As I mentioned in my last post, one of the greatest benefits the SmartMusic gradebook offers is the ability to easily manage student recordings and assessments. Before this can happen, however, students need to enroll, so they can receive assignments and submit them. Students can enroll on any computer that has an active SmartMusic subscription on it. Today we’ll see how easy it is to enroll with SmartMusic 2011.

First the student needs to click on “Login” (if they already have an account) or “Create Account,” where they simply provide requested information.

Next, the My Home screen appears, where the student selects “enroll.”

Because SmartMusic recognized them when they logged in, only the appropriate school(s) appear:

Which classes appear for their school is determined by their teacher: We’ll cover this process in a subsequent post. To enroll, students simply select the appropriate class(es).

After enrolling, the student will see an updated My Home page:

Hey this is cool!

To see their assignments, or for more information about a class, students simply click on that class – in this case, “Cub Band.”

I already have assignments? I just enrolled!

To open any assignment, just click on the assignment title.

That’s it – the student enrollment process for 2011. The goal was to make the process more clear and simple.

How did we do? Let us know by clicking on “Comments” below.

In last week’s blog I announced the release of SmartMusic 2011, which you can download here. While I have additional exciting news to share, first I’d like to continue where we left off by showing you a little more about SmartMusic 2011.

Both teachers and students now have a personalized Home page called My Home, which appears immediately upon logging in to SmartMusic. This is where you see what is going on in your class.

Below is an example of a teacher’s Home page. It offers easy access to everything related to the class: “Current Assignments,” “Practice Reports,” “Classes,” “Class Announcements,” “Method Book,” “What we’re playing” and “More Assignments.” Also note that you have easy access to all of the repertoire categories in the Left Navigation panel:

For those of you who’d rather not have my photo on your Home page,
rest assured you can use one of your own too: school pictures are a great resource!

Let’s take a look at what a student sees on his/her Home page. While similar to the teacher’s view, it includes important information which will help students (and parents) to be more involved, including the grades the student has received for each assignment:

What should I practice first, Mary Ann or First Suite in Eb?

Now for the latest exciting news I mentioned above: SmartMusic developers have also completed the new gradebook component, allowing you to create and send assignments for 2010-2011 school year.

How does it work?

After a student submits a completed SmartMusic assignment, the corresponding screenshot and audio recording are sent directly to the teacher’s gradebook. Here the teacher can hear and see the student’s work. Access to this documentation is a huge benefit when working on individualized instruction, grades, student portfolios, parent conferences, and any number of other tasks.

Anyone who, like me, remembers recording all your students and trying to organize boxes full of audio cassette tapes can instantly see the elegance of an electronic solution to that challenge alone!

The information is clearly presented: A legend that explains what each icon represents. Once you no longer need these reminders you can hide the legend for more screen space.

I’d like to point out two specific improvements regarding the view of the gradebook on the page. First, more students can be viewed at one time. Second, you can now view your gradebook by section [indicated in red below]: Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, Vocal, and Percussion – which I find really helpful.

All those trumpets getting an A? This must be a fake class!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief overview of SmartMusic 2011 and the corresponding gradebook, and that you will visit us again soon. In the next few weeks we plan to cover some additional aspects including Activation, Enrolling Students, How to Create Assignments, Presenting SmartMusic to Parents, the new SmartMusic Help System, and much more.

Let us know what other subjects you’d like us to cover by leaving a comment below. 

Cue the trumpets – SmartMusic 2011 is now available for immediate download. I am very excited about this new version, because I think it includes improvements that will result in an even wider acceptance of SmartMusic among students and teachers.

Just as any band director or musician can always find things they can improve upon past performances, SmartMusic’s development team studied what could be improved in SmartMusic. Working in cooperation with many SmartMusic teachers and students, SmartMusic 2011 was an unbelievable cooperative effort. The results not only look great, and better leverage current technology, the interface is also much clearer, consistent, and easy for anyone to use.

Of course, I want you to explore SmartMusic 2011 on your own but let me just highlight a few new features.

Below is the new Control Bar. Besides the new look (which in my opinion is pretty cool), notice how easy it is to access the different features. You might ask “What does Start take mean?” or “Where’s the Record button?” Well, you no longer have to select “Record” to record. Pressing “Start take” not only starts the music but also records the performance.

The Practice Tools have also been redesigned. Instead of accessing each component separately they all appear together:

Furthermore, the tuner is detachable and a tuning note can be selected from the drop-down menu:

The early reaction I’ve heard from teachers about SmartMusic 2011 has been very positive. I keep hearing comments like:

• I like the looks of it. My students will too!
• It just seems even easier to use.
• What an incredible upgrade.

Here are a few specific quotes from SmartMusic Advocate Art Greenburg:

"Happy to see that there is now an option to turn off the question about using a drum pad for drum parts!"

"My greatest compliments to to the programming staff. I love, really love the fact that now you can isolate a few measures on a line in the lesson books to practice. Just as I suggested. This is going to really help improve my teaching time. Rather than have to restart the line, now we can work on the rough spots.”

For a complete video overview of SmartMusic 2011, click here.

In an upcoming blog I’ll show you some of the exciting changes in creating and sending assignments.

Hopefully you will be as excited about SmartMusic 2011 as we are. Please let us know what you think by clicking on “Comments” below, and have a great school year!

Ted Scalzo is a veteran teacher of 33 years, having recently completed his 26th year as the band director at Bay Shore High School in Long Island, New York. Ted directs the wind ensemble and jazz band, uses Finale to arrange for the marching band, and teaches music composition/theory, as well as a multimedia course.

Ted is also an enthusiastic support of technology, having recently been appointed to the NYSSMA Music Technology Committee for a second time and is an Apple Distinguished Educator.

The April 2010 issue of School Band and Orchestra included an in-depth article on Ted which highlighted some of the many distinctions his school as received as well as some of the innovative ways Ted has incorporated technology into his program. I spoke to Ted last week specifically about his use of SmartMusic.

Bob Grifa: When did you learn about SmartMusic and why did you choose to have it as part of your curriculum?

Ted Scalzo: I have been following Smart Music from the days of Vivace. Ever since the software-based version became available I have been using it exclusively in my private teaching. I have been using it with my wind ensemble for two years and have also been using it to train the incoming members during our summer music program.

BG: What benefits have you seen (and heard) as a result of using SmartMusic in your program?

TS: There have been several benefits to using Smart Music:

1. Students are practicing – even with the blazingly busy schedule they all have.
2. They are listening to music that they may not have listened to the past.
3. They are engaged and see the purpose in their practicing.
4. Music that I would normally do in the spring is now being done in the fall and the students are sounding amazing. Students are willing to tackle music that is a challenge and will require their time and attention.
5. Technical development is more fun – it’s almost like a game.

BG: How do you introduce SmartMusic to your students?

TS: My first introduction is to give each member a disc and set-up sheet. They are all required to install and sign up for the class giving two e-mails; one for themselves and one for their parents. Some of the students receive their training in Smart Music during a five-week summer music program. Others are trained in the fall where I require the students to work with the Smart Music Marching Band Assignments.

BG: How do you use SmartMusic in your program?

TS: Every student has a SmartMusic subscription at home and we have four stations set up in and around the band room for students to complete assignments in school.

I use it daily in the music lessons with the computer we have in the front of the rehearsal room. I also use it daily during rehearsals.

BG: How do you feel about SmartMusic as a high school teacher?

TS: My experience has been extremely positive. I can say I will not teach without it – SmartMusic has changed the game for me and my students.

BG: What type of reaction have the parents given to you in regards to using SmartMusic?

TS: All positive except for one, and in that case the student wouldn't hand in assignments unless he received a 100. This simply afforded another opportunity to teach a life lesson!

BG: What would you say to a teacher thinking about using SmartMusic in their program?

TS: Just do it! Call me if you have questions or need help.

I’d like to thank Ted for his enthusiasm and support as well as taking the time to share his thoughts with us!

As I mentioned in last’s week blog, we’re starting to look beyond SmartMusic 2010: SmartMusic 2011 is coming soon. As you will soon see, it offers some exciting changes and makes both SmartMusic and the gradebook feature easier to use.

Although SmartMusic 2011 is currently still in development, I thought you might enjoy a preview of some of the new features.

Here’s the new Performance screen:

As you can see, all the same controls still exist, but with a different look and feel – and with some additions to make SmartMusic even easier to use.

Take a look at the “Start Take” button on the left. When you and your students press this button, SmartMusic automatically begins playing the music and recording your performance.

When you’re done playing, and have clicked the “Stop Take” button (or your spacebar or footpedal) you can choose to listen to what you just played, keep it for future use, or save it as an .MP3. If you’ve ever said, “I wish I had recorded that,” you’ll enjoy this feature as much as I will. No one will ever have to choose between “Play” and “Record” again.

Other practice tools are more easily accessed than before because they appear, in one form or another, on every screen:

SmartMusic 2011 also makes it easier than ever to send customized assignments, track each student’s progress, and build a portfolio of their work. Among the related improvements is the addition of “My Home,” a personalized screen for you and your students. Here is what the student screen looks like:

Want to see a little more of SmartMusic 2011? Check out the new overview video just added to the coming soon page.

There are also three new videos here that feature teachers talking about SmartMusic and how they use it. These videos are brief (the longest is under four minutes) yet they do a great job of communicating the SmartMusic message. Please feel free to share them with others.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak preview of SmartMusic 2011. Please let us know what you think by clicking on the “Comments” button below.

Really? Is this the end of the SmartMusic blog?

Well, yes and no. While I’m delighted and flattered that you’re reading this post, the fact of the matter is that most teachers are now done with their school year, and their thoughts are likely elsewhere. There’s not much more for us to say about using SmartMusic 2010 in the 2009/2010 school year. With today’s post I hope to suggest some closure on the past year and to begin looking forward.

I hope you get a chance to celebrate all of your accomplishments of the past year as well reflect on those areas where you hope to improve in the upcoming year. As for myself, I’m pleased with many of my accomplishments, including being a part of the SmartMusic blog, which we launched just ten months ago.

If you’d like to catch up on any SmartMusic blog posts you missed, click here to see all past titles: I think it’s a pretty impressive list! Hopefully you can enjoy them while relaxing by a pool.

While we’ve not announced an official release date, you can expect to see SmartMusic 2011 in the coming weeks. Our “Coming Soon” page will continue to provide updates as they are announced, and we’ll share details here too.

I would like to make one recommendation in advance: If possible, install SmartMusic 2011 as soon as it becomes available, even if only on one computer. While I think you’ll be delighted with the changes, you, like me, may prefer to become acquainted with what’s new before you’re in the back-to-school rush.

So, to be clear, I will return next week on the new SmartMusic blog, which, will look exactly like the old SmartMusic blog, but we’ll be focused on next fall and SmartMusic 2011. So stay "tuned" and have a great summer!

Ray Benton leading a SmartMusic Workshop

In a previous blog, I talked about the benefits of attending a SmartMusic Summer Session. Today we’ll meet Ray Benton, one of the SmartMusic clinicians conducting summer session workshops, and learn what he covers in the workshops he conducts in Missouri.

Ray has twenty-nine years’ experience as a band director at the middle and high school levels. He currently serves as music technology and education consultant for Nottelmann Music Company, is the technology chair on the Missouri Music Educators’ Advisory Board, and has been a SmartMusic clinician since 2004.

Bob Grifa: How do you set up a typical training day?

Ray Benton: In our one-day, hands-on sessions, we present the material with this format:

1. Exploring SmartMusic content and function. In this hands-on segment we demonstrate and guide participants through the functions of SmartMusic, the different types of SmartMusic content, and the ways to add to content using .MP3 files and accompaniments made with Finale.
2. How to apply SmartMusic into your everyday teaching. These are “break-out sessions” where we divide the participants based on their subject area in music and present specific applications of SmartMusic and the gradebook feature. We also explore ideas using SmartMusic in the classroom by using a projector, SMART Board, etc.
3. Implementing SmartMusic into your program, school, or district. Ideas, suggestions, and concepts are presented on how to successfully get up and running with SmartMusic.

BG: How knowledgeable of SmartMusic are the teachers who sign up for your workshops?

RB: It varies greatly. I like to tell people that my job as a SmartMusic clinician typically involves some “myth-busting.” In the state of Missouri, many of our teachers have seen at least one demonstration of SmartMusic at some time. However, since SmartMusic has evolved so much in recent years, many teachers THINK they know all about SmartMusic and are surprised to learn what it does today.

Other teachers might know something of the relationship of SmartMusic and Finale and have surmised that you need to know Finale to be successful with SmartMusic, which is not the case. I’ve even spoken to some teachers who mistakenly assumed they had to have Finale loaded on their computer to run SmartMusic.

Just as our participants start with varying levels of knowledge about SmartMusic, they also demonstrate a wide spectrum of familiarity and comfort level with technology in general, from those who regard themselves as non-technical to those are clearly very tech-savvy – and everyone in between.

A good example of a “non-tech” participant was Sister Gail Buckman, band director at St. Gabriel the Archangel School in St. Louis. She admittedly wasn’t tech-savvy coming into this, but is now extremely successful with her implementation of SmartMusic. In fact, she was the First Prize Winner in last year’s SmartMusic Share Your Story contest.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ron Sikes, band director, Jefferson R-7 Schools, and Don Long, band director in the Fort Osage School District, were very tech-savvy when they participated and both are now SmartMusic Clinicians as well.

BG: What comments do you get from teachers after the training? Do they feel it was worthwhile?

RB: The feedback we receive is very positive. Teachers leave our training excited about SmartMusic. Plus we hear that the materials they take with them reinforce their experience and ensure they retain that confidence and understanding when they return to the classroom.

BG: What benefits do you feel they get from the training?

RB: During our sessions, they get a good feel for content and function; what SmartMusic contains and what it does. We like to demonstrate first and then guide the participants to explore hands-on what they just viewed. We work very hard to make sure that everyone has all the tools, concepts, contact information, and handouts to continue with their learning when they leave and are very prepared for application and implementation.

Teachers leave ready to use SmartMusic with groups of students in the classroom, ready to send assignments to their students, and with a game plan on how to get SmartMusic up and running in their program, school, and in many cases, their school district.

Thanks, Ray, for all the great information. It sounds great, doesn’t it? Click here to see the list of upcoming SmartMusic Summer Sessions.

This week I’d like to share a story from my teaching experience. As a middle school band director, one of my responsibilities was to start beginners on their instruments, and like you, I wanted them my students to succeed.

It was a few weeks into a beginning class. I was getting to know the students' personalities, work habits, and performance skills. Some students could stand up and play in front of everybody at a moment's notice, while others would rather not. Carl (not his real name) was a nice student, if a little shy, and was doing okay on his trumpet — but not stellar. It was taking him a little bit longer to pick up playing skills. I am not one to jump to conclusions, but based on previous experience with similar students, I was concerned whether Carl was going to “make it.” Of course I wanted him to succeed and was willing to do anything I could to help.

I was using SmartMusic as a regular part of my class and was giving my students assignments that needed to be completed with SmartMusic. Carl always completed his assignments and submitted them to me on time. At first, I would get assignments from Carl with many red notes and recordings that would reveal that his skills still needed a lot of work. In class, I was able to give specific helpful information to Carl because of his submitted work.

As time went on, I noticed his assignments had a lot more green notes and that he was sounding much better. In relative terms, he wasn't at the same level of performance as the majority of students in the class but he was surely making progress. I also noted that he really enjoyed working with SmartMusic; even though he had SmartMusic at home, he would frequently come in and use one of the SmartMusic computers in a practice room as well.

Now let's fast-forward to the end of the school year: Carl had become a confident player and sat fairly high in his trumpet section. When we had our Solo Friday activity, he was always volunteering to play a solo in front of the entire class. In one year he had caught up to his peers.

How was this possible? I believe there were two main contributors: Carl’s desire to learn, and his ability to practice in a meaningful way through the use of SmartMusic. The green and red note assessment gave him some necessary feedback, the recordings gave him more feedback, and the progress he saw in these two areas helped his confidence to grow in time. Would he have gotten there without SmartMusic? Perhaps. But he also could have become so frustrated that he simply stopped playing. I feel that in Carl’s case SmartMusic was a very real “equalizer,” and as such I found it to be a great enhancement to my teaching.

To be honest, at first I was concerned that students might become too dependent on practicing with SmartMusic. However, as my students got instant feedback and reinforcement from my SmartMusic assignments, they understood what they were doing correctly and incorrectly. In time, what I saw as a result was that my students were much more confident in their playing.

Thanks for letting me reminisce about one of those great, rewarding teaching experiences. Seeing any student improve is a great feeling. Seeing students exceed your expectations is even better.

Do you have any similar SmartMusic stories? Please share them with us by clicking on “Comments” below.

If you are reading this blog, you're probably still in school. The last days of school before a vacation can be full of schedule surprises, including field trips, special events, parties, testing schedules, and more. This, combined with shorter than usual attention spans, makes planning for a class very challenging.

Fortunately, SmartMusic makes it easy to plan educational activities that your students will enjoy. We’ve covered several specific examples in past blog posts; this week I’ll share links to some of these activities that might be helpful this time of year.

The Rhythm Challenge is a great way to have the entire class participate in a rhythm review. Two students come to the front of the class and clap to a SmartMusic rhythm exercise. Whoever gets the highest mark gets a point for their team.

The SmartMusic Face-off lets students play their instruments in a game-like format, accumulating points by performing selected musical examples. It’s a great way to perform, review, and have some fun.

While not a game like the suggestions above, using SmartMusic Recordings in a class setting can be a great activity, and the resulting MP3 files can be burned to disk or emailed to parents. It’s a wonderful way to show what the students have learned during the year.

Another fun activity might be to have your class try their hand at improvising; SmartMusic offers many resources, including Jazz scale exercises (including the ever useful Blues scale), Play-By-Ear Jazz Licks, Jazz Improvisation repertoire, and Concert Jazz repertoire. Two past blogs cover using SmartMusic with jazz ensemble; here’s part one and part two.

Here’s one more I just thought of. You could use the Play-By-Ear exercises to create a game similar to the first two activities. I might use just 4-8 measures of each exercise and award extra points for students who choose a more challenging scale or a faster tempo. What a fun way to work on ear training!

We’d love to hear how these are working for you, or about your own variations. Please share your experiences in the “Comments” section below.

In closing, I hope you had a great school year and that you met a majority of the goals that you set. That definitely is a very rewarding feeling.

Even though summer break (and the promise of time off) is just around the corner, many educators are planning to attend classes, conferences, and workshops in the upcoming months. Whether you’re motivated by required professional development, degree advancement, or simply a desire to improve your knowledge and skills in the classroom, consider SmartMusic Summer Workshops in your planning.

Several workshops are listed on our Conventions and Clinics page. These full-day sessions are designed for teachers of concert band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, and choir. Expert instructors will provide hands-on instruction with SmartMusic 2011 and the gradebook feature.

Whether you’re brand new to SmartMusic, or simply interested in brushing up, these workshops can help you improve your working knowledge of SmartMusic and develop greater confidence in using it with your students. They also provide an excellent opportunity to meet with other teachers and learn how they’re using SmartMusic in their programs.

Check out the list to see if there’s a workshop that fits into your schedule; if not, please check back as we'll add more. While not technically “time-off,” they're a great way to recharge by generating new ideas for the upcoming school year.