Technology is my passion!

Posts tagged ‘Education’

Music Making with JamStudio

Today I am working on my session for my adult students. The project they will tackle is to create an accompaniment for a familiar song. Because they can bring their personal computer to this class, the range of hardware is usually too extensive to imagine. I’ve decided to focus on cloud-based software for my three sessions so all have equal access to the same software. As some of these adult learners are a bit tentative when it comes to technology, Day 1 will begin with an introduction to JamStudio.com. This intuitive software would be ideal for elementary students to explore harmonic progression and create simple arrangements.

Before we make music, I do want to give the group a quick overview of the easy-to-navigate windows that will become their creative pallet. This software isn’t without limitations but is a great way to start. It is very much like Band-in-a-Box but not nearly as sophisticated. One major limitation is the inability to add multiple chord changes in a measure. Of course, I’m a Band-in-a-Box user from way back and that was not one of the easy to find features in Band-in-a-Box when it first launched! The other limitation is that all songs have to be in meter in 4. There is a meter in 3 button but it says “coming soon.” Let’s hope soon means sooner rather than later.

I wrote to JamStudio.com to find out more about the “All Access Pass.” They use the Freemium model. Currently, I can only access a subset of their sound library. Of course, I can pay $4.95 for a monthly pass or $24.95 for a 6-month pass to get more. According to one of the JamStudio employees, “music teachers can apply for a grant using JamStudio to be able to use this tool [All Access Pass] for their students in their classroom!” I do recommend that teachers contact JamStudio to apply for that grant! In the meantime, I’ll be pulling out my credit card later today.

Some of the amazing things about this program is that students have the ability to create an 8-track arrangement with full control of the sounds for each of these tracks. Chords are relatively easy to enter and with the click of a button many different chord variations are at your fingertips.

Well, I wanted to give you a “peak” into my Sunday planning. I’m also using this blog to step back and “think about” my plans as I explore and learn new tools. I’m creating my handout with “Pages” a new learning experience for this MS Word user! Maybe that’s a topic for later today.

Have a great day!

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Music Technology, Technology

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Apple TV and iPad with Projector

I thought that as I was preparing for my Boone presentation, I would blog about some of my findings. This way the people that attend my session can read more about my process and thinking after the workshop. Also, this might help others as they explore using different technologies in their classrooms.

Problem: I don’t have an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) in my classroom but want to find different ways to engage students. My school budget won’t support my buying an IWB. What are my options?

Solution: There are many ways to engage students without an IWB. One solution that works great includes an Apple TV (ATV); iPad; LCD Projector and this little device from Kanex.

Here is what I did to make this work.

Since my LCD Projector is an older model, it does not have the HDMI port required to connect to an Apple TV. So, I discovered the Kanex ATV Pro. Using an HDMI cable, connect the Apple TV to the Kanex on one side of the device. On the other side, use your VGA cable to connect the Kanex to your LCD Projector. If you want sound, connect an audio device, like a Bose SoundDock, to the Audio port on the Kanex.

Connect your ATV and iPad to the same WiFi network. If you teach, you may need to “beg” your IT people to make this happen. If they say “no”, I have another option in  a later post.

Turn on the ATV and the LCD Projector (in that order). Then fire up your iPad. Remember, Apple has a free App called Remote that will let you control your ATV on your iPad. This is a great way to be sure your ATV settings are correct including that AirPlay is setup on your ATV.

Go to your iPad and be sure to select AirPlay and Mirroring “ON.” If you can’t find these settings, from the main iPad screen , double click the “HOME” button and a tool bar will appear at the bottom of your screen. Swipe the bar to the right to see the AirPlay icon along with controls for audio. Select your device in AirPlay and be sure to turn on Mirroring.

Now like magic, everything from your iPad is projected to the screen. Visit a website or a favorite App and those are also projected. Select an interactive activity via a website or App and pass the iPad around your classroom. Your students will be engaged and interacting without the expense of an IWB.

More to come.

Category:

Music Technology, Technology

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