tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61408076728394617342024-03-13T15:21:48.398-05:00The Music Mish MashA mish mash of technology thoughts for the elementary music classroom.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-82916650006174586962013-08-14T09:48:00.001-05:002013-08-14T09:56:41.577-05:00JoyTunes Recorder Express Game<p> Obviously this blog has been dormant for a while. Last year I was teaching two technology classes in addition to my music classes. It was a lot more work than I expected! It was fun, but the extra teaching responsibilities ate up my blogging time. This year, I am not teaching tech because it doesn't fit in my schedule. So....I'm back. Thanks to fellow blogger Christopher Russell of the <a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" title="Tech in Music Ed">Tech in Music Ed Blog</a>, I've also discovered <a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank" title="Blogsy App">Blogsy</a> for posting to the blog from a mobile device. That is making blogging so much easier!</p>
<p>This summer I've been thinking about new ways to incorporate technology into my lessons. I've been using SmartMusic with my recorder players. They have the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recorder-Express-Artie-Almeida/dp/0757908713/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1376488379&sr=8-2&keywords=Recorder+express+game" target="_blank" title="Recorder Express book">Recorder Express</a> book I love. I'm not really wanting to pay for the SmartMusic subscription this year though. I found another tech source that utilizes Recorder Express. It's an online game where kids play their recorder to activate the game. Here a short intro video about it.</p>
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<p>Students create an account and have access to the first nine pages for free. After that they can purchase additional pages. The entire <a href="http://www.westmusic.com/p/recorder-express-game-code.htm" target="_blank" title="">Recorder Express Game</a> can also be purchased at West Music or other music stores for $14.99.</p>
<p>The really cool part about this is that students can connect their accounts to your account and you can get reports about how much time students have been practicing while playing the game. I plan to award special badges in <a href="http://edmodo.com" target="_blank" title="Edmodo">Edmodo</a> for students who play the game outside of the school day. I'll post more about other ways I'm using Edmodo in another post.</p>
<p>If you want to create a free teacher account to see more about the Recorder Express game, you can go to the <a href="http://joytunes.com/teachers.php?tok=bjahn@isd2190.org" target="_blank" title="JoyTunes Teacher Link">JoyTunes website</a>. Using this link will help my students gain access to additional music in the game.<br>
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<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-68187311226946718922012-07-05T11:06:00.001-05:002012-07-05T11:06:46.651-05:00Treble Cat HD 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/treble-cat-hd-1/id513764898?mt=8" target="_blank">Treble Cat HD 1</a> is a free app which allows students to practice quick recognition of notes on the treble staff. Notes move across the staff and the user is asked to touch every C in 60 seconds. In this level, all pitches are labeled. The next level asks you to touch the Cs and Ds in the 60 second time limit. In this level, the Cs are no longer labeled, but the other pitches are. The labels are present until each note has been introduced. Once that pitch has been introduced, the labels disappear for that pitch. The settings allow you to choose if you would like letter labels or solfege labels. It also allows you to choose the speed of the game.<br />
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I can see some value in this game for increasing the speed in which students recognize notes. At this point, the app makes a positive chiming sound when you touch a correct pitch. I wish it would actually play the pitch you touch, a C plays when you touch a C, etc. Perhaps that is something the developers will address in a future update. <br />
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There is an in-app purchase which allows the user to upgrade to the full game for $2.99. I have not upgraded at this point and have not evaluated the paid version of the game. If you are allowing students to use your iPad, please be sure you have turned off in-app purchases in settings.<br />
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I mentioned another drill-and-practice note recognition app, <a href="http://music-mish-mash.blogspot.com/2011/09/flashnote-derby-ipad-app.html" target="_blank">Flashnote Derby</a>, last September. This app is a better choice if you wish to limit the pitches in which you want students to focus.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-33219643211205430892012-07-03T07:44:00.001-05:002012-07-03T07:44:56.321-05:00Mozart by Radio Classique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mozart-radio-classique/id489136342?mt=8" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Mozart by Radio Classique</a><span style="background-color: white;"> is another app I grabbed when it was free for a day. Right now it is listed at $3.99. There are three different sections of the app:</span><br />
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Story - This is a narrated and slightly animated story of Mozart's life. You have the option to look at the text as it is being read to you, but you need to pull down a tab on each page to do that and it does cover up part of the illustration. The information is good, but the narration bothers me. It is very stilted, robot-like as if it is being read by a computer and not a recording of someone. There are some things that are pronounced strangely (27th sounds like twenty-thevents). If I were using this in the classroom, I would mute it and read it myself, which means you don't get the nice Mozart background music, but it's better than the irritating narration<br />
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Works - There are excerpts of The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute (2), Requiem (2), Ah vous dirai-je maman, Symphony 38, 3rd mvt, Clarinet Concerto, and Abduction from Seraglio. Having these excerpts at your finger tips may be worth the price of the app since you could not purchase all of those on iTunes for less than $3.99.<br />
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Games - This contains a multiple choice quiz based on the information in the story, instrument cards to which you match the correct sound of the instrument, a Where's Waldo-esque game of searching for specific items in a picture., and game called Notes which is like the old game Simon where you watch and listen to notes that are illuminated and then play them back in the same order. O<span style="background-color: white;">ne thing I noticed about the instrument cards game is that the tuba is called the bass horn. I think this app may have been developed in France and instruments may have different names there.</span><br />
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The developers of this app have also created an app about Beethoven.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-26181524429513013802012-07-02T08:18:00.000-05:002012-07-02T08:18:36.523-05:00Little Fox Music BoxI downloaded <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/little-fox-music-box-kids/id499541243?mt=8" target="_blank">Little Fox Music Box</a> just the other day because it was Apple's Free App of the Week. It's a very nice looking app. There are three songs (London Bridge, Evening Song, and Old MacDonald). There is an option to have the song sung along with the text or to sing karaoke-style where the words are highlighted in time with the music, but the user needs to provide the singing. There is also an area called Fox Studio which has "found sounds" such as bottles, teapots, spoons, etc. for the user to use to create music. I see limited use for this app in the classroom unless you teach preschoolers, but I know my preschoolers at home will love it, so it will keep it's place on the iPad.<br />
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-84554523459976656382012-07-02T08:05:00.000-05:002012-07-02T08:05:25.850-05:00iPad Apps Out-of-ControlI have a problem and may need an intervention. I have a LOT of random apps on my iPad and no idea what they do or how they work. The problem is because I learn of an app that has a reduced price or is free for a limited time and I immediately download it regardless of whether I have time to explore it or not. The result is a crazy amount of apps that are never used. I need to start going through them and figuring out which ones are useable and which are not. I'll use this blog to post about the ones I have that are music related. I'll start with Little Fox in the next post.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-12004559927213144022012-07-02T07:53:00.000-05:002012-07-02T07:53:01.195-05:00Guest Post on FreeTech4Teachers.comGood morning. Yesterday I had a <a href="http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/07/one-music-class-one-ipad-now-what.html" target="_blank">post</a> published on <a href="http://freetech4teachers.com/">FreeTech4Teachers.com</a> about the use of a single iPad in the music classroom. Welcome to those of you who have found this blog due to that post. This blog has been semi-dormant in the last few months partially due to the chaos of the end of the school year and to the start of summer vacation. I hope to be a little more diligent in posting now. I will be posting about some music-related iPad apps in the near future. Stay tuned...Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-81671027169236386382012-04-10T16:05:00.003-05:002012-04-10T16:05:46.468-05:00Butterscotch.comWhat a goldmine! Have you looked at the tutorials on <a href="http://butterscotch.com/">Butterscotch.com</a>? I'm planning an iPad GarageBand project with my 5th graders at the end of the month, so I am using the tutorial for GarageBand for the iPad to help me plan it out. It's superb. It's 40 minutes long, but broken into eleven parts so you can watch a little at a time (and skip the parts you aren't interested in). I highly encourage you to check it out.<br />
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-62587787429427933622012-02-19T14:55:00.001-06:002012-02-19T14:59:42.736-06:00Apps for Beat Keeping PracticeI've recently discovered two apps through the <a href="https://www.musick8.com/html/list.php" target="_blank">Music K-8 Mailing List</a>. Both of the apps are games that require the player to be able to keep a steady beat.<br />
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The first app is a free app called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-gina-the-giraffe/id402688503?mt=8" target="_blank">Talking Gina</a>. Talking Gina features a giraffe who plays hand clapping games. I find the name of the app interesting because I've played five levels and I have yet to hear Gina talk. If you "clap" her hooves at the appropriate times, the area you hit turns green. If you are early or late, it turns red. Gina is very particular. If you miss, you don't pass the level. I can see that it may be frustrating for some students for that reason. The other aspect of the game is that you need to care for Gina. She needs to be fed, watered, and loved. Kids probably like that portion of the game, but it annoys me. I also don't like that there are in-app purchases available. Be sure you have disabled in-app purchases in your General Settings.<br />
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Pros: Practice keeping the beat, sharpens reflexes, kids will enjoy it<br />
Cons: In-App purchases, having to care for Gina beyond playing the clapping games, some kids will get frustrated easily<br />
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The second app is called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beat-sneak-bandit/id473689550?mt=8" target="_blank">Beat Sneak Bandit</a>. The app costs $2.99. All the clocks in town have been stolen and the Beat Sneak Bandit needs to retrieve them. The character will only move if you are tapping the screen to the beat of the game music. I've played a couple of levels and I think upper elementary students will really like this one. As you progress through the levels, there are various obstacles to avoid such as spotlights and security guards. If you get stuck on a level, you have the option to skip it and come back later. I like that option since there are some students who will get frustrated otherwise. My only complaint about the app is that the music I heard in the first few levels was pretty much the same. I would have loved to have some tempo changes periodically.<br />
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Pros: Practice keeping the beat, problem-solving skills, kids can skip levels if they are stuck<br />
Cons: No tempo changes, cost<br />
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I don't plan to spend any real amount of time in the classroom with these apps. I will introduce the kids to them so they know about them. If they are interested, they can download them on their devices at home. I will also load them on to our iPad labs so that students who have free time in their classrooms can explore them.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-6867130273368767642012-02-12T19:23:00.003-06:002012-02-12T19:23:57.194-06:00Creating Apps for the iPadI can never find exactly the right app to meet my needs. It seems like I am always looking for something that doesn't exist. Am I the only one? I'd really love to be able to create my own iPad apps, but I lack the coding know-how. <br />
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I've been researching this a bit and recently discovered an app called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/codea/id439571171?mt=8" target="_blank">Codea</a>. I've resisted buying it because it is $7.99 and I'm not sure if it will be useful to me or not. I bit the bullet and bought it yesterday. I haven't had a lot of time to delve into it, but I have discovered thy there are tutorials and examples within the app. <br />
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The app looks promising if I can figure out the Lua coding. There is one large drawback: You cannot submit an app made with Codea to the iTunes App Store...yet. Supposedly the ability to do so is coming. I really hope so.<br />
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Stay tuned for more info as I play with this app and figure it out a bit.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-10309392090424031692012-02-03T09:58:00.004-06:002012-02-03T09:58:49.171-06:00Apple TVI recently acquired an <a href="http://www.apple.com/appletv/" target="_blank">Apple TV</a>. The name is slightly misleading because it is not a TV at all. It's a little black box that allows you to stream content to your TV (like Netflix, iTunes videos, etc.). The cost of Apple TV is $99 and you need an HDMI capable projector in order to use it. My main reason for trying Apple TV is that you are supposed to be able to use it to wirelessly mirror your iPad2. I just got it hooked up. It does work, but I am noticing a significant lag. This must be due to some issue on my end because if everyone experienced this lag, there would be no way to watch a video or play a game. So...the trouble shooting begins. If anyone out there has experience with Apple TV and the iPad, I'd love to hear from you.<br />
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-25538836722612929842012-01-14T14:42:00.003-06:002012-01-14T14:44:24.057-06:00DoReMi 1-2-3 iPad AppI learned of this app from Dr. Christopher Russell's blog, <a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Technology in Music Education</a>. Dr. Russell did a very comprehensive review of <a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/doremi-1-2-3-a-review/" target="_blank">DoReMi 1-2-3</a> and there isn't anything additional I can add, so I encourage you to read his review to see if the app may be of use to you in your classroom.<br />
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-83839392222082292252012-01-05T17:38:00.002-06:002012-01-05T17:42:38.838-06:00iTunes Match ContinuedOh my goodness, this was a long process. It turns out that it is probably more of an issue with my home internet though. After completing Step 2, there was something like 8000 songs in my library that iTunes was not able to match in their store. That means the rest of the library needed to be uploaded. I expected this process to take a while, but not nearly as long as it actually did. Songs were uploading at a rate of about 100 songs an hour. I think that the computer went into hibernation mode the first night it was working on it, so it quit working during the night. I was nervous about unhooking the external hard drive (that houses my iTunes library) so that I could pack up the laptop and take it to school the next morning. I was afraid I might have to start the whole process again. I decided to bite the bullet and do it though.<br />
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The bad news is that I discovered the wireless Internet access in my classroom was not working. Which meant I was at a complete stand still until I got home that evening. So I went home and started it up again. It does need to go through Steps 1 and 2 every time you re-connect. However, it goes much faster than the initial time. It also will continue where it left off for Step 3. The bad news is that I was back to the same snail's pace for uploading. I did turn off the hibernation option for the laptop so that it could work all night long.<br />
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That brings us to this morning. I unhooked everything and packed up for school. The wireless internet was working again. And....I was able to upload the remaining 5000+ songs in about 3 hours. Hooray! I also started the process on my school computer which has a separate iTunes library, so I will be able to combine the two. When I opened up iTunes Match on the school computer, it appeared that I would need to pay the $25 again. I was a little nervous that I would be charged again, but it asked for my Apple ID and password and then gave me a message that I had already subscribed. Because there are a lot of duplicate songs between my two libraries, I expect adding the school computer will be much faster (especially considering the upload speed at school compared to my house).<br />
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I have now activated iTunes Match on my iPhone and iPad, plus my school desktop computer and my school laptop. This combined the two iTunes libraries I had. I'm really hoping this will make lesson planning easier since I can access any of my songs from any school device I am using. I'll try to update again after I've had a chance to try things out and see how they are working.<br />
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Oh...the reason there are fewer songs available in iTunes Match than in my original library is because some of the "songs" in my iTunes are really voice memos, which can't be uploaded to iCloud.</div>
<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-78641073597171572872012-01-02T19:46:00.004-06:002012-01-02T19:47:25.243-06:00iTunes Match: Setting UpCurrently, I have my school iTunes library on an external hard drive that I carry back and forth between school and home. It works, but it's kind of a pain to be sure I have it with me all the time. I have it backed up in two other places just in case it gets lost. I've been considering <a href="http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4914" target="_blank">iTunes Match</a> since I first learned about it a couple of months ago. Today I decided to give it a try. I'm sure most of you have an extensive library as I do. Currently I have 9516 songs (and I know I'm missing A LOT of my Music K-8 songs that still need to be imported). I was wondering how long this process would take and it is proving to be lengthy. I started at about 4:30 this afternoon. About an hour later, I checked the process and discovered that it was stuck on Step 2 at about a third of the way through. I clicked stop and restart and it seemed to solve the problem. By 7:30, it had completed Step 2 and found only 1556 matches in the iTunes store. That means it needs to upload all the rest of my 8034 songs to "the cloud." I really hope the process is complete by the time I wake up tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-6904974942385121772012-01-02T11:35:00.002-06:002012-01-02T11:42:40.953-06:00Note Squish<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8853881643153727"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/note-squish/id381536270?mt=8" target="_blank">Note Squish</a> This is a c</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ute drill and practice app for note names. The cost is $0.99 for iphone (but it can be enlarged for iPad). It's kind of like Whack-a-Mole. You can choose the clef (treble, bass, C-Clef), range of notes used, speed, and letters or solfege. The object is to whack the mole with the correct note name on it. You can whack the other animals that appear for bonus points.</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></div>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-84304462176486466202011-12-31T12:22:00.004-06:002011-12-31T12:26:11.369-06:00A Mish Mash of iPad AppsIt is really hard to find time to blog. I've found some fun apps, but just haven't written about them here. I have done a little on my classroom blog, so I think I will recycle a few of those posts here so you can see what we've been up to.<br />
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The iBand - I'm sure you've all seen the viral Christmas You Tube from North Point's iBand. <a href="http://musicatbre.blogspot.com/2011/12/ipad-and-iphone-music.html" target="_blank">Here is a post</a> I wrote about the apps used in that video. One of these days I'm going to write a child-friendly arrangement for iPads, but again, time is an issue.<br />
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<a href="http://musicatbre.blogspot.com/2011/12/vidrhythm.html" target="_blank">VidRhythm</a> - This app is fun. I can't really see much educational value in it, but the kids love it. It makes a great motivator for those last couple of minutes of class if you've accomplished your learning objectives for the class period.<br />
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dr.-seuss-band/id474940131?mt=8" target="_blank">Dr. Seuss Band</a> - I found this app earlier in the month, but I really haven't had a chance to play with it. It was one of the "New and Noteworthy" apps in the iTunes App Store, so I downloaded it to look at later. It's $0.99. I did find a <a href="http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/12/quickadvice-drseussband" target="_blank">review</a> of it at <a href="http://appadvice.com/">Appadvice.com</a>.<br />
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I'm doing some app research today, so if I find anything exciting, I'll try to post. I'm on the look-out for a good primary app that K/1 kids would be able to use independently when I check out the iPad lab for them. So far, I've only found apps that work in whole group situations with them. I'd love to hear suggestions if anyone out there has some.<br />
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I'm always open to hearing about how others are using iPads in the elementary music room. If you have something to share, please send me an <a href="mailto:bjahn@isd2190.org" target="_blank">email</a> or comment on one of the blog posts.<br />
<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-36242782872738714322011-12-04T14:02:00.001-06:002012-01-02T11:43:19.999-06:00The Nutcracker Musical Storybook for iPadI haven't posted in a long time. I have plenty of ideas for posts, but a real lack of time to do the writing. I'm sure you understand what I mean.<br />
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I don't have a good, kid-appropriate Nutcracker story book, so I went looking at iPad Apps. I found one I think will work for $2.99 (cheaper than buying a book) called <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-nutcracker-musical-storybook/id479780161?mt=8" target="_blank">The Nutcracker Musical Storybook</a>. It has nice illustrations that are slightly animated. It plays excerpts of Tchaikovsky's music at the appropriate times in the story. The <a href="http://www.mousekingmedia.com/" target="_blank">website</a> for the app has a trailer that gives a good idea of what the app is like. It's not very interactive, more like a movie. It takes about 25 minutes to get through the whole thing, so I plan to break it into shorter bits for the kids. I like that the title screen has a Christmas Tree with numbered ornaments that are like bookmarks in the story so that you can do a little at a time and come back to that spot. There is no narration for this app, which I think is slightly odd, but I plan to read it to the kids anyway. You can choose to run the app as a movie or swipe to turn the pages as you would an ebook.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title Screen of The Nutcracker Musical Storybook</td></tr>
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<br />Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-20889699633789380042011-10-02T20:28:00.000-05:002011-10-02T20:28:02.921-05:00The VGA Switch - iPad and Computer connected to same projectorI have an iPad 2 which can be connected to a projector. But my computer is connected to the projector all the time because I use the SMARTboard for every lesson. I wanted to be able to connect the iPad to the projector easily without having to unplug things all the time. I thought, "It would be really great if I could just flip a switch between the two." Well, guess what? Such a beast exists. It's called a VGA Switch Selector Box. There are quite a few to choose from and I went with cheap. I paid less than $9 for it. That may not have been the best choice, but I didn't want to spend a bunch of money to find out it wasn't going to do what I thought it would. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DTZQFY">This</a> is the one I got. I also got a headphone splitter so that I can have the iPad and my computer hooked to my sound system at the same time.<br />
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The first time I plugged everything in and switched between the two, I was so excited. It worked great. I used it for my classes that very day. Then I came back the next day and was slightly disappointed. When I hooked it up the first time, my computer was already booted up and ready to go for the day. When I booted up my computer the next day with the VGA selector box already plugged into everything, it seriously messed up the resolution on my computer. I unplugged everything, plugged my computer back into the projector directly and rebooted. The resolution was fine again. I re-plugged everything into the VGA selector and it worked great for the rest of the day. So this means that I have to have everything unplugged before booting the computer for the day and then plug everything in. That's a big pain. It sort of defeats the purpose of why I bought the thing. However, it does make things quick during classes when I have it set up in advance.<br />
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I'm unsure if my problems could have been avoided by investing in one of the more expensive units. I'm still playing with it to see if I can make it work with fewer set-up steps. I use a Mac and you can set up a display control in your toolbar to quickly switch between resolutions. That's the next thing I'll try when I have time to play with all the different resolutions to find out what I need.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-14046279254806414912011-10-02T19:40:00.000-05:002011-10-02T19:40:15.038-05:00Planbook.comI've had several post ideas floating around in my head for weeks, but I just haven't had time to post them. I don't know why this school year feels even busier than past years. I've been meaning to write this post for several weeks.<br />
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I'm using an online lesson plan site for my lesson plans this year. It's called <a href="http://planbook.com./">Planbook.com.</a> When I signed up last year, it was free. Now there is a $9.95 yearly charge. There is a 30-day trial period if you want to try it out first.<br />
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I'm impressed with the service because it even works with my completely messed up schedule. My 2nd and 3rd graders come for 50 minutes on a three day rotation. I see my K/1 kids for 25 minutes two times in a three day rotation (some classes on days 1 and 2, some on days 2 and 3, and some on days 1 and 3). I was amazed that I can make that work in Planbook. The only think I couldn't figure out was how to incorporate my 4th and 5th graders five day rotation. My solution to that is that I have two separate Planbook accounts.<br />
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Planbook even has music standards for most states so that you can mark which standards you are working on in each lesson. It has the ability to deal with snow days and classes missed for whatever other reason. It is really very flexible. I really like that I can access it from any computer that has internet access.<br />
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There are a lot of other features I haven't mentioned here, but I encourage you to check out the site. I am in a beta testing group for an iPad app as well. I'm unsure when the app will be available.<br />
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Here's a screen shot:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wjr5GfsgkVQ/TokD9P0WrJI/AAAAAAAAAEA/K_fYIOHn1m4/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-02+at+7.37.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wjr5GfsgkVQ/TokD9P0WrJI/AAAAAAAAAEA/K_fYIOHn1m4/s640/Screen+shot+2011-10-02+at+7.37.15+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-47476333214359095862011-10-02T19:16:00.002-05:002011-10-02T19:24:39.615-05:00Isle of Tune iPad App soon availableGood news! The iPad version of <a href="http://isleoftune.com/">Isle of Tune</a> will be available on Oct. 6. The cost will be $2.99. I'm really looking forward to having my students use this app for composition. They will love it!<br />
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Here's a sneak peek from You Tube that was posted back in March.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SjlPOoQdtPY" width="560"></iframe>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-42919546769355391922011-09-19T08:18:00.000-05:002011-09-19T08:18:14.731-05:00Staff Wars Version 2.2Oh.My.Goodness. This is so cool. I just downloaded <a href="http://www.themusicinteractive.com/TMI/The_Music_Interactive_-_Classroom_Apps.html">Staff Wars Version 2.2</a> and it is unbelievable! You have to play the correct note on your instrument in order to get the point. It listens to you! It's like the super simplified version of Smart Music. I can't wait to use this with my 4th and 5ths on recorder. I definitely still like Version 1.2, but the newest version adds a whole new dimension. Enjoy!Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-56500955519811776772011-09-18T14:04:00.001-05:002011-09-18T14:15:03.673-05:00Staff WarsMy students really enjoy a free drill and practice game for note names called <a href="http://www.themusicinteractive.com/TMI/The_Music_Interactive_-_Classroom_Apps.html">Staff Wars</a>. I divide the class into teams and we play the game using the SMARTboard. It could also be used in a computer lab situation and since it's free, parents could download it at home for their children. You do need to create an account to be able to download the games though. There are other free games on the site, but I have not had time to explore them.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Update: I am using version 1.2 of Staff Wars with my students. I see there is now a newer version as well. I am not familiar with the new version, but hope to check it out soon and give you a report.</div>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-10179929108084388292011-09-10T08:11:00.001-05:002011-09-10T08:14:26.319-05:005 Little MonkeysI use the 5 Little Monkeys finger play as an activity to reinforce pulse and high and low voices (as do many music teachers). If you also like to incorporate literature into your classroom, you might like to know that the storybook app for <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/five-little-monkeys-jumping/id418019881?mt=8">5 Little Monkeys</a> is on sale in the iTunes app store for 99 cents through tomorrow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mVooF9crXfY/Tmtiqt0mvTI/AAAAAAAAADM/d6mXw67s4pM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-09-10+at+8.13.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mVooF9crXfY/Tmtiqt0mvTI/AAAAAAAAADM/d6mXw67s4pM/s320/Screen+shot+2011-09-10+at+8.13.45+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-89019480179211923622011-09-09T20:56:00.001-05:002011-09-09T21:15:37.599-05:00Here We Go! The start of the school year and WBTWhew! We're done with the first week of school. Are you all as tired as I am? Those first week weeks with Kindergartners just about does me in. It was a good week though. I'm excited about this year.<br />
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We got information about PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) last week. For the first quarter, the whole staff will be studying topics in reading. While I know how important reading is, it does not help me improve myself in the teaching of music. I started thinking that I would rather start learning about a topic that has recently been widely discussed on the Music K-8 Listserv: Whole Brain Teaching. I know nothing about it, but quite a few music teachers on The List are using it and have good things to say about it. I emailed my principal and asked if the phy ed teacher, the art teacher, and I could create our own PLC to explore WBT (whole brain teaching). She said yes! Woo hoo! I am very excited about this.<br />
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I have had no time to really pursue this (we haven't started PLCs yet), but I've gathered just a tiny bit of information on The List. I promptly went to the <a href="http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/">Whole Brain Teaching</a> website and registered. There are several ebooks available for download there. There are also a lot of You Tube videos on the topic.<br />
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I'll post more about this when I've had a chance to learn more and try some of it in my classroom.Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-72053249127038413742011-09-04T10:55:00.000-05:002011-09-04T10:55:34.477-05:00Flashnote Derby iPad AppI learned about this app from the <a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/">Technology in Music Education</a> blog (great blog, by the way). You can read Mr. Russell's summation of the app on his blog <a href="http://techinmusiced.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/flashnote-derby-ipad-app/">here</a>. The app is <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527?mt=8">Flashnote Derby</a> which is a drill and practice app for note names. It costs 99 cents. There are several of these kinds of apps out there, but this one sets itself apart in a couple of different ways.<br />
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1. The app allows you to pick which notes you want to drill. You can pick treble clef, bass clef, both or you can even more specific and just drill line notes or space notes.<br />
2. After the game is complete, you have the option to go back and review the notes you missed.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be using this app as soon as school starts next week.</div><br />
Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6140807672839461734.post-27948573000857704092011-08-27T15:32:00.001-05:002011-08-27T18:44:58.122-05:00PowerPoint Picture BooksThis is related to my previous post. I happened upon a <a href="http://www.vendio.com/stores/brightideasolutions/">site of picture books</a> in PowerPoint format. Most range in price from $1-2. I'm not really sure how this is legal, but there are some good books on the site.<br />
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Update: I just received email from the company that offers these powerpoints. They have permission to create/sell a certain number of powerpoints for each title. That's why some books are listed as unavailable. They have to request permission to make more copies. I'm relieved to hear that they are going through the proper channels to do this.<br />
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Mrs. Jahnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08434203604894386257noreply@blogger.com0