SmartMusic
What is SmartMusic?
SmartMusic is a learning system which employs your computer, the internet and a software program that you download. There is a subscription fee which allows you unlimited use of the music and downloadable sheet music for one year.
It an incredible learning tool for the students and the teacher. I use SmartMusic almost everyday in the classroom. All of the music for next year will be included in the SmartMusic software. Anytime that a band piece is not a SmartMusic selection, I can import the mp3 and use the accomanament.
What does SmartMusic have and do?
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it has accompanament tracks for the lesson book we use and many other poplular lesson books on the market.
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when using the lesson book on the computer screen, a cursor will highlight the notes when they should be played.
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it can slow down the music until the student is more comfortable with the technique or musical concept being taught.
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it has fingering charts, i.e. if you click on a note that is unfamiliar, a pop up will show you how the name of the note and how to play it.
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it will assess your child's performance. If you don't have a microphone, you can purchase an inexpensive one. When your child plays with SmartMusic, the software with show the percentage of correct pitches and rhythms.
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it can record you child's performance with or without the accompanament track.
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it will play the melody your child is trying to learn if you want it to. The "solo" line can be turned off.
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it interacts with your e-mail program so that you can send your child's performances to relatives and friends, perhaps even the teacher for a grade.
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it has tens of thousands of pieces of music that you may access on line. Accompanaments to band, jazz band, orchestra and solo literature from elementary school through college and profressional.
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it includes Jamie Aebersold, the international standard jazz improvisation learning system with the artist played jazz accompanament tracks backing you up when you are learning to improvise. It also has a cursor to help you follow the "changes."
In short, SmartMusic is the most incredible learning tool out there right now and it's sweeping the nation's intrumental music educators. Both teachers and students are discovering a new way to learn the concepts and technique that have been taught traditionally for band, orchestrqa, jazz band and solo performance.
Mr. O'Neill
