Notes from the Mitten

Eric Whitacre is putting out a call to all his singing fans!  He wants us (yeah, I’m a fan.) to record ourselves singing his song Sleep and post it to YouTube.  He then plans to put us all together to make a virtual choir.  What a fun idea!  I’m all for it!  Here are the details.

1. Video record yourself singing one part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Bass) while listening to the version of Sleep found on the Cloudburst album.  Wear headphones to ensure the music doesn’t come through on the recording.
2. Post the video on YouTube.  Include the words “Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir” and your voice part in the title of your video.  Include “soaringleap.com” and “Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir” in the tags of your video to ensure that Eric Whitacre will be able to find it.
3. Deadline is June 30, 2009.

Check out Eric Whitacre’s blog posts for further details.

Oh My God, Oh My God, I just had the Coolest Idea.

OMG, OMG, Cool Idea: Part II

I am looking forward to following this experiment.  I wonder if Mr. Whitacre is on Twitter…

This year I’ve made the move to middle school, which means I am back on the traditional school calendar.  I am sure I will enjoy this calendar in the summer months, but I sure did miss my two week break this November.  I am both excited and overwhelmed to be teaching middle school choir.  There is so much to learn, as my degree was specifically in Elementary Music Education.  This year I’m dealing with Choral Festival, Solo and Ensemble Festival, Honors Choir, Field Trips, and Sight Reading.  All things I haven’t experienced since my own grade school choir, excluding sight reading of course.  Luckily, the kids are the best part.  They are smart, silly, enthusiastic, moody, and interesting to say the least.

I enjoy the middle school atmosphere and have plenty of help from my colleagues.  A great bonus is that many of the middle school teachers are very interested in technology.  One of our student teachers just brought to us an idea he found on the internet about how to make a smart board using a projector, laser pen, and wii remote.  We’ll be attending a live demonstration this Monday.  The video is an excellent demonstration and it provides a link to a website where you can research the idea further.  Maybe in the future I will be posting about my new home made smartboard.  Enjoy!

Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wiimote

What do you when you are faced with a class of 30+, rowdy, highly creative fifth graders who need more than the usual “catch” to get them interested in a subject?

You turn to a medium that is familiar, entertaining, and musically rich.  Those of you music teachers, who are also video game enthusiasts, know how the music can greatly enhance or take away from the pleasure of the game.  I am not talking about popular music that has been inserted into John Madden-esque sports games, or the Dance Dance Revolutions, SingStars, Guitar Heroes, or Rockbands of the industry.  I am talking about the beautifully descriptive music written to portray a landscape that is mostly rock, with minimal vegetation, and large thunderous waterfalls.  My favorite video games also coincide with my favorite video game music, which I am certain has nothing to do with coincidence.

So gather all of your video game mp3s, borrow them from your husbands, wives, sons, and daughters, or purchase a few significant songs from iTunes and prepare yourself for a unit on video game music.  That is what I found myself doing at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year and this is how my Unit proceeded.

#1. Listening

We began our Unit by listening to examples of music written for specific places, events, and situations. I used the soundtrack to Final Fantasy XI because I was familiar with the places and events the music portrayed. While I played the music, I asked the students to imagine what might be taking place in the video game and how the music describes what they see. I began with something easy to identify by playing “battle” music, and then we worked our way to landscape music. The students were able to accurately describe the scene or the feeling of the scene just by listening to the music and were able to discuss which elements of the music inspired their descriptions.

To mix it up a little, we listened to music by bands, such as the Star Onions and Minibosses, who cover popular video game music. We were able to compare and contrast the remake of the video game music with the original song.

Don’t forget to listen to some of the favorites that invoke instant recognition in your students and immediate nostalgia in the staff, such as Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda.

#2. Video Game Composers and the Video Game Music Industry

I scoured the internet for interviews with video game music composers and we took a closer look at the minds behind the music.  The students split into groups with a copy of their interview.  Each group was to choose three of the most interesting questions and then act out the interview for the class.  Below are the interviews that I used last year with the name of the composer and the video games they discussed in the interview.

1. Inon Zur (a personal favorite of mine): Champions of Norrath, Shadow Ops, Syberia II

2. Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

3. Winifred Phillips: Shrek the Third

4. Tommy Tallarico: Interview about how he got into the video game music industry.

5. Colin O’Malley: Superman Returns

The mock interviews the students performed were creative and entertaining.  We also looked at these two interviews with the whole class.

Koji Kondo: Super Mario Bros.

Michael Giacchino: Video Interview about creating the music to Medal of Honor: Airborne

#3. Creating our own Video Game Music

The third and final part of the Video Game Music Unit was to create our own music for a video game scene of our choosing.  The students and I drew up a grading rubric describing a successful composition.  Included in the grading rubric was group participation and effort.  The students chose their own composition groups, decided the video game scenario they intended to write for, and collected the classroom instruments they needed for their compositions.  We spent three to four 30 minute class periods composing our video game music.

Here is an example of a group that chose to create music for a “battle” scene.

group-3-battle-music

This next example is an inspirational song written by the students for characters who were about to go into battle.  (Notice a theme here?)  This song also came with dancing.

group-7-pre-battle-encouragement

We concluded our Unit by recording our compositions and presenting our video game scenarios and music to our classmates.  Many of the boys chose to create “battle” music in one way or another.  One group of girls created an entire storyline with their music which came out more like a movie than a video game.  Overall, the compositions were successful.  I was satisfied that all of the students worked together and made musical decisions to create their video game compositions.

As we all know, once you have shown your excitable bunch of students that you can respect and relate to their musical world, they are much more willing to take an interest in all of the music you bring to the classroom.

Summer session has begun for the Huron Valley year round students.  Before I returned to school I got the call from my principal telling me I will be called back to work next year.  Even better, I will be teaching music full time.  I’m very happy to be able to continue my career at Huron Valley.  Next year will bring change and challenges.  I’m looking forward to both.

Came to me in the form of a pink letter last Friday. This is the second year in a row I have been laid off due to budget reductions. I am hopeful I will be called back again just as I was last year. However, in case I don’t get the call, I am prepared to look for another job. Perhaps you are in the same situation or have been in the past. Here are a five ideas to get you through the summer.

#1. Stay Positive

You have been laid off, yes. But your district is not doing it to be malicious or because they don’t want you to work for them anymore. They are in a tight budget situation. Believe that they are doing the best they can for the students and their employees. Don’t let yourself develop a negative outlook towards your administrators or your district. If you do get your job back, bitterness could ruin it for you.

You will need to vent. Be careful who hears you. Of course, you’re upset. Talk to someone who is not involved in your school district. Definitely NOT the parents of your students! It’s unprofessional. If you need to talk to someone close to the situation, talk to your mentor (official, or unofficial) or another teacher who is in the same situation as you. But be careful. You don’t want something you said in haste to get back to your administrators.

#2. Refresh Your Resume

Think back on the past year(s) and make a list of any new responsibilities, events, projects, software, and lesson units you’ve worked on since your previous resume update. Pull out that dusty resume, rid yourself of the old, and begin adding the new. Ask your administrators, mentor teacher, and teachers you’ve collaborated with to be references. You may also need to ask them for a letter of recommendation.

#3. Surf the Net for Job Postings

Nowadays, you can find all open positions on the internet. Decide which schools you would like to work with and bookmark their “employment opportunities” page. I currently use Del.icio.us for my bookmarks, so I can access them from any computer. There are also sites that list open positions such as Great School Jobs or US REAP. I find that the school websites are more reliable. Most of the school districts want you to apply online through their websites anyway. If you are a Michigan teacher in the same unfortunate position I find myself in, you may benefit from looking at my del.icio.us jobposting links. Universities also have their own site where employers can post job openings. You often need to be a student of that University to access the postings. Even if you are sure that you will be getting your job back, it is still a good idea to know what is out there.

#4. Keep your Eyes Open

Don’t discount the possibility of a career change. Keep your eyes open for other opportunities that interest you. Maybe it’s time to take a chance at being a hired musician, commissioned composer, or start your own studio or business. Maybe it’s time for music to become a much-loved hobby and you can pursue another career passion.

Here is an inspirational, in-your-face outlook on careers. 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job by Steve Pavlina. It will give you something to think about.

#5. Enjoy your Summer

Remember, pink slipping teachers is not a new thing. My mom and her sisters joke about how my Grandma could have wall-papered the kitchen with her pink slips. Teachers in the lounge often relate how they were laid off the first four, five, six years of their teaching careers. And look… they’re still here. One of these years, you and I won’t be receiving pink slips anymore. We will be seasoned teachers.

Good Luck, everyone! I’d love to hear your own pinkslipping adventures and/or advice in the comments.

I happen to be a big fan of anything Google. They help keep me organized, monitor stats on my website, keep me up to date on my favorite blogs, etc. They can also be handy in the classroom. Now I present to you my favorite Google Apps in order of the amount of time I spend using them.

1. Gmail

In between college and my first official teaching job, I used to pay for an email address that I could use professionally. Yahoo and Hotmail at the end of an email address just weren’t going to cut it. Needless to say, as soon as Google came out with Gmail I quit paying $40-50 a year for a more professional sounding email address. Now I even forward my yahoo, hotmail, and university mail straight to my Gmail. I love how easy it is to find old messages when I need them. There is plenty of storage and I can chat with any available contacts through the Gmail web page. Which means I can chat with my sister while we are both eating lunch at work, because companies/schools rarely block Gmail.

2. Google Reader

I’ve been reading blogs long before I decided to do it myself and GReader is the easiest way I’ve found to control my blog reading habit. I have all of the ME blogs under their own Music Education label/tag and I can read through them all right in a row. I also have labels/tags for blogs about health, technology, interests, and friends/family. If you read a lot of blogs, Google Reader or some other blog reader is really essential. GReader helps me save time and organize my favorite posts.

3. iGoogle

When I open my internet brower, the page that appears is my iGoogle. I have gadgets that show my Gmail inbox, Google Calendar, Google Reader, phases of the moon, clocks that show the time for different parts of the world, and a list I created that reminds me what is most important in life. Technically I could say I use this the most since I see it every time I open the browser on my laptop. But because I only use it on my laptop and not on my school computer it got bumped down to third. You can find a million and one gadgets to put on your iGoogle page that correspond to many of your favorite websites or any type of media. I prefer to keep mine relatively simple, but you could go all out with tabs and such, if you so choose.

4. Google Calendar

You can use it as a calendar, or you can use it as an organizational tool. I enter every rehearsal, concert, staff meeting, assembly, birthday, family and social gathering… you get the idea, into my Gcal. Then I share it with my family and they share their calendars with me. Which means, I can check a box and instantly see their dates show up on my calendar. I can also choose to copy an item from their calendar to mine, (ie. Aunt Gretta’s birthday that mom has on her calendar). On top of that I use Goosync to sync my phone with my Gcal, so every morning the screen on my phone displays my agenda for that day and the next. You can choose what kind of reminders, if any, you would like to receive (text, email, etc.).

5. Google Maps

Of course, it’s convenient for getting directions. It’s also convenient for looking up areas of the world that songs or composers come from. The Satellite view and street view is also fascinating to myself and to the students.

6. YouTube

Yep. It’s a part of Google now. There are so many ways that YouTube can be used in the classroom, if your school doesn’t block it, but I won’t go into incredible detail in this post. YouTube is great for those times when you need a song and you left the CD at another school (you know what I’m talking about). Chances are someone has used that song to make a video and put it on YouTube. If your computer has semi-decent speakers you can play it for the kids without showing them the video. There are also some groups that will put a concert series on YouTube. Search for Carnival of the Animals and you will find a bunch of videos by the same orchestra. Of course, you’ll run into many fascinating videos like the beatboxing flute player and the man who made an ocarina out of broccoli. If you have two extra minutes at the end of a class, the kids eat these videos up.

I could keep going about the merits of YouTube in the classroom, but I’ll save it for another time. I’m sure this goes without saying, but be sure to watch the videos before you show them to the kids and they will undoubtedly try to get you to show their favorite YouTube videos to the class also. Stay strong.

7. Picasa

I’ve been using Picasa for the past few years as a desktop photo organizer. I was thrilled when it became a web album. I used to use Photobucket, still a handy web album organizer, but it was so much easier to upload my desktop albums to a web album using the same application. You can upload your pictures to Picasa and email a link to your friends and family where they can view a slideshow of our pictures. You’ve probably received a link like this from a friend using Kodak gallery, Flickr, .Mac web gallery, or Picasa. I prefer to use Picasa because, as I said, I also use it to organize and edit my photos when I’m offline.

Picasa comes in handy in the classroom when I have photographed, or video recorded performances. I don’t want to wait for my school computer to upload the recording from my camera, so I take it home and put the video/photos on Picasa instead. The next day at school I can follow a link to the recordings and we can watch the videos on the T.V. using the internet.

8. Google Analytics

Google analytics keeps stats on the amount of traffic on erinnwrobel.com and all its subdomains. I just started using this Google app and I find it easier to understand than the stats my domain server provides. Google Analytics is very good about protecting the privacy of the visitors as well.

9. Google Image Search

Need a good picture of Fats Waller, Martin Luther, or the Eurhythmics? I know, weird combination. I blame grad school mixed with an elementary musical. It’s a great place to get a picture of just about anything you need.

10. Google Docs

I don’t use this as much as I could. However it comes in handy when I want to start a project at home and work on it at school. Especially if I don’t want to dig through my purse to find my thumb drive. Right now my family uses it to make online wish lists for birthdays, Christmas, or other gift giving occasions. We just update our file with our favorite things and share it with each other. I know I’m not even scratching the surface of what I can do with Google Docs. This is one Google app I need to explore further.

Thus concludes my top ten list of Google Apps. There is much more you can do with a Google account that I do not have listed, such as create a blog or webpage. I would probably find Google Scholar quite useful too, if I didn’t have so many options through my University. If you have a favorite Google App or favorite alternative to one of my Google Apps, I would love to hear about it in the comments. Here is a list of more Google options.

This year, I received a grant from the Huron Valley Educational Foundation to buy Sony’s Super Duper Music Looper software for the 34 computers in my school’s computer lab. I purchased the software from Academic Superstore for $17.95 each. As far as quality software goes, this is fairly inexpensive. Most of you have probably come across it at one conference or another, but for those of you who haven’t, SDML allows kids to create songs using audio loops. It’s basically a kid-friendly version of Sony’s Acid Music Studio or Mac’s GarageBand. SDML requires that you have the CD in the drive to run the program. I looked into buying a site license, but it doesn’t seem possible for this software. If anyone has done it, please let me know. The loops on the SDML software can be used in other loop-based music software like Acid and Garageband. The students were able to record their own tracks with a $20 mic I picked up years ago at some department store. Our computers wouldn’t support a nice USB mic and the quality of our recordings were not so high, but our needs were met nonetheless.

My fourth and fifth grade students had no trouble navigating the software. The first day I showed them how to add and remove loops then I got out of the way and let them experiment. The second day I was able to introduce some of the finer details like balance, tempo, and key changes. Our main goal was ultimately to create a piece of music that served a purpose. I won’t go into detail about the specifics of the project, but we ended up with songs for the radio, movie scenes, commercials, cartoons/comics, comedic skits, and more.

After our songs were created, the students saved them as .wav files on the school network. I was able to retrieve the files from the network and do a little editing. Then I turned converted them to mp3 files and burned CDs for all of the students. They received their CDs yesterday and there was much rejoicing.

Now my students are ready to move on to more advanced software. Those who have Macs have already been using GarageBand at home. We might not get to it this year, but I hope to get Sony Acid Xpress on our school computers and really get into music editing and creating.

Here are a few examples of our first experience with loop-based software.

Latin Song -Morgan

Puma Shoes Commercial -Clayton & Keelan

ARock1000 -Adam

Yes I do. And I enjoy talking about it. A lot.

I have taught on two different year round calendars at two different school districts, for five of the six years I have been teaching. This is what my calendar looks like this year.

• September 4th: First Day of School (with students)
• November 12-23: Year Round Break (two weeks)
• December 24-January 2: Winter Break (same as traditional calendar)
• February 11-22: Year Round Break (two weeks)
• April 14-18: Spring Break (same as traditional calendar)
• May 26-June 13: Year Round Break (three weeks)
• June 16-July 24: In School for Summer Session
• July 28-September ?: Summer Break(~five weeks)

The year round staff and students attend school the same amount of days as the traditional calendar staff and students. We also take the same Winter and Spring break as the traditional calendar. The six week summer session allows the year round staff and students to have 2-3 week breaks in November, February, and May/June.*

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It’s time to leave the ranks of music ed blog voyeurs and join the writer’s team.  See you in the blogosphere!