Thursday, March 26, 2015

New iPad Mini's for PPS Music!!


Thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Colchester Music, Porters Point School has received two iPad Mini's to be used exclusively in the Music Room at PPS.  This is good news because I will be able to load music apps and have the iPads available for all classes.  Our first project was done with First Graders.


Students launched into a project called "What's In A Name?"  Using the Garage Band app, students used the Sampler to record a sound based on their first name.  Once their name was recorded, they then used the onscreen music keyboard to record an 8-bar (measure) track.  Students were so surprised at how funny their voices sounded when listening to high and low sounds.  They really learned a lot about such musical concepts as high-low, loud-soft, and fast-slow.  

After recording their first track, students selected a bass guitar loop to include with their creation.  They also added a drum track to compliment their recorded track by adding sounds from the available drum kits. They had options to choose from as far as types of percussion instruments and how they wanted the track to sound.  

Students then presented their projects to the class, and the reaction was to get up and dance!  This stuff sounds really fun!!!  So how can we use such a project?  We brainstormed times when students write a story and how music could be added to go along with parts of the story -- or throughout the story. The music could be used to dance to, and a song with words could be added to it.

As a music teacher, I had so much fun seeing students create these projects.  I had a student approach me after this project was all done and she told me she wrote a song.  I said, "OK, so now you can write the music track to go along with it, right?"  She responded with a big smile...     




Friday, March 6, 2015

Students Process Their Performance

An important step in performing is to process afterwards. We always videotape the performance for this purpose. This recording is just for us to use in-class following the performance so students can see what the audience saw. We cannot make this recording available to the public (as in a money-maker) because some students do not have permission to be videotaped for public viewing.  But of course, the video is NEVER as good as the real thing!

So in addition to watching the video recording, students process their performance through writing and drawing a picture. It is always fascinating to me to see what students' ideas are of their performance. Students are generally very proud and say their parents were so excited to see them up there on the big stage...