#MusEdChat Recap – Web 2.0 Tools (3/8/2010)

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Posted on 31st March 2010 by Andrew Ritenour in #MusEdChat

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The second #MusEdChat was held on Monday, March 8th 2010. Participants discussed the topic, “What Web 2.0 tools do you use in your classroom for educational purposes?” Participants came from all over the world, including 15 music undergraduates from Grove City College. The topic was then discussed in two parts. First, participants discussed educational web 2.0 tools used in educating students, and then later discussed tools that are useful in the administration part of music education.

Web 2.0 Education Tools

A variety of web 2.0 tools for educating were shared, ranging anywhere from composition programs to ear-training aids. A number of composition-related applications were suggested. The most well-known of these was Noteflight. Teachers can use Noteflight to have students compose music. This is a great way to have students apply basic music knowledge, all the while exercising their creativity. Musescore, a similar application, was also suggested for this purpose. Along this category of Web 2.0 applications is iCompositions, a program that is used to give students feedback on the compositions they create on Garage Band. Teachers also found some applications, such as Jam Studio to be very effective in the classroom. Jam Studio is an online site that allows students to compose music by selecting a key, and then choosing chords in that key. Users can then select which instrument groups they would like to use, in whatever style they would like them to play (all chosen from a list of pre-recorded styles and instruments). Myna was also suggested. This program involves looping pre-recorded segments together to create a sound file, complete with an intro, body, and ending. This can then be converted into an MP3 and downloaded. SmartMusic was also briefly mentioned. This allowed teachers to test students on things such as scales, from home.

After these applications were discussed, the #MusEdChat participants shared thoughts on using things such asblogs and wikis in the classroom setting. Some found it very useful, while others proceeded with caution. The idea of using YouTube as a teaching aid came up as well. It seemed that mostly everybody agreed that it was useful, but some had issues with it being blocked in their schools. Multiple solutions to this problem were discussed, including the use of websites (such as Keepvid) to download the YouTube video, as well as simply asking the administrator to give you access to such sites.

Web 2.0 Administrative Tools

In addition to discussing tools that music educators use for educating were tools that music teachers can use to make the administrative part of their job easier. Some of the tools discussed dealt directly with music teacher responsibilities as far as organization of information. One tool that was suggested was Ututti. Ututti was described as being a program that “view student’s info grades and financial account all in one place.” Another of these tools is WhenisGood. This particular online application allows the user to sign up, enter his/her available times, and email it to others. The recipients then can respond with the times available to them. The user can log onto the site again using information provided to them to view what time works best for everybody.

Multiple tools were shared that dealt with communication between the teacher and students. Google Docs was brought up. This allows teachers to refrain from using paper copies to have students complete forms. The chat participants seemed to think that this was more efficient, and also removed the possibility of losing paper forms. Google Calendar was also suggested to keep everybody (teacher, students and parents) on the same page.

Communication between teacher and parent, as well as teacher and student was also discussed. One of the biggest issues chatted about was the use of Facebook. The #MusEdChat participants seemed to have differing opinions on this. Some believed that using Facebook to promote a school group was completely acceptable. After all, most students already use Facebook. This was seen by some to be a very useful tool in notifying students of the program of any alerts that needed to be passed on. Other participants thought that contact with students on social media sites was unprofessional. While it may be useful, many teachers have a policy of not adding students as friends until they no longer had connections with the school. A possible solution to this was that if a fan page was made, students would have no contact with the teacher; they would only be able to communicate within the page for whatever group it was promoting. While not everybody agreed with the idea of using Facebook in a school setting, one point seemed to be unanimous. It seemed that all of the participants agreed that teachers need to act responsibly on the internet, treating it like any other public situation. In addition, most seemed to agree that it is important to teach students to be careful with their actions on the internet, as anything they do has the potential to leave a devastating mark on their reputation.

Links

Here is a list of links suggested and discussed during the chat:

Participate

If you would like to participate in the #MusEdChat, join us on Twitter, Monday nights at 8:00PM EST! If you are new to Twitter, find out how to participate here.

MusicEdNews.com Launches

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Posted on 28th March 2010 by Andy Zweibel in Website

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I am thrilled to announce the launch of MusicEdNews.com, a project of myself and Dr. Joe Pisano!

MusicEdNews.com is set to serve as your one-stop shop for all things music education-related. It will act as an aggregator for over 30 different RSS Feeds from blogs, websites, and podcasts related to Music Education. In short, if it’s about music ed, and it’s on the web, you can find it at MusicEdNews.com! In this day and age, music educators of all types have started creating content online. With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies and RSS, this information is now easier than ever to consume. However, this doesn’t mean we should be satisfied with using basic RSS Feed Readers to consume our information. MusicEdNews.com aims to make the consumption of information even easier by aggregating the top feeds in one place.

In addition to the website, which offers a streamlined and categorized way to view the most recent feed updates, we have created a twitter account (@MusicEdNews) which will tweet updates from each of the feeds that MusicEdNews.com follows. If twitter is your primary means for information-consumption, and you’re a music educator (or aspiring educator), then @MusicEdNews is definitely an account you should follow!

The website launched Wednesday night, and will be on a constant state of flux for the next few weeks as Dr. Pisano and I make changes. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please feel free to contact us. In the meantime, give MusicEdNews.com a look!

The ‘Little Voice’-Dealing with Doubt

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Posted on 23rd March 2010 by Andy Zweibel in Worth Sharing

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Shadow of a Doubt - S5isShadowDoubtWhile I try to keep all the content here at MusicEdMajor.net original in nature, there are times when someone else posts content that is so perfect for Music Education Majors that I choose to share it here on the site. This is one of those cases.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of getting to meet Brian Wis (@teaching_music), a public school music teacher who has begun a blog entitled “Teaching Music in the 21st Century.” Brian recently posted an article that has particular significance to future music educators. The article focuses on what Brian calls “the Little Voice,” and the doubt it can plant in our minds as to whether music education is the right profession for all of us:

When it comes right down to it, being responsible for educating hundreds or even thousands of children over a career can be a scary proposition. Music education majors are so busy taking so many classes (for so little credit) that the future isn’t something they have had much time to think about. So I believe that there are periods of anxiety that arise whereby entering the profession feels completely wrong. We all went through it, in fact I’ve started to think that the more you’ve worried about it, the better teacher you might become. It’s ironic to say the least, but sensing the responsibility can seem too much to bear, yet being able to sense it is integral to becoming an effective teacher.

Brian goes on to discuss some of the reasons that this “Little Voice” seems so loud to many of us, and why we should not succumb to it. This is an issue that I know many future music educators deal with, myself included. I strongly encourage you check out the rest of Brian’s article, and the rest of his great posts:

Music Education Majors: Stifling The Little Voice [Teaching Music in the 21st Century]

Have you dealt with doubt before as a music education major? Have you gotten past it? If so, how? If not, what steps have you tried?

#MusEdChat Recap – Assessment (3/1/10)

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Posted on 22nd March 2010 by Andrew Ritenour in #MusEdChat

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Under the moderation of Andy Zweibel, the first ever #MusEdChat took place on March 1st, 2010 on Twitter. The topic being discussed was “What are effective methods of assessment in a performance based class?” With 20 people participating from around the world (and probably many others watching), many ideas and resources were discussed. To read the full transcript, visit the transcript page for this chat.

Conversation Recap

First, many people posed relevent questions about the grading of performance. Questions like “Objectivity vs. subjectivity? How do you all quantify this? (@pisanojm)” and ” Can you grade creativity? If so, how? (@Guitarguy73)” were posed and discussed. Some replied that you can grade creativity through assessing students’ ability to compose within standards, while other responses suggested grading according to assessment of a combination of things such as attendence, participation, and preparation. The use of rubrics as a grading aid was also suggested.

Andy (@Zweibz7) then posed the question, “Those of you who don’t teach general music, what areas do you feel should factor into a student’s grade?” There were quite a few responses to this question. One response was, “Honestly mine is purely based on attendance in rehearsal and heavily on performance. (@kgard)”. Others cited progression and participation as elements of grading.

The conversation then briefly shifted to common technology used in grading music. The use of blogs in the music classroom was discussed. One thought was to record rehearsals, and have students blog about their thoughts and ideas for that particular rehearsal. Other technological programs included SmartMusic, Voicethread and Moodle. Thoughts were even shared about online lessons via Skype. Then the group discussed the effectiveness of having students record themselves for purposes like self-assessment. Products like Audacity and Myna were cited as making this process easier.

During this time, another conversation was happening on the same chat.This conversation dealt with assessing composition. Just like the other topics, there were a variety of opinions. As stated by @MusicEdTech,”Here’s my rubric for assessing a composition assignment- 1) Did you fulfill the basic requirements of the project? 2) did you work diligently during class? That’s it.” Another suggestion was to use strict rules, but to allow them to be creative in some aspects as well. It seemed as though many of the teachers in the chat used either Noteflight or Musescore to facilitate this in their classrooms.

Then the participants began discussing how to grade private lessons in grades 3-6. It seemed as though most of them used a pass/fail method for grading. The suggestion then came to just give every student in these grades an A. The argument for this method was that a negative grade will turn students away from music. Others disagreed with this argument stating that students need to have actual feedback, otherwise they will not progress and will quit anyway. @iteachmusic65 then commented that the younger students should mostly get A’s, but then as they get older, the teacher should raise the bar, causing them to acheive higher goals.

Links

As you can see, in just one hour, an impressive amount of valuable information was transmitted between 20 people involved in Music Education. To see the entire transcript of the chat, check out (link to transcript). To make searching through the information easier, here is a list of links that were shared in this chat:

This Week’s Chat

If you would like to take part in an invaluable learning experience with music educators around the world, join in the discussion on Twitter at 8PM EST on Monday nights under the hashtag #musedchat! The topic for this weeks chat is, “How does music education fit into the education reforms coming to the U.S. in the next 5 years?”

Not familiar with Twitter? Learn how to participate by checking out Dr. J Pisano’s tutorial, and by visiting the official #MusEdChat page here at MusicEdMajor.net!

MusicEdMajor.net Welcomes a New Editor

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Posted on 18th March 2010 by Andy Zweibel in Website

It’s my pleasure to announce that MusicEdMajor.net now has a new co-editor! Please welcome Andy Ritenour, Music Education student at Grove City College in Grove City, PA. Andy comes to us as a student of Dr. Joseph Pisano, who was instrumental in getting me blogging to begin with. Andy is in Dr. Pisano’s Music Technology class, and has participated in the past few weeks’ #MusEdChat discussions. He also has just started a blog, Future Music Educators.

Andy is a Sophomore at GCC, and is extremely involved in ensembles, playing in two brass quintets, two concert bands, a symphony orchestra, and a touring choir. He also serves as a member of (and the librarian for) the Grove City College Wolverine Marching Band. Andy’s primary instruments are Tuba and Euphonium, and he also works as a marching and brass instructor for the Somerset Area High School Marching Band.

I am extremely excited to have Andy on the MusicEdMajor.net staff! Although referring to the two of us at the same time may be confusing (Andy and Andy…?), he brings a fresh set of ideas to the site, as well as a clear writing style and a passion for what he does. Be on the lookout for regular posts by both Andy’s right here at MusicEdMajor.net!

You can contact Andy Ritenour by email at andyr@musicedmajor.net, or on Twitter at @andrewritneour

MENC’s Biennial Conference Approaching

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Posted on 17th March 2010 by Andy Zweibel in Conference

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MENC: The National Association for Music Education, has had it’s Biennial Conference in the works for a year, now, and the event is almost upon us! Are you going?

The conference will take place from March 25-27 in Anaheim, CA, and will include many sessions geared specifically towards Collegiate members. Some of these sessions include:

  • Classroom Management: More Than Just Keeping the Lid On
  • Job Search and Interviewing
  • Making More of Your Student Teaching and Collegiate Experience
  • What is the First Year on the Job REALLY Like?

The Biennial Conference is a result of MENC’s creation of their annual Music Education Week-a week full of advocacy and development that takes place every summer in Washington D.C. The Biennial Conference, however, is more like a traditional conference, and is an extension of the national conferences MENC held before the establishment of Music Ed Week. The conference will have a special focus on research and music teacher education, and will also provide opportunities for brainstorming, discussion, and networking. For more information, be sure to visit the Biennial Conference page at MENC’s website.

This event is sure to be an extremely beneficial experience for any music educator, current or future. While I won’t be able to attend, I strongly encourage that you try to make it to Anahaim next weekend, if at all possible. If you are going to be attending, please consider contacting us-we would love to have some updates from the conference here at MusicEdMajor.net! Don’t fret if you won’t be able to make the trek to California, however, Music Ed Week is only a few months away! It will take place  June 24-29 in Washington, and I will definitely be there!

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