMusic in their programs.

"I want to tell you how I achieved a 300% Improvement in Superior Ratings at UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest. I am Benny Davis, Director of Bands at Rockwall Heath High School and this is how I did it.

"One of my goals was to have every student perform a solo at contest, and with SmartMusic Gradebook this has become a reality. SmartMusic Gradebook has enabled me to have students practice their solos at home, send me recordings of their progress via an Gradebook assignment, and allow me to listen to everyone and critique their performance.

"Every two weeks I would assign one-third of the solo and have them submit a recording to me through Gradebook. Students felt more prepared and comfortable about performing because SmartMusic gave them the extra help during the preparation period prior to contest. We were also able to have every student perform a solo with the assurance that we could hear each and every student as they prepared. It increased our accountability factor exponentially.

"I would never have had the time to hear everyone at school; scheduling the lesson and having an accompanist available just wasn't practical. Having the students submitting recordings of their solos - with accompaniment - enabled me to manage the process and help those students that really needed the help. Many were able to perform very well on their own as they listened to their own recordings and were able to critique their own performance.

"The good news is that we had three times the number of superior rating at the UIL contest. It was truly a breakthrough in efficiency.

"If I was asked to give advice to those not familiar with SmartMusic, I would say whether you have a large or small program; SmartMusic is by far the most significant instructional tool to be presented to educators since the Strobe Tuner. To the directors who are unsure about jumping on board with SmartMusic and Gradebook, I can think of ten reasons to use SmartMusic and Impact for any single reason not to."

I was working with a customer the other day who was a very savvy and enthusiastic SmartMusic Gradebook user (he'd been using it since it was called SmartMusic Impact). As I watched he launched SmartMusic, logged in, opened a method title, posted a piece, then jumped to the Gradebook to assign the piece. This worked great for him, but his process included some unnecessary steps.

All of the method book exercises are already written out. If you use these pre-authored assignments instead of posting them yourself, it takes roughly 10-20 seconds total to select and assign them directly from the Gradebook. No need to jump around and load files. When I shared this tip, this long-time Gradebook user was delighted with the time he'd save.

Furthermore, every band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble title in SmartMusic includes assignments written by one of the many experienced music educators on our staff. While there's always a "play the whole piece" assignment, other premade assignments highlight trickier spots specific to each instrument and provide helpful hints to students.

To access this bevy of time-saving tools, go into the Gradebook in SmartMusic 2010, click Assignments, SmartMusic Assignments, and you'll see the methods library and ensemble library ready for you to get up and running.

SmartMusic includes the world's largest library of solo accompaniments. Regardless of whether you are preparing students for contest or simply want to expand their musical horizons, SmartMusic can help you -- and your students -- in the solo selection process, as well as enhance the students' experience of preparing a solo.

Working on solos was an important part of my early music instruction. So much so that I was determined to provide the solo experience for my students no matter what teaching circumstance I found myself. So whether your students are preparing solos for contest, to audition for an honors group, to perform at solo festival, or any other purpose, I believe SmartMusic can help with the process.

Today we'll focus on three ways to find repertoire, one online and two in SmartMusic itself.

Finding Repertoire at smartmusic.com
One way to search for SmartMusic repertoire is to select Find Music on the main menu at http://smartmusic.com.

You are now at the Search Repertoire page where your search can begin:

One advantage of searching this way is that you and your students can print out your results -- helpful when you are ready to purchase your sheet music.

Finding a Solo in SmartMusic
In addition to searching on SmartMusic.com, there are two more ways to find music within SmartMusic 2010 itself, both found on the Home Page: "Browse by Category," where you see all the solos available for your instrument or voice, and over to the right, "Quick Search," where you can start your search with more information, or check to see if a solo you've selected is in the SmartMusic library.

To Browse by Category, simply click on "Solos" and specify your instrument or voice. The resulting information can be sorted by clicking on the header of each column (title, composer/arranger, publisher, and level). Many solo accompaniments do not have on-screen notation. Solos that have on-screen notation have a green-check mark in the On-Screen column in the results.

Using Quick Search locates repertoire based on your input. You can indicate, for example, composer's name, part of a title, etc., in your search. The results will show ALL repertoire in SmartMusic based on the text, and using the resulting drop down menus, the search can be further refined.

Want to see a specific state contest list? Simply click on the text More Search Options (which I've circled above), to refine your search even further.

Opening Repertoire
Simply click on a title to select it, then click on "Open." This will immediately download the file to your computer and open it in SmartMusic. If you wish to continue browsing solos without immediately opening the file, select the Download for Later option. The music will be downloaded to your computer while your search is continued. Now you and your students can listen to the piece to aid in determining if it's the ideal solo for this year.

Hopefully these tips help you and your students to find the perfect solo piece. Stay tuned for tips on using SmartMusic in process of solo preparation, and I will share an activity that can be used with beginners to help get them hooked on playing solos.

Yesterday, we came out with a free update to Finale 2010, available here.

The update contains all sorts of improvements that I wanted to make sure all Finale-using SmartMusic teachers knew about. There are also additional worksheets and flashcards that may be of interest if you or your colleagues)teach general music classes. More information is available here and I encourage you to pass along the news to your Finale 2010-using friends.

It's also a good time to point out that Finale 2010 can easily create SmartMusic accompaniment files - a quick guide is here and there's a video lower on that page, too.

Taking the lead from late-night television, I offer to you my top ten list of benefits SmartMusic offers your music program. Even if you're regularly using some aspects SmartMusic, perhaps this list will offer some ideas of new things to try:

10. Access to three important tools that help develop music skills: tuner, metronome, and digital recorder. 

9. Features that make practicing more efficient, including tempo control, accompaniments, immediate feedback (including on-screen assessment), self-recording, and the ability for band students to click a note to view fingerings.

8. 50,000 technique exercises of all types, including scales from major to diminished, intervals, arpeggios... and all with fun accompaniments. Plus, you can change key and articulation instantly and cycle through in the circle of fourths, fifths, and half steps up, or down.

7. Play By Ear exercises that help develop ear training, starting with two note patterns and advancing to two measure phrases. Choose from major and minor and change the key and tempo. Plus there are also Jazz Play by Ear exercises.

6. Material that can be used for sight-reading, from simple to complex. There are over 20 method books included in SmartMusic that can be used for this purpose. You can even view as rhythmic notation and assess performances on a snare, pad, or by clapping.

5. Access to over 2,000 concert pieces for band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble, all with high quality sound accompaniments, music on-screen and the practice features mentioned above. Students practice with and hear professional level musicians' tone qualities and articulation. And the list of titles keeps on growing. (Updates are free to subscribers.)

4. Jazz Improvisation material. Students can select an Aebersold, Alfred, or Wynton Marsalis tune and practice it with a variety of Jerry Coker-like patterns, which appear on-screen. These jazz patterns help them get used to hearing and feeling the changes, so that they better understand the progression. Also see the piano, bass, and drum transcriptions. Instantly change the key or tempo. Mute the piano, bass, or drums.

3. Access to the Solo Library for voice, band, and strings. Perfect for preparing for recitals, contest, or just fun. Solos can be a great way to engage students.

2. The ability to create SmartMusic files using Finale. Yes, this means scores and other materials you've created can be opened by SmartMusic with all the capabilities listed above, including on-screen assessment.

1. The means to import any .MP3 audio file and then adjust the tempo, change the key, loop it and record along with it! These audio files can also be assigned to students using the SmartMusic Gradebook.

I could have easily listed ten more and I hope this inspires you to come up with your own top ten!