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music education

"To clap or not to clap….. "(the conversation continues)

Before my students perform their compositions in class we always have a conversation about clapping and how the etiquette for clapping is different depending on the musical and social situation. (We also have many conversations on audience etiquette in general including the importance of turning off cell phones when going to concerts — well at least in most situations other than this or more commonly this.) We talk about, for example, how a rock concert has a different set of… Read More »"To clap or not to clap….. "(the conversation continues)

Copyright in (and out) of the classroom……

The issue of copyright came up in class today as it does very often. While I was explaining to a 7th grade general music class how we could apply what we have been learning about pitch, tone color, harmony, melody and rhythm by creating music in FLstudio, a student who had already downloaded the demo version at his house told me he ” inserted the voice of the Southpark character Mr. Garrison into the music” he made at home. I… Read More »Copyright in (and out) of the classroom……

Catalysts & Connections – A Music Education Web Mixtape

Track 1: An interesting perspective to reference the next time you’re having a discussion about jazz and hip hop music in your classroom Track 2: A post on being able to download free performances of Bach by the BBC Track 3: The free open source recording and audio editing software, Audacity, was recently upgraded and has many new features! Track 4: A new blog will be monitoring the aftermath of the SONY DRM fiasco Track 5: The MENC open Band… Read More »Catalysts & Connections – A Music Education Web Mixtape

The development of a student's "voice"…..

While listening to readings this evening from the new book “Letters From Young Activists: Today’s Rebels Speak Out” I was inspired by the idea that young people were given an opportunity for their voices to be heard. By providing a space for young people to give voice to their passions, perspectives and self reflections the book acted as a catalyst for further dialogue and possibly even a model for involving young people in important discussions in a very meaningful way.… Read More »The development of a student's "voice"…..