Music Education Online Resources

2008-12-08T09:37:00.001-08:00

Using the Web in your Classroom

2008-10-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Online Resources

Arts alive: National Arts Center Orchestra www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/
ArtsEdge: Kennedy Center http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org /
BBC GCSE Music www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/

BBC: Making Tracks Games
www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/makingtracks/games.shtml
www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/explore/interact/apps/composer/composer.shtml
www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/explore/interact/apps/sequenza/sequenza.shtml

BBC: World on your Street www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/onyourstreet/index.shtml
Carnegie Hall: Explore and Learn www.carnegiehall.org/article/sound_insights/art_index.html
Classic for kids www.classicsforkids.com
Music Exploratorium www.exploratorium.edu/music/

Music Theory.com | MusicTheory.net
www.emusictheory.com/practice.html | www.musictheory.net/

Norton: Essentials of Music www.essentialsofmusic.com/

PBS: Blues Classroom | Jazz
www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom.html | http://www.pbs.org/jazz/index.htm

San Francisco Symphony: Keeping Score mtt on Music www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows /tchaikovsky4/multimedia/keepingscore.html
San Francisco Symphony Kids http://www.sfskids.org/
SoundJunction www.soundjunction.org/default.aspa
Well tempered clavier http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html

Lists of Links

Squidoo www.squidoo.com/soundtoys/

Audio / Video
Amazon www.amazon.com
Audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Keep Video http://keepvid.com/
Youtube www.youtube.com
iTunes: Podcasts & iTunes U

Resources
TI:ME Technology Institute for Music Educators www.ti-me.org/index.html
iLife http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/search.php?text=music
Music Tech Teacher www.musictechteacher.com/
Lesson Plans: Technology http://www.teachervision.fen.com/music/resource/5363.html

Commonly Used Plug – Ins & Programs
Real Player www.real.com/
Quicktime http://quicktime.com/
Macromedia Shockwave Player www.macromedia.com/downloads/
Windows Media Player www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp
Macromedia Flash Player www.macromedia.com/downloads/

With Interactive Web Pages, Your Students can Play! IMEA 2008

2008-02-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Mishra, J. (2008, January). With interactive webpages, your students can play! 2008 IMEA (Illinois) All-State Conference.

The internet allows teachers access to innumerable educational multimedia materials; allowing students to interact with music and virtual instruments. This session will highlight exemplary interactive webpages, free for classroom use.

Virtual Keyboard www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano/index.htm

Piano Nanny www.pianonanny.com/start.html

SFS Kids www.sfskids.org/

Hop Pop Town: Poppy Street www.kids-space.org/HPT/menu.html

Recorder Fingerings www.musick8.com/rkdojo/rkchart.tpl?cart=12005334696078346

Virtual Drum Machines www.geneffects.com/drum-machine/ www.artopod.com/groovelab/ ababasoft.com/music/drum_machine.html

Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum www.keyboardmuseum.org/

Harry Partch musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html#

Dancedrummer www.dancedrummer.com

BBC3 Making Tracks www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/makingtracks/.shtml

Music Theory.com www.emusictheory.com/practice.html

Music Theory.net www.musictheory.net/

Teoria www.teoria.com/exercises/index.htm

DSO Kids www.dsokids.com/2001/rooms/games.html

Quia www.quia.com/shared/music/

Classics for Kids www.classicsforkids.com/

BBC GCSE Music www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/

Subotnick’s Creating Music www.creatingmusic.com/

NY Philharmonic Kidzone www.nyphilkids.org/main.phtml

Dot Mixer www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/dotmixer/

Beatbox DJ Mixer www.blobprod.com/mixers/beatbox/beatboxmain.asp

BBC Onion Street www.bbc.co.uk/schools/communities/onionstreet/music/index.shtml

Music Maker www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=Music

Music Genome Project – Pandora www.pandora.com/

Carnegie Hall Interactive Explorations www.carnegiehall.org/article/explore_and_learn/art_online_resources_listening_adventures.html

Music Education & Music Psychology Research Journals

2007-08-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

Research journals publish reports of systematic research while pedagogical (or trade) journals focus on opinions and ideas. Even though articles in pedagogical journals may be research-based, the articles published in pedagogical journals do not generally report on research studies. Below is a list of links to the most commonly referenced research journals in music education.

* The website has at least a portion of the journal online (nearly all journals listed below allow for at least limited, if not full, access to the journal online).

Journals are listed in alphabetical order by title.

Action, Criticism, and Theory (ACT) http://act.maydaygroup.org/
Arts Education Policy Review www.heldref.org/aepr.php
Black Music Research Journal http://bmrj.press.uiuc.edu/
Black Perspective in Music
British Journal of Music Education * www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=BME
Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (CRME) www.crme.uiuc.edu/
Contributions to Music Education (CME) cme.webhop.org/
Gender Research in Music Education (GRIME) http://post.queensu.ca/~grime/
International Journal of Research in Choral Singing * www.choralresearch.org/
International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism www.temple.edu/jaac/
Journal of Aesthetic Education www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/jae.html
Journal of Band Research (JBR) * americanbandmasters.org/jbr/
Journal of Historical Research in Music Education (The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education) www.ithaca.edu/music/education/jhrme/
Journal of Music Teacher Education (JMTE) * menc.org/resources/view/menc-journals
Journal of Music Therapy www.musictherapy.org/products/pubs.html
Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME) menc.org/resources/view/menc-journals
Journal of Research in Singing and Applied Vocal Pedagogy
Journal of String Research (JSR) * arts.music.arizona.edu/jsr/jsrhome/index.html
Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education
Music and Arts in Action http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia
Music Education Research * www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14613808.asp
Music Perception http://ucpressjournals.com/journal.asp?j=mp
Music Performance Research http://mpr-online.net/
Music Therapy Perspectives www.musictherapy.org/products/pubs.html
MuSICA: Music & Science Information www.musica.uci.edu/
Musicae Scientiae musicweb.hmt-hannover.de/escom/english/MusicScE/MSstart.htm
Pennsylvania Bulletin of Research in Music Education
Philosophy of Music Education Review (PMER) * inscribe.iupress.org/loi/pme
Piano Pedagogy Forum * www.music.sc.edu/ea/keyboard/PPF/5.1/5.1.PPFke.html
Psychology of Music pom.sagepub.com/
Psychomusicology www.upei.ca/~musicog/psychomusicology/about.html
Research and Issues in Music Education (RIME) * www.stthomas.edu/rimeonline/
Research Perspectives in Music Education (RPME) * www.flmusiced.org/FMEA/RPME/MusicResearch.htm
Research Studies in Music Education (RSME) rsm.sagepub.com/
Southern Music Education Research
Southeastern Journal of Research in Music Education
Texas Music Education Research * www.tmea.org/080_College/Research/index.htm
Update: The Applications of Research in Music Education (Update) * menc.org/resources/view/menc-journals
Visions of Research in Music Education (VRME) * www-usr.rider.edu/~vrme/

Out-of-Print Journals

Dialogue in Instrumental Music Education
Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning

Links current as of 11.17.08.

Online metronomes & Practice Support

2007-08-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Tips & strategies, hints & suggestions, ideas & interesting anecdotes abound on the web (e.g., A Guide to Home Practice http://cnx.org/content/m11883/latest/), but there are a limited number of interactive sites for use by student performers.

PracticeSpot has a number of good features http://www.practicespot.com/freetools.phtml

The Notereading Wizard quizzes students on pitch names - including movable C clefs (good for those cellists & trombonists moving into tenor clef).
For pianists, the Sightreading Genie provides dozens of sightreading examples at 4 difficulty levels. Audio examples of the sightreading examples are available, but separately from the notation. The Sightreading Chef will "cook-up" single-line, treble clef sight reading examples in designated keys.
Scales Chef will "cook-up" a compilation of scales of your choice including major, harmonic minor, & chromatic
Various theory exercises & drills are also available on this site.

Online metronomes
One interactive practice tool abounds on the web - the online metronome. All of the following have the ability to adjust tempi and some include variable click sounds and subdivision options.

Online Metronome http://www.metronomeonline.com/
This metronome also includes an A440 starting pitch.
Online Metronome http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/metronome.php
8Notes Interactive Metronome http://www.8notes.com/metronome/
Studybass.com http://www.studybass.com/tools/online-metronome/

Online Practice Records
Both of the following websites are free, but require registration. Both allow practice records to be emailed to a music teacher.
Online Practice Record http://www.onlinepracticerecord.com/
E-Practice Record http://www.pcdudley.net/jcbband/eprecordinfo.html

Online Tuning
Seventh String Tuner is an online pitch tuner which will assess whether a pitch played into a computer's mic is in tune http://www.seventhstring.com/tuner/tuner.html

Interactive Fingering Charts
Strings
Violin http://www.violinonline.com/interactivefingerboard.htm
Bass http://www.musicked.com/musicked/pages/instruments/orchestral-strings/Double-Bass/Double-Bass-Fingerings.htm

Woodwinds
Recorder http://www.hants.gov.uk/hrs/finger/cfinger.html
Clarinet http://www.gmrdesign.com/clarinet.swf
Flute http://www.gmrdesign.com/clarinet.swf

Wikapedia Warning

2007-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

When searching for information about music - of any genre - it is inevitable that you will get at least one hit for Wikapedia. There is a lot of information on Wikapedia and a lot of it is very good (thoughtful, well-written, accurate, etc.) However, Wikapedia should never be used as a sole source of information and here's the reason why.

Wikapedia entries are constructed by the general public - Note the EDIT button in the upper right hand corner of the entry above on Egyptian music. The person who entered information about Egyptian music may be very knowledgeable about the topic OR only think they are knowledgeable about the topic.

Because there is no guarantee that the person writing the entry is an expert on the topic, all information included should be viewed carefully for accuracy. As a general rule, Wikapedia (or wicked-pedia as some call it) should be used as a starting place for research, but a second source should be found as support.

The other thing to watch is the use of Wikapedia by students in research papers. It is important that students also get support for any information found on Wikapedia and that their research reports are not just a cut-and-paste from the website. One way to check is to enter a complete sentence from a research paper in quotes into Google. If the sentence has been used before - exactly - it will show up on a search.

Support Software

2007-08-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

To fully interact with webpages that offer multimedia (audio, video, interactive components), your web browser must be able to activate additional programs. Most multimedia programs use one or more of the following programs. The frequent use of these programs have made these standard on must computers purchased in the last couple of years, but the programs are free to download.

These programs are frequently updated and newly posted websites may require an update to be fully functional.

Shockwave www.macromedia.com/downloads/
Flashplayer www.macromedia.com/downloads/
Quicktime www.apple.com/quicktime/download.html
Real Player www.real.com/
Windows Media Player www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx
iTunes www.itunes.com
Flash Video Player (for playing saved YouTube videos) www.download.com/FLV-Player/3000-2139_4-10467081.html

Online Interactive Pianos

2007-08-20T22:31:00.001-07:00

There are a number of interactive online piano keyboards. These programs allow the viewer to use a computer mouse or the computer keyboard to "play" the virtual instrument.

Most of these programs are relatively simple and range of the virtual instrument is limited. Sound quality may also be an issue.

SFS Kids Performalator The Performalator, a virtual keyboard for the younger child and is part of the "games" on this SFS kids website. Keys can be activated with the mouse. Includes colored notation for six different songs. www.sfskids.org/

Virtual Keyboard is a virtual synthesizer that allows students to explore the keyboard and synthesized sounds. allows keys to be activated with the mouse. Includes 9 timbres, including piano, and six beat patterns. Allows for limited chord production.
www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/music/piano/index.htm

Jazz: Virtual Piano is part of a more extensive PBS website to accompany Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns. Keys can be activated with the mouse and includes simple keyboard lessons. Works with Beatnik plugin on Netscape.
www.pbs.org/jazz/lounge/lab_virtual_piano.htm

Piano Nanny not only includes a virtual keyboard, but also includes 34 online lessons at 3 different levels (advanced studies are in jazz). An interactive keyboard placed throughout the readings allows students to practice the concept. Includes quizzes. Lessons are translated into multiple languages including Spanish. Piano Nanny is one of the best free, online piano tutorials around. www.pianonanny.com/start.html

Other virtual instruments (there are many, many more out there!)
Java Piano http://www.pianoworld.com/fun/javapiano/javapiano.htm
Interactive Online Piano http://www.apronus.com/music/flashpiano.htm
Vigormusic http://www.vigormusic.com/keyboard.htm
Virtual Piano http://www.pianoladynancy.com/piano/virtual_piano.htm
Flash Piano http://numbera.com/musictheory/piano.aspx

Symphony-Sponsored "games"

2007-08-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Most major symphony orchestras have an educational outreach program which often includes educational concerts and teacher resources, but a few have added an interactive educational component to their websites. Three orchestras deserve mention:

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids

Music trivia, symbol identification, and vocabulary are only some of what’s online at the DSO. Beethoven’s Baseball is an addictive trivia game with clever graphics. The Music room has many resources, including audio, and lesson plans for teachers. www.dsokids.com/2001/rooms/games.html

San Francisco Symphony Kids

The Music Lab and the Instruments of the Orchestra sections on the SFK site targets the younger child, but revolve around learning the elements of music. The Basics section is a notation tutorial, walking the viewer through the parts of a staff. The other options (Tempo, Rhythm, Pitch, Harmony, Symbols, Instrumentation, & Composerizer) allow the viewer to experiment with the elements of music. The Performalator, is a virtual keyboard. Keys can be activated with the mouse and includes colored notation for six different songs. http://www.sfskids.org/templates/musiclab.asp?pageid=4

New York Philharmonic Kids

The music quizzes aren’t interactive on this site, but most of the other activities are. Test knowledge of instrument families in “Instrument Frenzy,” match instruments by picture & sound, or orchestrate Pictures at an Exhibition. Take a virtual tour of the backstage of Avery Fisher Hall, learn about the instruments, and meet important people at the NY Phil. While not necessarily educational “Piccolo Pete” is great fun! http://www.nyphilkids.org/main.phtml?

Eartraining - Theory

2007-08-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few commercially available eartraining programs, but there are a few good programs freely available online. Three are particularly useful as they each include at least a dozen different forms of eartraining for students with multiple ability levels:

Music Theory.com Includes interactive theory lessons on both keyboard & guitar and eartraining drills. Practice hearing and constructing intervals, chords and scales. Also practice reading notes, rhythms & cadences. Interactive exercises on guitar as well as on a piano keyboard. Optional fee for subscribing which includes gradebook. www.emusictheory.com/practice.html

Music Theory.net Investigate the basic elements of musical composition such as scales, rhythm, and meter through these dynamic, online lessons. When you have the basics, you’re ready to begin analyzing musical chords and cadences. Let the computer quiz you on everything from note names to hearing chords by choosing the TRAINERS link. www.musictheory.net/

Teoria Though not the most visually attractive site, the tutorials and eartraining exercises on this site are in both English & Spanish. Tutorials on reading music, intervals, scales, chords, and forms are followed by exercises. Additional exercises on rhythmic dictation and jazz theory. http://www.teoria.com/exercises/index.htm

DanceDrummer.com

2007-08-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Most websites I advocate are endorsed or created by an organization, both because of the quality of the websites, but also because the information included on the site is more likely to be accurate.

Dancedrummer (www.dancedrummer.com) is an exception. Created by Kevin O'Sullivan, this site focuses on Anlo-Ewe (Ghanaian) drumming enembles. His site includes information about the culture including video.

What I like best is his use of interactive media which allow the students to use the computer mouse to play 6 different instruments ("Virtual Drum Museum") and includes a model consisting of video of performer and notation, of what to play ("Traditional Rhythms"). I can visualize a computer lab transformed into an African drumming ensemble with very little effort!

"The Kogiri" section continues the the student interaction allowing students to play a traditional African xylophone, with the characteristic buzzing sound, using the computer mouse.

YouTube for Music Education

2007-08-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

There are millions of videos on YouTube (www.youtube.com) and a surprising number can be used for educational purposes.

Many musicians have posted videos of performances - and some performers are even quite good! Professional performers are also represented on YouTube. One of my favorite videos is of violinist Gilles Apap playing the cadenza of Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3, III mvmt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmjGDBWZZFw

Historical performances are also well represented including those by Sviatoslav Richter, Dmitri Shostakovich, Herbert von Karajan and many, many others. Also posted are scenes from operas and ballet (search for each by title) and marching band shows.

Searching for specific artists or pieces is the best tactic. A search for "Yo-Yo Ma" resulted in 225 hits which included concert performances, recorded performances, and interviews. A search for the "Erlkonig+Schubert" resulted in 19 hits which included recital performances, arrangements of the piece for orchestra as well as for unaccompanied violin, as well as interesting music videos depicting scenes from the Erlkonig poem.

Videos of master classes can also be found including ones by Itzhak Perlman, Teresa Berganza, James Galway, and Jorge Bolet and a search for "music lecture" will net videos including full length classroom lectures and conference presentations.

World music is also well represented on YouTube. Even musically uneducated travelers may capture valuable video footage during their tours, even if not aware of the musical significance. Music teachers can use these video travel-logs to show - as well as hear - performances from places such as Java and Africa.

There are plenty of gems posted on YouTube. If you find a video you would like to show to your students, there is a way of saving the video either through a web-based converter or a browser plug-in. I use Video Downloader which works with my Mozilla Firefox browser which saves the file as a Flash Video (flv). Other options are:

YouTubeX (web site app)
MyVideoDownloader (downloads and converts videos from many sites, not just YouTube)
KissYouTube (web site app)
YouTubia (web site app)
KeepVid (web site app)
Video Downloader (Firefox plug-in)
YouTube FLV Grabba! (JavaScript Bookmark)
YouTube to Me (add on script for the Firefox GreaseMonkey plug-in)
Ripzor (web site app)
YouTubeGetter (Internet Explorer PC exe)
Vixy (web site app)

In September, 2007, YouTube is scheduled to begin filtering out copyrighted videos. This will affect some of the musical performances posted on YouTube, but there are plenty of musical performances posted on YouTube that are not under copyright and will remain for your entertainment and education.

BBC Onion Street - Mixers

2007-08-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Another gem from the folks at the BBC. These pre-programed mixers allow students to combine different motives to create an authentic-sounding piece of music in various styles (African, Celtic, Cuban, Oriental, Spanish, or Jazz). Each mixer has six loops that can be turned on or off to control the music. Making music is easy!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/communities/onionstreet/music/index.shtm
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Other mixers
Dot Mixer http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/dotmixer/index.html
Found Percussion Mixer http://www.omnicircus.com/music/mack.html
Coca-Cola http://www.musicmixer.coca-cola.com/mm/MusicMixer.jsp
Bobby McFerin Happy Mixer http://www.bobbymcferrin.com/dwbh_loader.html
BBC 6 Mixer http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/fun/sixmixer/
BBC 1 Mixer http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/studio/mixer.shtml
BBC Virtual Studio http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/studio/mixer.shtml
Mixer http://www.zefrank.com/sequencer/index.html
Room 108 Mixer http://www.tldsb.on.ca/Schools/GrandviewPS/Room_108/musicmixer/musicmixer1.html
Beatbox DJ Mixer http://www.blobprod.com/mixers/beatbox/beatboxmain.asp

BBC Making Tracks

2007-08-19T09:48:00.000-07:00