Ok, so this subject is kind of strange for the music teacher because we don't usually have a lot of time to teach our students how to use any kind of technology, let alone take the time out of class for them to actually use it. That being said, I think it is important for us to find a way because students these days are constantly consumed by technology, and if the music world doesn't get in on it, student will begin to lack interest. So, I've searched through some different sites, and I found a few that look to be helpful.
First we have MyPlick:
With this website students are able to upload a presentation that they have made previously whether it be on PowerPoint, or even a simple Microsoft Word document, or a PDF. Next, the students upload their own audio which can be either an MP3 file, or a voice recording, and they add the audio to their presentation. At this point, the students have a slide show with audio that they have chosen. I can see this being useful if I assign a research project. What I like is that students can upload their own audio recordings, which would allow for me to post their presentations online for the class to watch outside of class time. The biggest thing that I don't like about this tool is that it stops between slides. It would be nice if it played it as a slideshow.
Then there is Animoto:
This website could be a little more difficult to incorporate into the music classroom, but I think that it could have its uses. Its basically a slideshow creator where the students can upload pictures, edit them, and then add text or music. I like that students can research an instrument or a composer, upload pictures of them, and then add their text, as well as audio examples. Unlike MyPlick, this website creates slideshows rather than slide-by-slide presentations.
Next we have VoiceThread:
VoiceThread is very similar to MyPlick, but I feel that it is more of a tool for the teacher to use to communicate with the students, rather than a tool for the students to use for the class. With VoiceThread, you create an account, and you can have students subscribe to the account. The teacher can then upload presentations or videos or other documents, and add a recording of their voice to the presentation. They can use other tools as well to circle objects on the screen for the students to easily follow the instructor. Again, this could be useful for the music teacher to teach lessons outside of the classroom. There never seems to be enough time in the music world because there are too many things to teach at once, but when it comes to teaching things outside of classroom performances, I think this could be a great tool for the students to use! The downside to this website is that it costs money. However, if the school contracts with the website, then it is of no cost to the teacher! Also, it is inconvenient that you can only allow up to 50 students to subscribe to the account without having to pay an extra fee.
The next webtool we have is Audacity:
Audacity is extremely popular in the music world, and for a good reason. This program is relatively easy to use, and it has pretty much everything you need to edit a simple recording. Also, Audacity works with all operating systems and also pretty much every kind of music file. Once a file is uploaded, it can be cut, spliced, copied, pasted, moved, and the pitches can even be edited. What I like best about this tool is that it is fun! The students can make their own complete song using recordings. I feel like it is also a good tool for students who are wanting to get into the music editing business. The downside to this tool is that it is more for fun than practical application, so if the teacher is not careful, they could be planning a pointless lesson.
Next is SoundCloud:
Soundcloud is also a popular tool in the music world. With SoundCloud, students can edit their recordings, much like Audacity, but it is so much easier to share their recordings with others. SoundCloud itself is kind of a social website where you can discover other SoundCloud accounts and listen to other members' music. Along with having your own SoundCloud account to share your audio files, you can also share them with other social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Foursquare. I see many possibilities with this tool, especially for any students I have who are interested in music composition. A downside however is that much like Audacity, this tool could easily be used only for fun rather than for educational purposes.
Now we have Moof:
Moof is pretty cool because it is basically a music database. It is kind of like Spotify, for those who use Spotify, but it is completely online and opens on your browser which would be useful for the "in-school" application of it. Students can search for music of any genre, by any artist. Another cool feature of this website is that users can link their iTunes account to the website for a complete backup. I like the idea of using this website for listening assignments for my students. I can send them the link, and give them specific artists or composers to search for, and then they can listen to the music and write a review over it. This could come in handy for music they are playing in class, as well as exposing them to other kinds of music that they typically would not hear on their own. The downside to this website would be that I would be afraid to use it during class time because students can easily get off track and listen to whatever they wanted to.
Then here is Musopen:
So Musopen is pretty cool as well for the music classroom. This website has a huge collection of classical pieces in the public domain, both recordings of them, as well as sheet music for them. There are also text books that can be accessed about classical music through the website, and biographies on famous composers. I love that this website is easy to use and very clean looking. There's not a whole lot of trouble that kids can get into on this website. There is an option to also play classical music on shuffle. There are endless possibilities with this webtool for the music classroom. Students can research composers and listen to some of their pieces. I also like the idea of giving the students a week to listen to the music on shuffle until they find a piece that they like, and then having them write a review over the piece and its composer. The only possible downside that I see to this website is that it is not much fun, especially for younger kids. I think it sounds fun, of course, because I am a music nerd, but elementary and junior high kids would probably get bored with it.
We also have Classical Cat:
This website, much like Musopen contains a database of classical public domain music, but I like that you can search through this music by either composers, performers, or instruments. Another big difference between the two websites is that listeners can save the music to their computers. I can see myself asking students to use this site to also research a composer or performer.
The next tool we have it Noteflight:
This website is awesome, especially if you do not already have a music editing tool on your classroom computers. Once you have made an account, you simply start notating whatever you want to write. The instructions are pretty simple, and I believe they are easy enough for junior high, or maybe even middle school kids. You can have your students write their own warm-ups, or transcribe pop music for stand tunes, or write their own songs from scratch. With this website you can also look at what other people are composing, and talk to them. This could be great for high school students who are considering music composition as a career. Honestly, for a music notating tool, I don't really see a downside to this website!
Lastly, we have Musictheory.net:
I think that this is another wonderful tool for the music classroom. What I love best is that it can also be used outside of the classroom. Students can search a music theory lesson to learn, and then at their own pace, they can progress to harder lessons. There is also a section for theory exercises and tools. I also love that this website is mobile friendly, so I can assign a lesson, and the students can do it either on the computer at the school or home, or on their phones or tablets. I think students who are interested in a career in music will love this tool as well. Again, I don't really see a downside to with website. In fact, I think it could be revolutionary for the way that music teachers plan lessons.
Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised as I was searching for websites. Some of these are just helpful while others are amazing. Either way, I will probably be using some of them in the future!
No comments:
Post a Comment