I took great interest this week in the projects that were
assigned. The only notation programs I have used in the past have been finale
and Sibelius, but never very well or to their full potential. I was never able
to use these programs in my teaching because it was a financial requirement
that we just didn’t have. Though the software wouldn’t be a problem to buy, we
didn’t have a music computer lab for the students to use. The only computers
students had access to were in the library
After using programs like MuseScore and Noteflight, I see how easy
it is for students to use free notation software. Not only can these programs
be used on any computer, they are also very user friendly. Teachers would not
have to spend a lot of time teaching students how to use the program, where I
feel you must with Finale and Sibelius. I especially liked Notefight because
the program is all done online. Nothing has to be downloaded, and the students
would be able to access their work outside of school.
Basically, all of the assignments this
week inspired me to think about creativity in the classroom. With notation
programs such as this, and the discussions we have had about improvisation,
there is no reason more creativity cannot be included more. “While technology may be a gateway to
involve nontraditional students in school music programs, those who are already
part of school music classes and ensembles can also benefit from using
technology to facilitate the development of their musical creativity” (Bauer,
2014, p.46). This is very important for teachers to remember. With the
development of technology of the years, it can only get easier to incorporate.
However, we as teachers need to take the initiative to find these new
technologies and learn about them to better our instruction. If we are teaching
the same thing in 5 years, we are not being the forward-thinking teachers we
need to be.
Resources:
musescore.org
Baur, W. I. (2014). Music learning today. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment