Interactivity #4

I chose this lesson plan on MusicTechTeacher.com because I believe that if I had instruction in this format as a student I would have learned a lot from it, and therefore my students could take a lot away from the lesson. The entire lesson is based around the usage of technology, whether using midi keyboards, computer software, or video camera, and utilizes many NJCCS for music.

There are several small gaps in the lesson plan, and here's why: the first gap lies within ensuring that the students actually understand what the G major scale is. It is more than likely that between grades 2 - 5 that the class knows what the notes are called, but they do not understand how these notes function within a scale and which notes are the important ones. The second small gap is a mistake that many musicians make: not everyone knows how to improvise. Yes, it should be self evident what exactly is necessary and how one goes about improvising, but if a student has never seen or thought of how to improvise, they won't know how. Using the "Think Aloud" strategy will give every student the opportunity to see how to go about improvising by allowing them to see and discuss how it is done. The final gap lies within the usage of the notation software for composing the phrase: in doing so, it allows all students to participate in the same capacity and to easily edit and adjust their work with feedback from their peers and from the teacher.

The curriculum goal for this lesson is learning how to compose. The technologies used in this lesson are essential because without a piano, the students have no basis for understanding pitch or musical literacy. The notation software decreases the time needed to write the music and generates clear and accurate results from the students.

Lesson Plan
Google Spreadsheet

Interactivity #3

It is often assumed that you need to be a musician in order to participate in the music making process. Part of our jobs as music educators is to open doors to students to experience music in ways they had not anticipated before as well as in ways that we cannot currently anticipate. Western music specifically has been known to function within certain boundaries that have been established over hundreds of years, so those who are not familiar with the musical notation or vocabulary may have a very difficult time finding their way into the music world. It is our jobs as educators to find ways to make our subject matter accessible to every student in our classroom.

The tools that we've gathered through our collaboration can be used in any classroom that we may find ourselves in. The benefit of these technologies are that many of them are found online and can be accessed from any computer at anytime, allowing the creative process to continue outside of the classroom, whether it be by homework assignment or by choice of the student.

Some of these tools can be used in our CURR 314 module to as a tool for intermediary assessment throughout a unit plan to determine how effectively we are teaching and well our students are retaining the information discussed in class. There are valuable resources on our database as well that can easily speak to our READ 411 in terms of developing literacy and critical comprehension in the discourse of music and creating music. 

Skype Lessons

          For our READ 411 class, we had to meet with our students and perform an assessment to determine the best way that we can help them improve their reading (and also improve our skills to recognize these traits). I chose Lauren, a friend of mine, to be my student for this project.
          Lauren and I had been trying to set up a time to meet for about a week and we had a lot of difficulty finding mutual free time, so we decided to meet on Skype and set up a video chat session. This maximized our free time between events (we each were coming from work and were headed to something else shortly after) and I was able to seize all of the advantages of meeting in person with the additional challenge of having a seamless lesson plan and needing to do a lot of preparation. 
          This proved to be immensely efficient and helpful, which gave me the idea of how this could be brought further into the music classroom. I was thinking about how private teachers could feasibly teach a private lesson to a student over Skype; to prevent any legal issues, it would probably be best to have the parent present during the lesson. This saves a tremendous amount of time and money in traveling and, if the parents of the student see necessary, could record the lesson and refer back to it at a later point to assist in their child's practicing that week.
          This could also be very effective to "bring" a guest speaker "into" the classroom. Again, this saves time and money on both ends of the spectrum with all of the benefit.

Take 2! (See what I did there?)

The recording industry has provided the opportunity for students to hear, admire, and emulate the music of their favorite musicians as well as record themselves, listen to, critique, and improve upon their own playing.

Listen here! Interactivity #2

One of the most influential technologies in the field of music education would have to be the Phonograph, which was invented in 1877. This invention created the recording industry and would later inspire the formation of smaller, portable, and user friendly recording devices, which do not only benefit musicians but also those who appreciate music as well. 

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. 

Victor Hugo

Step one! and four!

Cell phone - In this information age, having a cell phone is critical for contacting others. Now, smart phones go above and beyond any capabilities that were established previously; they can tell us where to go to get dinner, what time our next class is, how to get to the airport, how many people are in your location.. and hey, they can even make phone calls. I am moderately attached to my phone; if the battery dies I'm constantly worried that someone might be trying to contact me to tell me that someone is in the hospital or was in a car accident, or that I might need to contact someone in these emergencies. My smart phone has increased my quality of life because I have so much information available at my leisure and has inhibited me because I'm very attached to it.

Laptop - While having mobile information is extremely convenient, being able to see and read websites at a normal font size is far easier. Completing homework, researching information, and relaxing while playing a video game have been the some of the biggest advantages to having a laptop. However, when the internet is unavailable I find myself stressed and anxious.

Social networking (Facebook, twitter) - I find all of my information out through social networking. Events in my area, someones birthday, engagements, births, etc. This is easily accessible through any of the two previous mentioned communication technologies and has taken out a lot of the leg work of finding information.

Step two!

Students who have the capacity to be self-taught when given the proper tools are inspiring. As an educator, all we have to do is give them a road map and they'll make their way to the destination with little guidance, and when they do have a question they will have done a great deal of critical thinking prior to asking. Olivia is a vital asset to her peers and elders because she has knowledge that she is more than willing to share with those around her to increase their quality of life.

Step three!

Its so inspiring that students take "every day" items and turn them into something much more valuable - a laptop is an easel for creating a work of art, an ipod turns into a DJ station, and an ipad can become a calligraphy station. These students are extremely innovative and see a cell phone as a lifeline, as well as a mac being a radio station.