Classroom Music Technology: The Beginning of a Journey!

Hi Everyone!  Welcome to my Blog Music from an Upside-Down Point of View!  My name is Ed Anderson and I am the Music Teacher of Triangle Elementary School in Mt. Dora, Florida.  I have been a music educator for 21 years and have taught Band, Orchestra, General Music, Chorus, and Steel Band.  I also am a Capoeira Instructor for Capoeira Angola Palmares and run an after-school capoeira program and a community group. 

            I call this Music from an Upside-Down Point of View because, as a capoeirista, I spend a lot of my time upside down doing cartwheels and handstands.  It reminds me that things can always have a new meaning when they are seen from a different point of view.  So, here it is.

            This week, I began the next class in my quest to complete my Masters in Music Education Degree.  The class is entitled: MUE6696: Technology Assisted Music Learning.  I must admit, I am very excited about this course.  I have always been a fan of music technology.  I use Finale to write my Steel Drum Arrangements and Band-in-a Box to create some of the backing tracks that I use when I play my steel drum gigs.  However, strangely enough, I really don’t use it a lot in my classroom.  I am looking forward to seeing what resources and apps are available that I can use with my students. 

This first week, we were introduced to the Incredibox program.  It is a program that uses pre-recorded loops that can be arranged in numerous orders and muted or played as solos during the arrangements. What is also unique about this program is that it has several different variations that let you experiment with different genres of styles.  I actually purchased the app on iTunes so that I could explore some of the locked styles on the website.

I think that this app has wonderful applications in teaching young elementary students about the concept of polyrhythms and voice parts.  I think it would really go over well with the older boys in grades 4 and 5.  I am actually going to include this in a lesson that I will be leaving my students when I travel to the Illinois Music Educators Conference.  I am looking forward to seeing what they are going to create.

I think that I am going to enjoy this class!  I have already received some positive feedback and the idea of networking through Twitter has already opened a few doors that I had not thought of.  This is definitely going to be fun!