Create Digital Music: Free Mario Paint Composer
Click here to visit the Create Digital Music website: Free Mario Paint Composer
I came across the Mario Paint Composer when I was looking on YouTube for different versions of a song to play for my 8th grade general music class. They loved the Mario Paint version so much that I decided to look into it. The Create Digital Music website has a link to download Mario Paint Composer as well as a short article on the program. There is also a particularly amusing version of John Cage's 4'33" in which you just hear silence with Mario running across the top of the staff. :)
The program is a free download for Mac or PC, and I was able to download and install it into my computer in just a few minutes. The program has a music staff and a menu of Mario items to chose from that each make a different sound. You simply choose one and click on the staff where you want it to play. There are a multitude of examples on YouTube. Here's a fun one:
The Create Digital Music website has other good information to explore besides just Mario Paint Composer. I recommend checking it out if you haven't already!
4.25.2011
Week 7: PLN Post 1
Metronome Online
Click here to visit Metronome Online!
I mentioned this website in a discussion board post last week and then realized I hadn't shared the site on my blog yet! I often direct students to this website as a free online metronome. I have been using it for several years now, and I find the website to work consistently without any bugs, crashing, etc. Students enjoy choosing from 3 different colors. I also really like that it plays the tuning pitch A (just an A, though, which is great for strings. Sorry band friends, no B-flat!)
In addition to asking students to visit this site at home, I sometimes go to this website from my computer at school. It's an easy way to amplify a metronome, especially if my computer speakers are already hooked up for a listening activity.
Click here to visit Metronome Online!
I mentioned this website in a discussion board post last week and then realized I hadn't shared the site on my blog yet! I often direct students to this website as a free online metronome. I have been using it for several years now, and I find the website to work consistently without any bugs, crashing, etc. Students enjoy choosing from 3 different colors. I also really like that it plays the tuning pitch A (just an A, though, which is great for strings. Sorry band friends, no B-flat!)
In addition to asking students to visit this site at home, I sometimes go to this website from my computer at school. It's an easy way to amplify a metronome, especially if my computer speakers are already hooked up for a listening activity.
4.18.2011
Week 6: PLN Post 2
An Article from NPR: 100 Composers Under 40
Click here to read the NPR article: 100 Composers Under 40
I found this article this morning through NPR and thought it would be a great thing to share with students. In my middle school general music classes we cover composers and music from each major historical period from the Middle Ages through the Romantic Period. If we have time, we touch on some more modern music and film music, but never anything very recent.
As a result, I often find myself wondering whether students realize that music is still being composed (beyond what most of them listen to on the radio or on their iPods). I feel like it is important for students to know that music composition is still happening today. This will hopefully give them a sense that what we're studying is still relevant, sort of like realizing that studying American history is related to the current American government.
This article from NPR presents a list of 100 composers under the age of 40. When someone visits the page, a musical selection by one of the composers is randomly chosen and played. I think seeing this list could benefit students; asking them to do some kind of research on a current composer would be even better (given time and resources).
Finally, the NPR website in general is a good one to bookmark as a source of music news and current events.
Click here to read the NPR article: 100 Composers Under 40
I found this article this morning through NPR and thought it would be a great thing to share with students. In my middle school general music classes we cover composers and music from each major historical period from the Middle Ages through the Romantic Period. If we have time, we touch on some more modern music and film music, but never anything very recent.
As a result, I often find myself wondering whether students realize that music is still being composed (beyond what most of them listen to on the radio or on their iPods). I feel like it is important for students to know that music composition is still happening today. This will hopefully give them a sense that what we're studying is still relevant, sort of like realizing that studying American history is related to the current American government.
This article from NPR presents a list of 100 composers under the age of 40. When someone visits the page, a musical selection by one of the composers is randomly chosen and played. I think seeing this list could benefit students; asking them to do some kind of research on a current composer would be even better (given time and resources).
Finally, the NPR website in general is a good one to bookmark as a source of music news and current events.
Week 6: PLN Post 1
Truly Random Number Generator
Click here to generate random numbers (a.k.a. "pull names from a hat")!
This morning in 7th grade general music I had a few extra minutes left at the end of the period. Since we're studying rhythms during this unit, I decided to play one of my favorite rhythm games as a class: Fling the Teacher from the Music Tech Teacher website which I blogged about in Week 1
I like to use my computer with a projector so we can play games like this as a class, usually when we have some unexpected extra time. Unfortunately, I sometimes have trouble keeping track of which students have answered (so that every student gets a chance to participate). I've tried going up and down rows, but even that gets confusing sometimes. This morning after class I walked over to my desk thinking, "Ok, that's it. The only way games like this really work for me is if I pull names out of a hat. I've done it before, and it's a LOT of work (even on the computer) to make and print little slips of paper. Oh, and I actually have to remember to keep them handy AND have something to pull them from. Not easy since I only ever teach in shared classrooms. Hmmm....there has to be a better way...."
That's when I decided that someone must have come up with an internet-based way to pull names from a hat. A Google search led me to several websites, but I liked the Truly Random Number Generator website the best. It would only take a moment to have the students count off so each has their own number. The website lets me ask for a mathematically randomly generated number between 0 and whatever number I want. This also solves the problem of absent students. If today I have 32 students, I'll choose 0-32. If tomorrow I only have 30 students, I'll chose 0-30.
I think it would be easy to tab between the online activity and the random number generator so students can see if their numbers are popping up to be next. I'm looking forward to using this in my classroom soon! (Also, I might use it in orchestra sectionals to see which students have to play individually for me, or to choose the order of students for playing quizzes.)
Click here to generate random numbers (a.k.a. "pull names from a hat")!
This morning in 7th grade general music I had a few extra minutes left at the end of the period. Since we're studying rhythms during this unit, I decided to play one of my favorite rhythm games as a class: Fling the Teacher from the Music Tech Teacher website which I blogged about in Week 1
I like to use my computer with a projector so we can play games like this as a class, usually when we have some unexpected extra time. Unfortunately, I sometimes have trouble keeping track of which students have answered (so that every student gets a chance to participate). I've tried going up and down rows, but even that gets confusing sometimes. This morning after class I walked over to my desk thinking, "Ok, that's it. The only way games like this really work for me is if I pull names out of a hat. I've done it before, and it's a LOT of work (even on the computer) to make and print little slips of paper. Oh, and I actually have to remember to keep them handy AND have something to pull them from. Not easy since I only ever teach in shared classrooms. Hmmm....there has to be a better way...."
That's when I decided that someone must have come up with an internet-based way to pull names from a hat. A Google search led me to several websites, but I liked the Truly Random Number Generator website the best. It would only take a moment to have the students count off so each has their own number. The website lets me ask for a mathematically randomly generated number between 0 and whatever number I want. This also solves the problem of absent students. If today I have 32 students, I'll choose 0-32. If tomorrow I only have 30 students, I'll chose 0-30.
I think it would be easy to tab between the online activity and the random number generator so students can see if their numbers are popping up to be next. I'm looking forward to using this in my classroom soon! (Also, I might use it in orchestra sectionals to see which students have to play individually for me, or to choose the order of students for playing quizzes.)
4.16.2011
Week 5: PLN Post 2
Help Kidz Learn Website
Click here to visit the Help Kidz Learn Website
I found this website this week when someone I follow on Twitter posted a link for it. After I got over my pet peeve of using "z" instead of "s" ("Kidz" instead of "Kids") :), I found that I really like this website. From the hompage I had the option of choosing activities for the "early years," games, stories, creative activities, and more. Not all of the options are musical, but by clicking on each category I found at least some that focused on music.
One of my favorite "early years" activity is called "Peeping Musicians". When a person playing an instrument peeks out from the side of the screen, the student can click the image to hear the cartoon person play the instrument. Sure, the instrument sounds are not very authentic, but they're close enough that you can tell what the instrument is. I also like that the cartoons and music choices are pretty fun. I believe they would appeal to young students and make band and orchestra instruments look "cool," not just grown up or "stuffy."
Something I think would even help my middle school students is the "Making Music" keyboard, found under the "Creative" category. This operates like a real keyboard: when I click on a key it plays the note. The keyboard, with white keys (well, ok, they're actually rainbow colored!) and black keys, contains an octave plus a third. I really like that each key also has the name of the note inscribed on it. We do have a keyboard lab in each middle school, but sometimes my students really struggle with remembering where the notes are. Maybe using this interactive keyboard might help them with that. It might also be a good choice for teachers who want to do a keyboard unit but do not have keyboards (or at least not enough for all students to be playing at the same time).
Click here to visit the Help Kidz Learn Website
I found this website this week when someone I follow on Twitter posted a link for it. After I got over my pet peeve of using "z" instead of "s" ("Kidz" instead of "Kids") :), I found that I really like this website. From the hompage I had the option of choosing activities for the "early years," games, stories, creative activities, and more. Not all of the options are musical, but by clicking on each category I found at least some that focused on music.
One of my favorite "early years" activity is called "Peeping Musicians". When a person playing an instrument peeks out from the side of the screen, the student can click the image to hear the cartoon person play the instrument. Sure, the instrument sounds are not very authentic, but they're close enough that you can tell what the instrument is. I also like that the cartoons and music choices are pretty fun. I believe they would appeal to young students and make band and orchestra instruments look "cool," not just grown up or "stuffy."
Something I think would even help my middle school students is the "Making Music" keyboard, found under the "Creative" category. This operates like a real keyboard: when I click on a key it plays the note. The keyboard, with white keys (well, ok, they're actually rainbow colored!) and black keys, contains an octave plus a third. I really like that each key also has the name of the note inscribed on it. We do have a keyboard lab in each middle school, but sometimes my students really struggle with remembering where the notes are. Maybe using this interactive keyboard might help them with that. It might also be a good choice for teachers who want to do a keyboard unit but do not have keyboards (or at least not enough for all students to be playing at the same time).
Week 5: PLN Post 1
8notes.com website: sheet music
Click here to visit the 8notes.com website!
Follow 8notes.com on Twitter
This year my schedule has allowed me to have a string ensemble club in both middle schools during club period. Clubs usually meet once a week for about 35 minutes during the school day, and students are allowed to choose 2 clubs: one for the fall semester and one for the spring. Unlike our elementary chamber groups, which rehearse before school and are by invitation only (i.e., they are select groups), I opened string ensemble club to anyone from the orchestra who wants to join. This is partly because I want all students to have the opportunity to play in a small group regardless of ability, and partly because I wasn't sure how many students would be interested. String ensemble club is up against some other popular clubs like art club, student council, and yearbook.
Unfortunately, this spring I only found out who was in my club the day before clubs started. In one building I actually ended up with a standard quartet of 2 violins, a viola, and a cello, but in the other building I had 3 violins, 2 violas, a cello, and a bass. Either way, I didn't have time or money to go out and find level-appropriate music for these students to play.
Luckily, a quick Google search led me to 8notes.com. From the homepage I selected "String Groups" and then I could pick from a number of combinations. Some of the music is only available for purchase, but there were quite a few pieces available for free. I like that many of the pieces include all parts on each page (similar to a choral piece) so students can see what others are doing and even rehearse themselves sometimes. I also like that I can follow along with the score on my computer if I want to and easily print more copies. Many pieces also include a MIDI recording if students want to hear what the piece should sound like. One piece I chose was an arrangement of "Hornpipe" from Handel's "Water Music". Finally, I also like that students can access this music at home, choose other pieces to play, print out more parts, etc. I'm excited to see what this resource can help me find in the future.
Click here to visit the 8notes.com website!
Follow 8notes.com on Twitter
This year my schedule has allowed me to have a string ensemble club in both middle schools during club period. Clubs usually meet once a week for about 35 minutes during the school day, and students are allowed to choose 2 clubs: one for the fall semester and one for the spring. Unlike our elementary chamber groups, which rehearse before school and are by invitation only (i.e., they are select groups), I opened string ensemble club to anyone from the orchestra who wants to join. This is partly because I want all students to have the opportunity to play in a small group regardless of ability, and partly because I wasn't sure how many students would be interested. String ensemble club is up against some other popular clubs like art club, student council, and yearbook.
Unfortunately, this spring I only found out who was in my club the day before clubs started. In one building I actually ended up with a standard quartet of 2 violins, a viola, and a cello, but in the other building I had 3 violins, 2 violas, a cello, and a bass. Either way, I didn't have time or money to go out and find level-appropriate music for these students to play.
Luckily, a quick Google search led me to 8notes.com. From the homepage I selected "String Groups" and then I could pick from a number of combinations. Some of the music is only available for purchase, but there were quite a few pieces available for free. I like that many of the pieces include all parts on each page (similar to a choral piece) so students can see what others are doing and even rehearse themselves sometimes. I also like that I can follow along with the score on my computer if I want to and easily print more copies. Many pieces also include a MIDI recording if students want to hear what the piece should sound like. One piece I chose was an arrangement of "Hornpipe" from Handel's "Water Music". Finally, I also like that students can access this music at home, choose other pieces to play, print out more parts, etc. I'm excited to see what this resource can help me find in the future.
4.09.2011
Google Quiz
I decided to share my Google Quiz with all of you on my blog this week. My 8th graders are studying music of the middle ages right now, so this seemed like a good topic. First you'll find a link to my sample spreadsheet with fake student data for 5 students. Under that you'll find the quiz itself.
Just a few notes: on my Mac, this does not look good in Safari. Firefox looks much better! Also, I have my "sharing" settings arranged so anyone with this link can view my spreadsheet and quiz, so you should be able to access it without signing in (if you want to. :) )
Click here for my Google Quiz sample spreadsheet.
Just a few notes: on my Mac, this does not look good in Safari. Firefox looks much better! Also, I have my "sharing" settings arranged so anyone with this link can view my spreadsheet and quiz, so you should be able to access it without signing in (if you want to. :) )
Click here for my Google Quiz sample spreadsheet.
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