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Tips, Ideas & Resources
Equal music for all
MENC is sponsoring a petition to mandate that the arts and music be
part of the curriculum for every child. Their goal is to get one
million signatures delivered on paper petitions to the new Secretary of
Education on June 18, 2009. Find out how you can help by clicking here:
http://www.menc.org/resources/view/3-ways-to-change-music-education-petition-drive
Travels with Music
Open up a world of music to your students! Every culture in the world
has genius, and every tradition is worthy of respect. Travels with
Music: Series One is an interactive exploration of 15 world cultures,
with their master musicians as your guides. In Teaching With Music you
can enjoy the richness and diversity of our world's tradition by
viewing nearly 300 unique videos, by playing interactive computer
games, and by hearing music performances that you won't find anywhere
else. Includes a downloadable teacher guide.
Try this:
Travels with Music Series 1 $0.00 - Save $169.00
Teach the Teacher
Wanna learn something new or brush up on your skills, but don't have
time to travel back and forth to campus? Check out berkleemusic.com,
the online school presented by the acclaimed Berklee College of Music
in Boston. With over 120 courses to choose from, you'll get world-class
instruction from heavyweights in the music industry and top-notch
educators.
Check it out at:
http://www.berkleemusic.com
Steinberg Classroom Resource Pack
The Steinberg Classroom Resource Pack (CRP) provides teachers with
comprehensive resources for teaching music to 11-18 year olds in
schools. It contains all the necessary elements for teachers to deliver
a wide range of innovative, modern music lessons and uses Cubase Studio
4 or Cubase 4 as the technology platform.
The Teacher Manual, 370 pages of detailed lesson plans and activities
meticulously prepared for the teacher, is supported by two
easy-to-navigate content DVDs that contain PDF worksheets and
assessment materials, video tutorials, original music as multi-track
Cubase projects, audio files, audio loops, MIDI files and video files
intended for project work in the classroom. Try this:
Steinberg Classroom Resource Pack $0.00 - Save $520.99
Great Orchestral Sound and Notation all in one!
Here's a great deal – get the acclaimed Finale 2009 and Miroslav
Philharmonik Classik Edition together and save big. The Finale 2009
Miroslav Classic Edition Bundle is the perfect solution for composers
and music enthusiasts to start composing music with amazing sounds.
Miroslav Philharmonik Classik Edition Module is a full-featured
orchestral instrument covering solo instruments and ensembles with 250
sounds spanning the entire orchestra in 1.5GB of samples. This proves
to be a very good complement to Finale 2009. Give your listeners a
unique and realistic experience! Try this:
MakeMusic Finale 2009 Miroslav Classic Edition Bundle $0.00 - Save $869.99
IMHO
Looking for opinions on what’s going on with music education? How about 100 different opinions? Check out the (Almost) Official List of 100 Music Education Bloggers at http://mustech.net/2008/12/16/announcing-the-almost-official-list#more-932.
Videos that Advocate for Music Education
Needs some fuel to advocate for retaining or growing your music program? Check out these professional level videos available on youtube that can help you make your case for
MORE music, not less:
The Case for Music Education
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUhylSoaJ1c
Why Music Education Belongs in Public Schools
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA6p1I9GkX0
Mike Huckabee: Art and music education
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnoYOQ55I8&feature=related
Classical Music online
The Classical Archives is the largest classical music site on the web: 40,034 full length classical music files by 2,091 composers. Files are offered in several formats: live recordings in WMA and MP3, and in MIDI synthesized sequences. Check it out for free at www.classicalarchives.com.
Touch base with Cubase
Need some help learning the ins and outs of Cubase? Check out Cubase 4 Power!: The Comprehensive Guide. This book provides a thorough look at the most common, as
well as lesser-known features of this impressive digital audio production software. Beyond describing the features of the program and how they work, Cubase 4 Power!
explains when to use certain features and how they are most beneficial to your project.
Cubase 4 Power! $34.95 - Save $5.00
Funding from Phish Fans
The Mockingbird Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by Phish fans. But you don’t have to be a fan of Phish to take advantage of the generous funding opportunities that The Mockingbird Foundation grants to musicians and educators. Mockingbird is interested in targeting children eighteen years or younger, but will consider projects which benefit college students, teachers, instructors, or adult students. Find out more at www.mockingbirdfoundation.org.
Cables do Matter
Is there a lot of noise in your system or room? Check your cables. Loose ends, kinks and other defects can cause hum and worse. There’s a reason why more expensive
cables, well, cost more! They help deliver your signal without interference for clean, clear sound.
Try these Monster Cables:
Performer 500 Microphone Gold XLRs Cable - 20-Feet BUY NOW... Only $0.00
MIDI Cable - 12-Feet BUY NOW... Only $0.00
Keyboard Cables (Pair) with Angled to Straight 1/4" Plugs - 21-Feet BUY NOW... Only $0.00
Ableton Enablers
You can find free tips on using Ableton Live on their website at
http://www.ableton.com/pages/tips/home. Brush up on your Ableton Live skills or dig further into the program. You can also read about what other schools are doing with Ableton Live and a whole lot more if you visit the Education section of their site.
Try this:
Ableton Live 8 with Free Messenger Bag BUY NOW... Only $299.95
Ableton Live 7 LE BUY NOW... Only $0.00
Great Gift Idea
Need a gift for your college or high school student? How about an Academic Superstore gift card? You know they’ll get the best deal of products that enhance their
educational experience.
Click here to find out more!
Music for All
The Music for All Foundation is dedicated to providing access to valuable information and resources to support music and the arts in education and communities. Check out
their site and you’ll find these resources and many more:
Find out more at www.musicforall.org.
Summer Music Study
I know it’s too early, but summer will be here before we know it (we can only hope!). Want to recommend some great music-related summer camps to your gifted students? The April ’09 issue of Teaching Music will include the Summer Study directory, which will include a wide array of summer programs!
SmartMusic Tips
Just getting started with SmartMusic or need to brush up on some usage tips? Check out MakeMusic’s online resource library for how to videos, including lesson
assignment and review tips. There are lots of videos for students and parents, too. Go to
Click here for resources.
Technology and Elementary Music
Do you teach Elementary School Music? Not sure how technology fits into
your music program at that level? Then check out this editorial from
Amy Burns of Far Hills Country Day School that appears on the
Technology Institute for Music Educators website (ti-me.org). Perhaps
it will give you fuel for thought about what you can do to help young
students learn music fundamentals using technology tools that they love
to get their hands on!
Find out more here:
http://www.ti-me.org/imho/burns2005-04.html
USB Transfer Express
Here's a really cool way to make sure all your students have the
homework files they need. It's a stand-alone product called the
Transfer Express USB Duplicator. You can insert a master USB stick and
have it duplicate its contents onto up to 15 other sticks at the same
time. Students then take their sticks home, bring them in the next day
with their homework files saved on them and then insert them once
again. You can upload all the contents of all the sticks at once onto
one USB drive or any connected storage device or even erase all the
sticks at once for the next day's lesson. Great for distributing audio
files, worksheets, take home tests and much more.
Try this:
USB Transfer Express USB Duplicator $799.95 - Save $199.05
TimeLiner XE
Want a great way to have your students visualize music history? Try a
project in TimeLiner. You and your students can gather, organize, and
present sequential information in a fun and creative way. You can even
collect all the building blocks to create a multimedia timeline -
including graphics, text, citations and audio files - and have students
assemble them in the correct order.
Try this:
Tom Snyder TimeLiner XE $74.95 - Save $25.00
VH1 Save The Music Foundation
Is your music program under-funded? Then maybe you qualify for a grant
from the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in American public
schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of
each child's complete education. Since 1997, the VH1 Save the Music
Foundation has provided $43 million worth of new musical instruments to
more than 1,600 public schools in more than 100 cities around the
country, impacting the lives of more than 1.2 million public school
students.
Find out more here:
http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/faq
You've got the power
You've got some great gear in your classroom. Make sure that old wiring
in your building doesn't destroy it by using a power surge protector.
An essential accessory when you're adding electronic gear to your
classroom, a surge protector can allow you to plug in multiple pieces
of gear into the same outlet while protecting them all from sudden
power surges or spikes. You'll even find some that allow you to plug
USB devices in, so you don't need to take up USB slots in your computer
in order to keep those items charged up. Try this:
Belkin Mini Travel Surge Protector with USB Charger $19.95 - Save $5.04
9-Socket SurgeMaster Maximum Series 2655 Joules Surge Protector $0.00 - Save $58.99
Principal Rap
Here's a fun way to make a straightforward project sparkle. Use a
report assigned from another class as the basis for a musical project.
For example, a report on a community member could include a recorded
conversation that is later cut up into a fun rap using loop-based
recording as backing tracks. You can do this in Garage Band, Mixcraft,
Sony Acid or others. Share it with the person interviewed and see their
eyes light up. Here's one that my son did with the principal at his
school. Listen to it here >>
Try this:
M-Audio MicroTrack II $0.00 - Save $499.95
Acoustica Mixcraft 4.1b $0.00 - Save $79.95
Sony Creative Software ACID Music Studio 7 $0.00 - Save $69.95
Vision from GenevaLogic
Wouldn't it be great to have a real time snapshot of what each of your
students has on screen while you're teaching music in the technology
lab? You can with Vision6 from GenevaLogic. Monitor student activity,
share screens, monitor web browsing, launch or close applications on
all screens at once and a whole lot more.
Click here to find out more:
Vision Class Kit $0.00 - Save $999.00
Positive Reinforcement - Motivating your students
Sometimes you need a little help to keep your students motivated. Here's an interesting article
posted by MENC that will help you get and keep students moving in the right direction.
Check it out here:
http://www.menc.org/v/future_teachers/ten-ways-to-encourage-good-student-behavior
Smart Music Smarts - Creating lessons with Finale
Did you know you can create notation in MakeMusic's Finale and then use it to create a lesson in
SmartMusic? Simply scan, play, click, or use a MIDI file to get your notes into Finale and then use
time-saving wizards to save your music as a SmartMusic file. Now you can add your own solos to
SmartMusic's extensive library!
Try this:
MakeMusic Finale 2009 Academic $0.00 - Save $600.00
Post it Live! - Uploading podcasts and music
Acoustica has just announced MixcraftLive.com, a free service allowing anyone to upload their
music, podcasts or sonic creations to share with the world. The site allows anyone to create an
account, upload artwork and publish up to 100 megabytes of music. Each account has a forum and
a blog to help foster a community and database. A great way for your students to share their music
with the world!
Try this:
ACOUSTICA TM MixcraftTM 4.1b $0.00 - Save $79.95
Copyrights: Get it Right!
Want a resource to help your students learn about the business of music? Check out the ASCAP
(American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) website. They have several articles
about songwriting, publishing and more. Here's a link to an interesting article that explains what
copyrights are. Your budding composers should find it very informative!
Try this:
http://www.ascap.com/jam/copyright.html
Library Lessons
Did you know that you can use the Library of Congress database as a resource for primary
research? You'll find scans of original manuscripts, period recordings of turn of the century music
and more.
Check it out:
http://www.loc.gov/performingarts/
Try this for multi-cultural music resources and lesson plans:
PassportM Travels with Music Series 1 (Interactive DVD + Teachers Guide Download) $144.95
Research Resource
And speaking of libraries, don't forget your local library has way more resources than were around
when you were a kid. Mine has access to thousands of newspapers and periodicals, movies, audio
files and broadcast transcripts, full access to the circulation catalog and even complete books,
all accessible from the comfort of your home or office online connection. Your students can find
historical and current information on instruments, composers and current musical happenings.
Try this for a unique interactive encyclopedia of instruments, bands, orchestras and ensembles:
Sibelius Instruments $0.00
Funding Tips Galore
Check out this informative article by Ralph Nelsen for some ideas for pursuing federal funding.
Although not directed specifically at music educators, this entertaining and well written article
gives you some practical tips that can help you navigate the sometimes complicated grantseeking
process.
Check it out here:
http://www.col-ed.org/Funding/ideas.html
Back It Up
Hedging your bets against technical problems isn't the only reason you
should backup. Imagine that the first version of the song or
composition you recorded weeks ago is much better than your current
version. If you back up regularly, you can easily go back and start
over from there. Need some more backup space?
Try this:
1 Terabyte (wow!) SimpleDrive USB 2.0 External Hard Drive $0.00 - Save $459.99
Slow and Steady
Use software like Ableton Live and Pro Tools M-Powered to slow down an
audio recording without affecting pitch or changing the key. This is a
great way to help students learn difficult parts - slowly bring them up
to speed as they become more proficient!
Try:
Ableton Live 7.0 $299.95 - Save $300.04
Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4 Educational $0.00 - Save $299.95
TI:ME for a Change
Network with other Music Educators about technology integration at www.ti-me.org,
the Technology Institute for Music Educators. You'll find tips,
resources and an active community of technology buffs who live for
integrating music into everyday teaching.
Make a Note of It
Find lots of free online resources from Sibelius, known for its award-winning notation software. Check out www.sibeliuseducation.com for FREE ready-made teaching materials to build your lessons, or upload and share lesson ideas too!
Try:
Sibelius 5 Notation Software $0.00 - Save $599.00
Sounds Good!
The Garritan Personal Orchestra Sound Library offers great sounding
orchestral instruments sampled to perfection. Check out their FREE
online course, "Principles of Orchestration," based on
Rimsky-Korsakov's classic. In this interactive edition, you can
simultaneously hear and see examples where audio follows the score.
Online professors help moderate the course.
Find out more here:
http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=77
Try:
Garritan Personal Orchestra Sound Library for Mac and Windows $0.00 - Save $199.00
Digi Delivery
Check out the online archive of Digidesign's Digizine for free tips,
tricks and resources for using Pro Tools and other Digidesign products.
All past issues are available as PDFs for your perusing pleasure, free
of charge.
Check it out here:
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=6&ref=ms&langid=1
Try:
Digidesign Mbox 2 for Mac or Windows $0.00 - Save $495.00
Communicate with the Community
Make sure your parent and community music education benefactors know
where their money is going! A great way to highlight student
achievement is to share the musical results. Toward the end of the
school year, duplicate several CDs of your students' compositions and
mail them to everyone who provided financial backing for your music
classes, including parents, alumni, local newspapers, small businesses,
corporations and foundations. The cost of CDs has come way down, making
this an inexpensive but effective way to thank donors while generating
future support!
Try:
Imation 100-Pack of 52X 80-Minute White Thermal Printable 700MB CD-R Discs $59.95 - Save $11.84
TEAC 52x 1 To 1 CD Duplicator - No computer required! $0.00 - Save $249.95
