Jazz and The Underground Railroad

I just finished "fixing up" the SMARTboard lessons I've been using in my classroom to teach about Jazz and African American Spirituals..
In our 3rd grade textbook, there are several spirituals and a little "discussion" about slavery and the Underground Railroad.  Last year, I discovered the Reading Rainbox segment that covers the book "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" on United Streaming (also available on Youtube). 

This year, I created a SMARTboard lesson and was able to upload that to my Wiki page where you can download it and start using it for Black History Month!  The kids really enjoy the exuberant songs "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd," "Wade in the Water," and "The Underground Railroad" that tells about Harriet Tubman.
Click here to go to my wiki and retrieve the file.
http://www.deetillermusic.wikispaces.com/

I was very disappointed because the file I created on Jazz and another on Ella Fitzgerald were just too big to upload to my wiki page.  I even compressed them, but no luck.  If you would like those files with audio and video segments covering the different styles of jazz as well as Ella's "A-tisket, A-Tasket" please click the link below to email me and ask for them!  :-)  I will leave my email here as long as I don't get spammed! 

Email Dee Tiller

More online resources

Here are some more cool websites you can use in your classroom

Would  you like some specific lesson plans that make use of them (tried and tested)?  I will be developing another session using online resources, Youtube and other techy stuff in the elementary music classroom!

"Whack a Note" Music note game

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/steprightup/whackanote/

Interactive website "Melody Street"

http://melodystreet.com/INDEX/live/

Creating Music Website

http://CreatingMusic.com/

JamStudio online music factory

http://www.jamstudio.com/Studio/index.htm

Carnegie Hall

http://www.carnegiehall.org/ORC/Games-and-Listening-Guides/

How have you made use of online resources in your classroom? 

Fantastic Feedback and Lists of Resources

Welcome to those of you who were at the presentation today!  I hope you learned something that you can start using right away.

I got some great feedback!  I plan to post more detailed, step-by-step instructions as well as lesson plans that show how to use the SMARTboard to get kids up to the board and learning music concepts!

Please let me know how I can be of help!

Here are the links that were in my presentation (and then some!):

FREE DOWNLOADS

My Wiki Page (to download actual SMARTboard lessons)
http://deetillermusic.wikispaces.com/

A Techy blog to follow
http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/smart_board_goodies?&ref=fb

Super Duper Music Looper Free Software (can be purchased also).  This is a great free download to get your kids composing.  Similar to Garage Band!
http://sony-super-duper-music-looper-xpress.en.softonic.com/

SMARTboard Exchange: You will need to register (but it is free!)
 - MY FAVORITE download from this website!
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=35551ae3-725f-425c-88d0-d384f18ff234

- Soda Can Rhythm Game
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=a1a0391a-080a-40fc-a942-6dab0e5842ac

- Music Substitute Lessons for Kindergarten - First Grade
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=dd28804f-8541-4b57-9ac7-44bb3b4bd334

- Music Substitute Lessons (some of the same activities as above, but a few new ones worth looking at!)
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=98a2747e-51d1-413c-91d3-e03feb5e6e4b

- Marvelous Musicians Can Read Real Music
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=a3ad0a75-3505-4c23-9db3-6fe4cf7898b6

- Baseball Game Template
http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=442ab371-4ca6-4f19-8517-c7ef12f9ae26


ONLINE INTERACTIVE PAGES

Recorder interactive website
http://www.joytunes.com/game.php

Quaver's Wonderful World on Music
http://www.quavermusic.com/Default.aspx

Sphinx Kids
http://www.sphinxkids.org/

Music Tech Teacher
http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm

Classics for Kids
http://www.classicsforkids.com/

New York Philharmonic Kids Zone
http://www.nyphilkids.org/main.phtml?

PBSkids Thumb Piano
http://pbskids.org/africa/piano/haveflash.html

BBC Learn About Music
http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/learn/

San Francisco Symphony for Kids
http://www.sfskids.org/templates/home.asp?pageid=1

Theta Music Trainer (Middle School and High School teachers, check this one out!! But of course, there are elementary things there, too!
http://trainer.thetamusic.com/en

RESOURCES THAT REQUIRE PURCHASE

SMART Music Now!  Interactive White Board Lessons (for Promethean and SMARTboard)
http://smartboardnow.com/
http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=30_2731H

Fun Music Company Interactive Whiteboard lessons (for Promethean and SMARTBoard)
http://www.funmusicco.com/interactive-whiteboard-music-lessons/
Mallet Madness Interactive Lessons
http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=99_2852H

Kids Can Compose Interactive Lessons
http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=30_2633H

Music Express Magazine
http://www.musicexpressmagazine.com/

Breezin' Through Theory (Especially for 6th - 12th grade!  But can be used in elementary classrooms).
http://breezinthrutheory.com/

How to create your own lessons for the SMARTboard

Here is the intermediate skills level of my SMARTboard presentation.  If you are comfortable working with Powerpoint, you should pick this up easily!

 There are so many cool things to do with SMARTboard software!  These are just a few examples.

For more lessons, please go to my Wiki page where I share actual lessons that I've created and used in my classroom as well as the full version of these training sessions.

Dee Tiller Music Wiki Page

Don't have a SMARTboard in your room?

I find it so disheartening to hear that districts are purchasing Interactive Whiteboards for all the classroom teachers except for Art and Music.

Wow.  That really makes us feel even more unimportant.

There are so many things that can be done using a SMARTboard in the music classroom to enhance learning!  If you don't have one (but someone else in your building does) don't lose heart!

You can actually download the SMARTboard software for free and use it for 30 days.  You can enter the Serial number from another SMARTboard in your building into your software and make use of it forever and ever!! (Can you tell I love the SMARTboard??)

First, go to a computer in your building that has the SMARTboard software already installed.  Follow the steps...
The "Home/Help & Support/Activate Software" means that you click on the button that looks like a house (called "Welcome Center").  If you can't find it, click on "Edit" and find "Customize Toolbar."  Drag the "Welcome Center" to your toolbar.  Click on it, then find "Help and Support" and click on "Activate Software."  You will find the serial number for the SMARTboard that is connected to that computer. Just write it down and enter it into your software (follow the same steps above).

Now that you have the software, how do you make the best use of it in the classroom?

Using a wireless mouse with a clipboard as your mouse pad allows you to walk around the room and operate the software.

You could also purchase a Wireless Presenter Mouse which is about $50.00 (just Google or go to Best Buy).

Other options are similar software that turn your regular whiteboard into an Interactive Whiteboard!

Now! Board is the newest product on the market.  It is portable projection device that turns any surface into an Interactive Whiteboard.  Cost is about $500.00

Mimio has a wide range of products and have improved since the first one I taught with almost 6 years ago! Very inexpensive compared to SMARTboard or Promethean.

Panasonic Whiteboards has entered the market with their Panaboard. Similar price range as the SMARTboard.

How has your teaching  been changed by Interactive Whiteboards?

Keep checking back for more technology in the music classroom!

Just Getting Started in SMARTboard

If you are new to SMARTboard technology in the Music Classroom, these are the pages in the Beginning workshop lesson that I am teaching on Monday.  You can download the actual file on my wiki page.

http://deetillermusic.wikispaces.com/

Here is the presentation...  it is very basic (how to start using the SMARTboard)

This slide includes links to several examples of SMARTboard lessons.  I will upload those in future blog posts.

I will add the actual links to these items in a future blog post.  You could Google each item...

SMARTboard Workshop

I am super excited about presenting a SMARTboard workshop to my fellow Music Educators here in San Antonio.  I have spent countless hours preparing and can't wait to share!

I will be presenting on very basic beginning steps - how to use the SMARTboard, how to create your own lessons, where to find resources, examples of pages to use in the music classroom.

The Advanced session will cover the Lesson Activity Toolkit that SMARTboard provides and how to create interactive lessons with the pre-made Tools.




For those of you who aren't in the area, I have posted the lessons in SMARTboard format on my wiki page!


Dee Tiller Music Wiki Page







The good news is that I will also be presenting these same sessions on Saturday, March 31st at the Central Texas Orff Technology Workshop at Trinity University here in San Antonio.

CTO Website

TMEA 2012

Wasn't TMEA fabulous this year?  Wow!

I was so excited to meet teachers who are breaking into using more technology in their classrooms!  Welcome!

I especially enjoyed Brent Gault's many sessions with activities to teach classical music.  I was excited to learn that he is working on a publication of his activities.  I have plans to create some SMARTboard lessons with some of his ideas (his permission was granted) and hope that he can make use of SMARTboard technologies in his future presentations!

I just happened to peek in to one of the final sessions as I was leaving... so GLAD I stopped to see what was going on!  I left with fabulous ideas for Music Stations!  Check out their website: www.peonymusic.weebly.com

For those of you who don't have a SMARTboard or Promethean, check out Nowboard available in April 2012 from Music in Motion.  It is only $499.00 and turns any whiteboard into an interactive device.

Music in Motion also has "Music Works" digital files that can be used with any projector or IWB.

A great new resource is Quaver's Marvelous World of Music!  It is a DVD kit with 30 episodes covering music concepts and an interactive website.  Unfortunately, the DVD kit costs $995.00.  But the wonderful news is that the website is free!  It is possible to unlock additional parts of the website for nominal fees.  Well worth checking into!  http://www.quavermusic.com/Default.aspx
Here is a preview on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UfVt5AkD28

And finally, check out "breezin' thru theory" for Music Theory and Composition curriculum that uses the SMARTboard technology.  This is geared for 6-12 grades, but some of you may be interested for your classrooms.  It is only $8 per student.  For htose of you with a private studio or who teach strings, this might be a resource for you!  Check out their website:  http://breezinthrutheory.com/


Oh... I forgot.  ONE HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT:  I have been so thrilled with Vols 1-4 of "SMARTboard Now Activities" by Phyllis Thomas and Debbie Anderson.  And I discovered that they have sold out to Heritage Music Press which changed all the volumes to "Interactive Now" and everything uses Flash technology and doesn't make use of the fantastic capabilities of the SMARTboard or Prometean.  It is still interactive, but not what I was used to and loved.  I spoke with Mike Anderson about this and expressed my sentiments and he agreed. Here is their original website and fabulous products:
http://smartboardnow.com/


There is another resource I'd like to mention that was not at TMEA but has produced IWB activities that are worth checking in to.  http://www.funmusicco.com/interactive-whiteboard-music-lessons/.  They also have a bunch of other things that are worth taking a look at.

I will be featuring some of these products in more detail in future blogs, so keep in touch!

What was your favorite thing about TMEA?