Final Project

GOOGLE SPREADSHEET: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Av4kpwwiNg77dDJ5b1pzR0cxeU0zeUdMbk1LOVlKSXc&usp=sharing

LESSON PLAN: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_4kpwwiNg77ck5BOXVoSGNNVTA&usp=sharing

Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNukX5TeB8

For this final project I choose  a lesson plan that I adapted for an ELL class. The objective of this lesson is to teach second graders about the difference between beat and rhythm and to practice keeping a steady beat. I have used Sea Chanties as musical examples because they are work songs sailors use to haul up the sails more efficiently by pulling on the lines in time to the music. For my techonology modification, I have used the smartboard to play a youtube video of people singing a sea chanty and hailing up a mainsail. This will give a visual to the students of what it looks like to pull on the lines in time with the music. I could also use the smartboard to play more musical examples of different kinds of sea chanties. Faster tempos are for raising up less heavy sails while slower chanties are for the really heavy stuff. 

The following link is to a program that is used at the school where I am currently student teaching. High Touch, High Tech comes to the school to teach students about the science behind technology. The students seem to enjoy this program and usually excited when they come. This week the students are learning about electricity.

http://www.sciencemadefun.net/

Interactivity #5

     I interviewed the instrumental music teacher in Stillman Elementary School about the use of NETS in the music class room. He had heard of the NETS but said he was not very familiar with them. Teaching instrumental music is very different from teaching in a regular classroom. The main focus is proficiency on your instrument. There are computer programs and different technologies you can use to help, but he keeps his music classroom very traditional.  He did say that he was interested in trying the Smart Music program in the future.
     The elementary school provides technology programs such as "High Touch High Tech" for the students.Stillman Elementary tries to keep up to date with their technology. The teacher I interviewed said he wasn't sure though if they implement the NETS in the curriculum though.
     I was not surprised by what my teacher had said in my short interview with him. In instrumental music there is only so much you can do with technology before it gets to the point where it becomes distracting. There is practical technology uses such as microphones, electric keyboards, and amps, but the most important part in instrumental music is getting the students to physically play their instrument. In general music however there is more room for creativity with technology such as using music related ipad apps.



Google Spreadsheet Link:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Av4kpwwiNg77dHYwakFpeEQ2OGZsbTBSVk5JcHJKdXc#gid=0

Music, Nature, and Technology

In the video above, Diego Stocco combines music and nature with technology. Most of Diego Stocco's musical compositions are inspired by nature. He uses objects, such as the tree in this video as his instruments. His creative use of nature is fascinating but what makes his music unique is his use of technology. If you watch the video you can see how he sets up tiny microphones that are able to capture sounds made by the tree that otherwise wouldn't be able to be heard. While recording, he also uses a loop that records and replays a desired section. When watching the video, listen to how he uses the loop to layer the sounds little by little. This allows Diego to create one tree into a tree orchestra.


Music is everywhere. What can you find in your back yard to make music?

A Little More John Cage

Here is a little more of John Cage.

John Cage iphone/Droid App

On a train ride to Manhattan I was discussing with a friend the music of John Cage. His music is very out of the ordinary and sometimes hard to understand. Many people debate about whether or not some of John Cage's music can actually be categorized as music. I have always wondered if discussing the music of John Cage would be something interesting for a general music class. The work of John Cage is based mostly on his unique philosophy of music, and I think it is important for my students to see different perspectives and ideas about music making. During our conversation my friend asked if I have ever seen the John Cage phone App for prepared piano. I had never heard of this App and when he opened it for me I spent 15 minutes of our train ride clicking around and exploring the different sounds. What a cool App! A lot of school districts are starting to use ipads in their classrooms. If I were to work at a school who had access to any type of ipad I would definitely use this App in my general music class. The app even allows you to record and play back your own compositions! I think this will be a great way to introduce my students to modern music.

Here is a youtube video of the App itself:

And here is a video describing the actual prepared piano of John Cage:

The following is a link with information on getting the App
  http://johncage.org/cagePiano.html

Smart Music

http://www.smartmusic.com/

I have been trying to decide if this program "smart music" would be a valuable resource for my future student's education. From this video it seems like the students enjoy using the program but how much are they actually learning? Could this be distracting in the classroom? This program is one of the most popular methods right now but it still makes me think what is wrong with traditional music education? I don't believe that this program is bad or unnecessary, but I do believe that you can accomplish the same thing without this fancy technology.