Apps I can use in my Elementary Music Classroom

At the 2018 CMEA Bay Section Winter Conference I presented a couple of sessions around music and technology, along with colleagues here in the Bay Area. A subject that I feel is somewhat less represented in our community are Apps that Elementary music teachers can use in their classrooms with their students.

So… why not do some digging and offer a conference session that: a) curates a list of Apps to share/offer and b) share the google slides with attendees so they can contribute to the list.

Here is the slide deck from the session, that as of this posting, attendees are continually adding and sharing what they find and use with their students. Need more ideas? Head down to slide 9 for links and a neat way to find ideas on Instagram!

A former student still teaching at my Conference Sessions

At one of my first Music Education Conference Sessions, I wanted to espouse the benefits of a really cool, new web 2.0 piece of software called Noteflight as a cost effective alternative to Finale and/or Sibelius. At that time, I had already implemented and was using with my students and thought: why not have my students share their experiences using the software with the session attendees?

Carlo Izzo ’12 was game! He made this video and successfully supplied the ingredients for me to use at my session(s) on Innovative Technology Strategies for Music Educators. Fast forward to my work in 2018, as well as countless upgrades to Noteflight later, Carlo’s message of ease, practicality, and resourcefulness still resonates with audiences. And, isn’t it an amazing idea when we cultivate a learning community with our students?

The Search for Meaning in the Choral Festival

How do we create an environment of intrinsic motivation in an activity that promises an extrinsic reward? In my second article for Tempo, I share some of my thoughts and conversations with both students and colleagues over the years.

In the post The Music Festival on this blog are actual Score Sheets, Recordings and Student Observations from the choral festival I referenced in the article below.

Tempo – Vlm 44, No. 3

Beginning of the Year Strategies for Music Educators

One of my first articles appeared in the 2011, fall Tempo – an annual journal for the California Music Educator’s Association (CMEA) Bay Section.

Tempo – Vol 44, No. 1