It's time for a Birthday Celebration! On April 11, 2007, MakeMusic simultaneously released the SmartMusic Gradebook and the idea of band and orchestra titles that include audio recordings of professional ensembles. Using SmartMusic to prepare the music your ensembles play at their concerts seems like such an obvious fit it's hard to believe the idea was new just three years ago, but it's true. That first release included just over 200 concert pieces: Today there are 2,344 concert pieces. That's one big cake with a lot of candles!

As a teacher, I was impressed with how SmartMusic continually evolved with new functionality and content. I envisioned hundreds of people working on SmartMusic and Finale. When I first had the opportunity to visit the modest MakeMusic headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and walked through the doors, I was amazed at how quiet it was, and surprised to learn that the entire company is made up of just over 100 employees. (I had imagined a much bigger office building with a tremendous amount of bustle.) Still, I could sense that an incredible amount of work was being accomplished.

I've since met many of the people behind SmartMusic and Finale and it's been great fun. While many share my background in music education, the company boasts a wide variety of musicians, many of whom continue to perform on a regular basis. Similarly the tasks they perform for MakeMusic vary greatly. For just a few examples you may wish to check out the video the repertoire development team made to explain their work to their coworkers.

Perhaps you have something you'd like to share with their coworkers as well. Here's my tip for the best way to share ideas with the SmartMusic development team:

1. Log-in to the Gradebook
2. Near the top right of the screen, click on "Feedback."

The resulting window allows you to type in your feedback about SmartMusic, the Gradebook, or other topics.

This, of course, is just one of many places where we receive customer comments. Our customer support staff shares what they hear from customers, as do folks like myself who meet people like you at tradeshows, in-services, and clinics. We also conduct surveys and field tests with teachers, students, and even non-musicians to gain insight into SmartMusic's ease of use. It's fascinating to see the incredible amount of "behind the scenes" work is involved in creating this software.

At this very moment, everyone is in high gear at MakeMusic working on the next version of SmartMusic. I've had the opportunity to get a few sneak peeks and you are in for a treat. I look forward to sharing the details with you in the coming weeks.

As I mentioned in my very first blog, I previously had a very enjoyable career as a music educator, which I took very seriously. It is incredible to me that I now work with the people and the company that created SmartMusic and who, like me, believe that SmartMusic is technology that can transform the way students practice and learn.

Cathryn "Cathi" Leibinger is the band director at Ransom Everglades Middle School, a private school just south of Miami in Coconut Grove, Florida. MakeMusic's Dave Hawley spoke to Cathi in February 2010.

Dave: How has the SmartMusic Gradebook changed the way you teach?

For me, being able to assign SmartMusic skill tests - which we use as a pass-off system - and have them automatically post in the Gradebook makes things a whole lot easier for me, because the kids just get in the habit of logging in and seeing what they have to do.

And since I don't have to listen to students playing these tests in class, our class time together is devoted to skill development and rehearsal, not testing students individually.

It has made things go much more quickly in terms of skill development - the kids are working on what's appropriate for them. The kids are able to work at their own pace and work on a skill that is appropriate for their level.

Dave: When we think of the Gradebook we think of assessment - the red and green notes - and the recordings that come back to you. Is one of these more important than the other to you?

I think the on-line assessment - the red and green notes - and the associated score are more helpful for the kids because it allows them to know what they've done right or wrong and they consider it almost like a video game. When they see that they've got 85% they want to keep trying and trying to improve that score. My policy is that they have to get 90% or above before they submit an assignment, and I've got a couple kids who refuse to submit anything less than 100% -- so they keep practicing. It's like Guitar Hero but for band. We call it Band Hero!

For me the recording is more valuable. I tell the kids that even if they get 100% on their playing test and all the notes are green, if the slurs aren't good, or the tone quality isn't good, then I have the right to reassign and send it back to them for more work. So I value the recording on my end - they value the assessment on their end.

Dave: How often do you give assignments to your students? And typically what kind of assignments are they?

The beginning band works out of the Essential Elements book. I've highlighted maybe forty songs out of the whole book that they have to go through - in order - and at their own pace. So some kids have already finished book one and they're working on book two, and the rest are spread out in the first book.

The intermediate group does the same pass-off system, but they work out of Essential Elements, book 2. I assign scale tests that they have to pass to get points every week, and I also assign rhythm tests that are automatically generated once a week.

The beginning and intermediate band students also have practice charts which log all the tests that have been assigned, plus anything else they practice that hasn't been assigned but is still within the system, so if they practice a scale or a solo, it logs on their practice chart even though I haven't assigned it.

The advanced band has scale tests and rhythm tests once a week.

Dave: When we spoke recently you mentioned having spoken to some educators who've heard of SmartMusic, but hadn't used it yet. Do you have any sense of what we need to better communicate to these folks to encourage them to try SmartMusic?

I recently explained SmartMusic to someone who said that it sounded like the old Vivace. I explained that it is made by the same company, but that it's become a much more affordable and universal product. I think some people don't know everything that's in SmartMusic. They still see it from the older standpoint of solo accompaniment - they don't know about the accessible method books or assessable concert band assignments.

The three pieces we're doing for FBA are in SmartMusic as well so the kids can practice along with the recording, which I find very valuable - the ability to hear how it fits with everyone else. I guess that people just don't really understand everything that's in there.

I've also heard people say that "I don't know if my kids will pay for it," when I know that the kids could scrape up $30 a year if they were given a chance to see what it was. I have parents and grandparents who see it in action and who want it for themselves -- to help them learn an instrument.

Dave: Some educators are using SmartMusic but haven't made the leap to use the Gradebook as well. Sometimes there's a little gap there, a little chasm of understanding. Do you have a comment or two that might encourage others to try the Gradebook?

Being able to set up assignments in a way that the kids always have something to work on has made questions disappear. "What am I supposed to be working on?" Well, they always have something  to work on. Once you've graded their assignments you can put comments to the kids in their Gradebook. They can log in and check them, and this provides a great way for parents to see and hear what the kids are doing. The Gradebook creates an on-line portfolio. If you have a parent conference if you're doing any sort of audition process or leveling process this portfolio makes it very easy to access what the students have done - to monitor student progress - from anywhere you have Internet access.

Dave: Have you heard any specific comments from parents on this?

They all wish they'd had it when they were in school!