As education budgets tighten and federal relief funding expires, arts programs across the country once again find themselves on the chopping block. Recent federal and state budget proposals reflect a familiar pattern: when policymakers have to make difficult choices, creative subjects are often viewed as supplemental rather than essential. All the while, educators and district leaders continue making the case that the arts support academic achievement, engagement, and whole-child development.

But at a moment defined by rapid AI adoption and ongoing debates about screen time, the argument for protecting and investing in arts education needs to take on a new tone. The arts continue to be one of the most effective places in school for students to build healthier, more intentional relationships with technology.

In short, in the age of AI, we need the arts more than ever.

What Sets Arts Education Apart

While many conversations about classroom technology focus on access, guardrails, or efficiency, arts classrooms offer something different: a model for how digital tools can serve creativity, deepen thinking, and expand opportunity without replacing human judgment. In an era when AI can generate essays, compose music, and create images in seconds, students need structured environments in which technology is used responsibly and reflectively. The arts already provide that structure.

As a district arts coordinator, I have seen this firsthand. A band student of mine who had been uninterested in traditional instruments completely changed when we introduced digital music tools, becoming not only one of the most engaged learners in the class, but also a composer of original music. The introduction of digital tools didn’t replace musicianship — it revealed it. Technology gave this student an accessible entry point into the creative process, and once they had it, their confidence and artistry blossomed.

Digital composition software, notation tools, and recording platforms allow students to experiment, revise, and refine their ideas in ways that would have been far more time-consuming a decade ago. Students can layer tracks, hear immediate playback, annotate their own scores, and collaborate across devices. The same is true in other contexts besides music; in visual arts, for instance, a variety of digital drawing and painting platforms enable students to practice with new mediums, styles, and techniques without having to worry about supplies or messes. But in either case, the core intellectual work of looking and listening critically, understanding structure, and making aesthetic choices remains entirely human and part of the learning.

At every step, technology is embedded within a framework of authorship. Even – and especially – with the help of new tech-enabled tools, students are creators, not just consumers or editors of machine-generated content.

Practically speaking, teachers should encourage students to experiment with tech-enabled arts and music tools. For example, how can each student use the same set of sounds, samples, or colors to create a piece that uses their own unique voice? How can technology be an accelerant for creativity, instead of putting a damper on it?

Tech Also Frees Up Time

Technology in the arts also plays a less visible but equally important role: reducing logistical burdens so teachers can focus on higher-order instruction. Platforms such as MusicFirst streamline assignment distribution, submission, assessment, and feedback with a particular focus on the arts. Instead of collecting paper scores, managing physical recordings, or juggling disparate tools, teachers can handle routine tasks—organizing files, timestamping submissions, tracking revisions—which frees us to spend more time on musical interpretation, technique, and creative problem-solving.

Creating such efficiency also allows for more one-on-one conferencing, more targeted feedback, and more opportunities to guide students through complex artistic decisions. Rather than troubleshooting formatting issues or managing classroom logistics, teachers can ask deeper questions: Why did you choose this harmony? How does this dynamic shift change the emotional arc? What alternatives did you consider?

Cycles of Experimentation

Perhaps most importantly, arts technology creates safe, structured spaces for iteration and failure. In arts software, students can revise endlessly without wasting materials or losing prior drafts — whether that’s tempo and instrumentation in music or color and line in visual art. The experience of creating art enables students to manage pace, embrace iteration, and develop delayed gratification — skills that are increasingly rare in digital environments built around instant results.

The creative process will always require patience and sustained attention. Arts instruction gives students a structured, supportive space to slow down, revisit their thinking, and understand that excellence emerges from cycles of experimentation rather than immediate perfection. That’s an idea that teachers can encourage by dedicating time for students to review their own (or their peers’) work, or to make changes to tempo, color, or tone just to see what happens. They may very well like the result.

Arts Education: Tech At Its Best?

As education leaders navigate AI policies, digital citizenship frameworks, and technology procurement decisions, they should look to arts classrooms as proof of concept. The arts demonstrate what technology integration at its best can look like when it is grounded in human intention, structured creativity, and professional educator guidance.

If we want students to use technology with intention, creativity, and integrity, we must protect the classrooms that already teach all these how. The future of digital citizenship may depend on keeping the arts in our schools.

Confession time: I've fallen in love with AI music generators.

Google recently made a version of its AI music generator tool Lyria 3 available through Gemini. This is one of many AI generators available that can create real-sounding, if not particularly artistic, music in various styles in a few moments based upon short prompts.

These AI-generated clips offer some fun, if gimmicky, applications that I’ve started to consider using in my class. First though, a few caveats.

AI music, as impressive as it may be, is still a lifeless, soulless product that tends toward the corny and, at its best, sounds like uninspired pop. It therefore cannot replace music created by actual musicians who put their hearts and souls into their musical creations.

Even if AI music tools were better, it would still be morally questionable to use any commercially. Like other forms of AI “art,” these generators mimic and plagiarize the work of human artists without providing proper credit or royalties. But as a pastime and as a sonic sandbox, AI music generators are some of the most fun generative AI tools I’ve come across.

I believe these also offer some teaching opportunities, albeit in a gimmicky, "pass a few minutes of class time" type of way.

Ways To Incorporate Music AI Generators

I’ve been using AI music generators to create short songs inspired by the personality traits of people I know. For example, I had AI write a song about my sister's propensity to always request menu substitutions when she orders at a restaurant, plus some goofy songs for my kids.

These are admittedly not laugh-out-loud use cases, but I enjoy them and have started doing similar things with students.

Here’s a song I created to remind my writing students to start working on their papers earlier. Will this annoying, but somehow catchy, song help students actually start working on their papers sooner? Probably not, as starting to work on a paper early is a piece of pretty standard advice that most students already know. However, it’s maybe a more fun way of reminding them to do that.

I can also see creating songs based upon student research and various topics covered: young students, in particular, might have fun with this type of thing.

But as with most things AI-related, you can take all this too far. Using AI-generating tools, I started thinking about the potential power of an annoying jingle for memorization. I tried a few different ways to get Gemini to create a song reminding students of the basics of thesis writing. This is the best it did after I told it to do this in a traditional Celtic manner. I’m not sure if this song really has traditional Celtic vibes, and even I’d be too embarrassed to share this song with students.

Are All AI Music Generators More Or Less The Same?

No. After experimenting with a few various free ones, I found a wide range of quality with the same prompts.

Gemini is the only one I’d currently recommend. It’s user-friendly but limited and only creates 30-second clips. Other music generators could potentially outperform Gemini with prompt adjustments. The ones I tried did better with the instrumentals but struggled more with the lyrics, and that kind of defeated the purpose of the tool for me.

What About The Bigger Picture

When teaching with AI in general, it’s important to discuss the implications of this technology with students. Much as I’ve been enjoying using AI to “create” music, this technology unsettles me a bit. I have multiple family members who went to music school and work as professional musicians. I don’t think their jobs performing live music are currently imperiled by this technology or will be in the foreseeable future. However, down the road, I could see it making the already difficult profession of being a musician more difficult.

As I keep only half-jokingly saying, AI music generators and other similar generative AI tools may ultimately destroy art and therefore what makes us human on a fundamental level. But on the bright side, I do like using AI to create annoying musical jingles.

On a more serious note, AI music generators are a fun-to-use generative AI tool that, like other forms of AI, have some associated thorny ethical questions. Those aside, there are some potential classroom uses, and AI-savvy teachers will want to start exploring this aspect of AI in addition to others. They'll also want to start delving into some of those thorny questions with their students as we navigate the ever-changing realities of AI's impact on the world.

Flat for Education is a cloud-based solution to music teaching in a digital world. As such, this combines all you could need to teach music in a way that transcends the page and even any one device.

The idea here is to offer a teaching system that works for educators and students across and range of instruments and musical styles, while remaining accessible from any device.

This music theory and composition space serves to let students and teachers create, edit, share feedback, and engage on musical work all in one place.

Designed for classroom use, this makes for easy class management, music assignment generation, progress tracking, and more. This guide lays it all out so you can see how Flat could be of note in your class.

What is Flat for Education?

Flat for Education is beyond your basic notation editor as this goes way further to encompass music education support across a range of systems.

This offers notation, composition, collaboration, and assessment tools all in one place. That allows students and teachers to create, edit, and share musical scores, complete assignments, receive feedback, and engage with classmates in real time.

Beyond that, this also allows for schools and districts to manage classes, generate music assignments, track progress, and integrate with popular learning management systems such as Google Classroom, Canvas, and Microsoft Teams.

So while this is a music theory and composition workspace, it's also a lot more.

How does Flat for Education work?

Flat for Education is web-based so it can be used across devices without the need to install any software. Everything runs within the browser so it can be accessed from a laptop, tablet, or phone with ease.

Students can start working on making music using a notation editor, which supports more than 100 instruments. This offers instant playback, and tools to customize notational symbols and layouts.

Students immediately hear what they write, to deepen their understanding of pitch, rhythm, harmony, and musical structure.

Teachers can set assignments, with auto-grading worksheets and collaborative shared writing project options. After students have worked on an assignment, or co-edited in real-time, it can be easily shared and assessed easily thanks to LMS integration options.

What are the best Flat for Education features?

Flat for Education works across a wide range of users, from beginners to more advanced musicians, from writing melodies to creating full scores. Notes, rests, articulations, and dynamics are all easy to place and edit.

The ability to collaborate is a big part of the appeal here. Student groups can co-compose in real time, with teachers observing live edits and offering feedback. This can help to foster teamwork and mimic real-world creative workflows.

Integration with LMS options allow teachers to sync student rosters and share assignments directly within Google Classroom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and more.

Tasks are varied with options that include composition tasks and performance assignments with video and audio uploads, plus auto-graded theory worksheets that are ideal for assessing fundamentals.

Real-time feedback is helpful as teachers can comment on scores and rate submissions, and provide formative feedback live.

How much does Flat for Education cost?

Flat for Education offers a 30-day free trial, after which a paid plan is required.

Quotes are generally on a per institution basis so the price per user per year will vary depending on the needs. But there is a minimum of 50 users required for one of these plans.

Flat for Education best tips and tricks

Embed music theory
Use auto-graded worksheets to reinforce fundamentals such as intervals, key signatures, and rhythms. These can quickly check comprehension and free up class time for deeper discussion.

Use shared writing
Assign students into small groups to co-compose original pieces. Shared writing turns composition into an interactive teamwork experience.

Blend performance and notation
Have students not only compose but also perform their pieces by uploading audio or video recordings of themselves playing the scores.

Polypad is an award-winning digital math playground. Its virtual interactive whiteboard incorporates shapes, colors, graphs, music, and other tools to teach geometry, algebra, probability, and statistics to middle and high school students.

The highly structured yet simultaneously free-form design of Polypad encourages students to explore on their own, while allowing educators a broad ability to customize lessons.

Originally created by the founders of Mathigon, Polypad was acquired by Amplify in 2021.

What is Polypad?

Polypad is a powerful virtual manipulative website for mathematics, designed for middle and high school students. Requiring no login or installation, Polypad runs on all devices and browsers.

With its clever drag-n-drop interface, multimedia tools, and colorful manipulatives, it’s sure to engage even the most reluctant math learners.

How does Polypad Work?

Students and teachers can immediately start using Polypad without creating an account. However, creating a free account allows saving and sharing with others, and is therefore ideal.

Teachers can create their free account easily via email, Google, Amplify, or Desmos Classroom account. Student account creation is similar to teachers, with the exception of kids younger than 13. Teachers can welcome these younger students to the platform by creating a free account in Desmos Classroom as described in student account creation.

The Polypad welcome screen highlights several interesting features, such as winners of the 2024 Polypad Art and Music Contest and testimonials from teachers and students. But if you’re ready to start exploring, simply click the Launch Polypad button. Or, to learn more about each of the tools, click Tutorials, through which teachers can discover how to customize, assign, and share Polypad activities with students.

Polypad boasts a remarkably clean, user-friendly interface and easy navigation, with an integrated help menu that makes it super simple to learn about every tool.

When you first open Polypad, you’re greeted by a blank virtual whiteboard with a bottom toolbar, side toolbar, and top left main menu. Click on any left menu element to expand its contents, view tooltips, or the help menu entry for that tool. To use any element, simply drag it to the whiteboard, where the intuitive toolbars allow you to easily change colors, draw, add equations, text and images or export as a png, jpeg, or svg image.

The core functions of Polypad are housed in the Tiles menu, where users will find a wide variety of interactive math tools, in the categories of: geometry; numbers; fractions; algebra; probability and data; and games and applications.

Using Activity Builder with Polypad

Polypad can be used as a stand-alone tool or as a collection of assignable activities and lessons. Amplify's Desmos Classroom Activity Builder allows educators to create multimedia assignable activities using a wide variety of tools for text, image creation, assessment, free response, and of course, Polypad.

To build custom teaching activities, visit https://teacher.desmos.com, create your free Desmos Classroom teacher account, or log in to your existing account. Then navigate to Desmos Activity Builder. In the left menu, click Custom Activities>>Create a New Activity. Name your new activity, select the viewing option (link or private), and briefly describe the activity. These attributes can be easily edited later, so feel free to use placeholder text until you’re ready to share or assign the activity.

Now select Polypad (and/or other elements) from the left menu to build your activity. When you drag the Polypad icon into the activity window, you’ve actually imported the entire Polypad functionality, allowing you to incorporate any of its tools into your lesson.

What are the Best Polypad Features?

Polypad Tutorials

Mathigon's YouTube channel hosts Polypad tutorials that offer step-by-step guidance from the Polypad team on using its tools. Exploring on your own, you might miss the hidden gem Hand Tiles or the fact that Hand Tiles interact with other tools, such as the Algebra Balance Scale. These video tutorials demonstrate the wide-open possibilities for teaching math with Polypad.

Puzzles, Activities, and Lesson Plans

Polypad's interactive tools are in one sense very simple -- users can start experimenting right away without an extensive how-to. Yet, for teachers who have never used Polypad, it may be a bit overwhelming to contemplate how best to implement them into the curriculum. Fortunately, Polypad's extensive set of pre-designed puzzles, activities, and lesson plans offer expert guidance and ideas for use with students.

Assigning Activities

Once you've created your custom Polypad activity, you're able to assign it to members of your class.

First, create your class by choosing Classes in left menu, then Add New Class. An invite code for students will be automatically generated. If you already have classes in Google Classroom, you can simply import from there.

When you open your activity, click the desired option in the Assign menu.

How Much Does Polypad Cost?

Polypad is fully free. It's also free for teachers and students to create a Desmos Classroom account and use Activity Builder to create, assign or complete activities.

Polypad Best Tips and Tricks

Polypad Games and Applications

Polypad's games and apps include chess, logic and computing, currencies, clocks, dominoes, and—best of all—music. Simply drag the keyboard into the workspace and start playing and recording. Not sure what to do? Open the Music and Sonification Help Menu for guidance on using the tools.

Make Your Shapes Sing

Polypad polygons not only have brilliant colors, but also incorporate musical tones that represent their properties, including vertices, perimeter, area, angles, and fractions.

Ask for Help

The built-in Help menu is fully integrated into the Polypad workspace. Just click the question mark on any tile to instantly view the tile summary, examples and lesson ideas.

Accessibility

For students using adaptive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard shortcuts enable them to fully participate in the lesson.

What's Next for Polypad?

Polypad used to be part of Mathigon.org. Both Mathigon and Desmos Classroom were acquired by Amplify, which is in the process of merging and integrating all three products. Tech & Learning is following the developments and will update readers on the integration of these valuable teaching tools.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Soundtrap is a music production tool that is designed for use in education. That means a full-on mixing and sound production studio experience, but one that is accessible for students grade six and up.

Since this is relatively simple to use and is available in app as well as web formats, it is highly accessible for both in-class and personal devices.

This tool offers a way to spark creativity in students and a method to help experiment with music that can inspire those new to this world, or enable more experienced students to create complex and explorative music. 

This software works digitally as well as with input from physical instruments, making it highly adaptive in terms of its teaching potential. So could Soundtrap help your class?

What is Soundtrap?

Soundtrap is a digital music production program that comes in app format or can be accessed via a web browser. It allows students to build and create their own music from scratch, both digitally and with real-world instruments. 

Soundtrap is different than many other music production options out there as it is specifically designed to work in collaboration. Consequently, multiple students can work on a single project, at the same time, from different devices.

Crucially, this software also allows you to run an integrated chat and video call system, so students and teachers can work together even when not in the same room. The fact everything is cloud-based also makes saving and moving between devices and locations very easy.

The inclusion of teacher admin screens makes managing students, groups and assignments all a straight forward process within the app itself. 

How does Soundtrap work?

Soundtrap is cloud-based and works across iOS, Android, and Chrome as well as via a browser. Jumping across devices, or students collaborating from different personal devices at the same time, is possible.

Get the education-specific version and teachers and students can sign-up using Microsoft Student, Google, Facebook, or email accounts. This includes helpful LMS integration options with the likes of Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, and MusicFirst.

Soundtrap comes with thousands of pre-built loops and instruments, allowing students to get building right away. They can also connect MIDI devices, including instruments and microphones, to record their own tracks to integrate into compositions. 

Teachers can use the chat or video tool to offer feedback and support while assignments can be shared using your LMS with a simple link copy-and-paste. Usefully, when students open a project, a version is created for them, saving their progress individually before choosing to add that to a final project, for example.

What are the best Soundtrap features?

Soundtrap is relatively intuitive and is super well-integrated with teaching and LMS tools. It is very easy to work with as a teacher as well as for students to get up and running with right away. Collaboration is also made straight-forward for simple marking, assisting, and assessing.

This isn't just for music classes as the production suite can be used for all kinds of recordings, including story telling, podcasting, interviews, poetry readings, and more. When it comes to this audio editing, the suite is very powerful, offering useful automatic transcripts that allow for interactive editing with ease.

Since this is a collaborative tool it can allow students to work together as a band to build songs, or even across groups as needed. They can work on their own devices at any time they need in order to get the best out of this music making platform.

Since this offers professional-level editing tools it will require some guidance initially, and then more as students go deeper into the offerings. This can be something more experienced students help newer students with as part of the teaching process.

The education specific admin panel is very helpful as this allows teachers to manage groups as well as individual students, plus share assignments, provide feedback, and access a long list of classroom resources to help with teaching.

How much does Soundtrap cost?

Soundtrap pricing offers a free and premium version of the software.

The Free version gets you unlimited projects, 5,150 loops, 1,240 one-shots, 450 instruments and sounds, essential effects, more than 150,000 sound effects, and limited access to new soundpacks released each week. However, it's worth noting that this version does not offer the teacher dashboard, nor does it give the privacy and safety that the education-specific version delivers.

The Education plan comes with a 30-day free trial and can be bought for a school or district plan too, on bespoke pricing staring at $349 for 50 seats. This offers more than 24,780 loops, 7,230 one-shots, more than 1,120 instruments and sounds, a full suite of effects, full access to new weekly soundpacks, save presets and loops, vocal tuning, remote interviews, a sample, and 8 hours of interactive transcripts.

Soundtrap best tips and tricks

Start a band
Section the class into groups of bands, each student picking an instrument, and have them each create a song to play to the class over a few weeks.

Teach slow
Dedicate a class to teaching the basics and then progress with more complex features as the weeks go on and students develop a deeper understanding through use.

Feedback digitally
Use the chat feature to offer digital feedback so students become accustomed to working remotely and feel confident in being supported even when working on their own time from home.

• New Teacher Starter Kit
• Best Tools for Teachers

Teaching with music can enhance learning in almost any subject area, says Sherena Small, a school social worker at Champaign Unit 4 School District in Illinois. 

“It's just such a good way to enhance what kids are learning,” says Small, who uses hip-hop and other music to teach social-emotional learning skills, including empathy and active listening. Earlier this year, Nearpod recognized Small as an Educator of the Year for her innovative efforts using Nearpod’s Flocabulary tool to incorporate music into class. 

Small enjoys coming up with lyrics related to school topics with her students, but she says you don’t have to be musically inclined to reap the benefits of teaching with music. “Literally anybody can incorporate music into learning,” she says. 

Here are her tips for doing just that. 

1. Teaching With Music: Find Existing Musical Lessons  

“The songs don't necessarily even have to be amazing or great,” Small says, adding that there are lots of silly songs and videos on various topics teachers cover that can work, even if they’re not going to win any awards. 

“I found a video about teaching kids the difference between right angles and acute angles,” she says. “If you just play it every day during the unit for your class, I can almost guarantee you, they're gonna remember what a right angle is by the end of the week because it's going to get stuck in their heads.” 

2. Use Music To Signal Activity Transitions  

Another effective use for music is to play the same or similar songs to transition different periods of class, whether that’s independent study time or something else. 

“When you hear the same music, and it's associated with a certain activity, your brain automatically picks up on that,” Small says. Playing calming music during independent study can also help focus students and be good for their mindfulness. For this purpose, Small recommends low-tempo instrumental music. 

3. Use Music As a Tool for Inquiry and Creativity

“If you’re teaching history, especially if it's older kids, they can research what songs were popular in the ‘70s, or they can analyze the lyrics, whatever time period they're learning about,” Small says. 

Another activity she likes that works for nearly any topic is to have students take one of their favorite songs and write new lyrics for it that are related to whatever topic class is currently studying. This helps both with engagement and memorization. 

4. Write Songs With Students  

Small uses Flowcabulary to write songs with student input. However, less musically and lyrically inclined teachers can have students write their own songs.  

“If a teacher feels intimidated, they can be like, ‘You know what, I'm going to have a contest and the students are going to make up our a class song about this, and then everybody can vote on it,’” Small says. The winning song can be the song the class uses for the unit.  

5. Don’t Force Musical Styles or Performances on All Kids  

Small uses hip-hop for her music lessons because she and her students are passionate about it. Other students in other settings may have different preferences, which teachers should pay attention to. 

It’s also important to understand that different students will respond differently to music in the classroom. “Be aware of each kid's kind of comfort zone and what works for them,” Small says. “Maybe it wouldn't be realistic for you to expect every student in class to write a song and then get up and perform in front of everybody.” 

She suggests group work as a way to let students who may be interested in writing a song but not performing it. Allowing for alternative assignments can also help with this. 

“Have some flexibility and options for meeting kids where they are,” Small says. After all, part of the reason for incorporating music into class is to make it more fun. 

• Best Free Music Lessons and Activities
• What is Nearpod and How Does it Work? Best Tips and Tricks

As an academic subject, music is like no other. It consists not only of theory, notes, scales, and harmonies, but also the capacity to deeply move its listeners and practitioners. This mysterious influence that music exerts can be a powerful means to engage the minds and hearts of learners of any age.

The free online music lessons, activities, and apps below will bring the joy of music into any classroom or subject, whether it be language arts, history, math or science.

Best Free Music Lessons and Activities

WEB

Virtual Theremin
If you’re thinking, “Hmm, theremin, that sounds familiar – what is it?” recall classic movies such as The Day The Earth Stood Still and Spellbound. Typically employed to create an other-worldly or eerie atmosphere, the theremin relies not on touch, but rather on the operator’s hand movements through the instrument's capacitor field. Use your mouse or webcam to play this delightful virtual theremin. A user’s operation manual offers practical guidance. No account required.

Ableton’s Free Synthesizer Learning Tool
Learn to play a synthesizer, right in your browser window. Drag the circle around the square to create various sounds. For a more nuanced approach, open your game in Playground, which allows adjustment of amplitude, frequency, pitch and other properties. No account required.

The Music Lab
A citizen-science experiment conducted by researchers at Yale University, the Music Lab offers a wide selection of musical games that test your ability to distinguish sounds and rhythms as well as your musical I.Q. and style. Be a part of citizen science and have fun while you’re doing it! No account required, but players must anonymously answer a few simple questions prior to playing.

Teach Rock
Fine selection of diverse lessons and activities covering the arts to geography to STEAM topics. Each lesson is based on a rock music composition or artist whose work illuminates the questions posed. Lessons include objectives, activities, images, videos, handouts, teacher’s guide, questions, and lesson extensions.

Music Producer Masterclass: Making Electronic Music
A free course that uses the popular FL Studio software to teach students how to create, mix, and edit electronic music and songs. High-quality video instructions guide learners through the course modules, from developing musical ideas to publishing music online. Students who successfully pass the course’s final assessment will receive a certificate of completion.

Fiddlerman
An amazingly comprehensive free resource for students of any age and experience level who want to boost their violin skills and knowledge. Run by professional concert master Pierre Holstein, aka Fiddlerman, Fiddleman.com boasts an active user forum in addition to its extensive tools for learning violin, from video tutorials to sheet music to basics for beginners. Be sure to check out the annual Christmas project, in which users collaborate by uploading a recording of themselves playing or singing a beloved Christmas tune such as “White Christmas.” Super fun.

Omni Online Music Maker
Are you familiar with hexany? How about hirajōshi? You may have no idea about these terms, but if I said “major,” you'd probably guess that we’re talking about musical scales. Omni is devoted to digital investigation of 40 musical scales, spanning the globe. This brilliantly simple site provides an online keyboard and choice of scale, reverb, and sustain. Use your mouse to play, and your ears to note, the differences and similarities.

Inside the Orchestra Virtual School Curriculum
Dedicated to cultivating music appreciation in children, the nonprofit organization Inside the Orchestra provides a wealth of free virtual music programs in English, Spanish, and French. Lessons and activities include STEM topics, musical storytime, outdoor musical games, and much more.

Inside the Orchestra Online Musical Games
Fine assortment of online musical games, ideal for K-6 kids. Students can test their recognition of musical instruments, create a music map, or play musical bingo. For an extra challenge, have interested students compose their own works using the built-in digital keyboard. In English, Spanish, and French.

Google Tools and Activities for Music Education
Edtech guru and Google apps expert Eric Curts dives into 12 online music tools that allow users to experiment with musical ideas right in their browser windows. Conduct an orchestra, “see” music, or create your own beats. Serious learning that’s seriously fun.

New York Philharmonic Digital Education Resources
Videos, detailed lessons and teaching guides from New York Philharmonic musicians. Arranged by grade, these lessons offer imaginative and unexpected ways to think about, learn, and practice music. Almost as exhilarating as being there.

VIDEO

Polyphonic Overtone Singing Explained
If you’ve never heard polyphonic overtone singing, you ought to check out this star of the field, Anna-Maria Hefele. She demonstrates this other-worldly sounding vocalization and provides a thorough explanation of the phenomenon. Hefele’s YouTube channel offers many other fascinating videos exploring oversinging.

Violin Lab Channel
Professional violinist and educator Beth Blackerby seeks to explain the science and art of violin playing so that all violin enthusiasts can improve their performance. Although targeted at adults, the videos are perfect for self-motivated students of any age, covering topics such as “8 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Learned To Play Violin,” “Vibrato Basics,” and “ Unwanted Bow Bounces.” Her clear, straightforward style makes it easy for anyone to grasp the concepts demonstrated.

Drumeo Free Drum Lessons
An impressive assortment of free videos aimed at not only aspiring drummers, but also advanced students. Explore diverse playlists such as Lessons for Beginners, Advanced Drum Lessons, Must-Know Drum Grooves, Electronic Drums, and many more.

APPS

Perfect Ear: Music & Rhythm
Android | iOS
Train your ear and mind using Perfect Ear’s exercises in scales, chords, intervals, and rhythm.

Piano Chord, Scale, Progression Companion
Android | iOS
Top-rated by users, this piano chords and scales “dictionary” allows budding musicians and composers to practice both musical play and composition.

• What Is Flat for Education And How Can I Use It To Teach Music?
• GarageBand: How To Use it to Teach
• How It's Done: Enhancing Music Class With Technology

Although many districts have been forced to eliminate music, band, and chorus this year as they navigate the pandemic, technology can still keep the music alive. These remote music education platforms can engage students as they boost comprehension, infuse creativity, and improve social-emotional learning (SEL) skills.

One chord at a time

“One of the hardest things about not having in-person classes is that you can’t teach practice skills,” says Sarah Gulish, Ph.D., music teacher at Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. “On their own, students may navigate aimlessly.”

Thanks to Moosiko, a new platform for remote/hybrid guitar classes, however, Gulish’s students aren’t missing a beat. The selling point, she says, is that it’s pre-sequenced: Students learn a chord, play it with quality sound, practice it, and have to hit benchmarks before they move on.

“I can see students’ statistics and track their learning, which is valuable data,” says Gulish. “It’s helpful for teachers who are advocating for programs and seeing what music does for students while we are remote.” 

One of her students who struggled with self-motivation had difficulty knowing what or how to practice. Having it broken down into small steps was essential. Even better, the program reminds kids to take breaks.

“People are creating incredibly supportive tools,” Gulish says. “The best ones provide a space online or in person for children to feel a sense of welcome and have a teacher guiding them. Once we get through the pandemic, I think a lot of these tools will still be used in class.”

Collaboration is key

Gorham Middle School is one of the only schools in Maine that is allowing specials to continue in person this year with many safety precautions in place. That pleases Tracy Wheeler Williamson, general music teacher and choral and steel band director. “We are doing a hybrid model so we will continue to use music technology to help facilitate collaboration between students in person and students at home,” Williamson says.

One of the programs Williamson loves to use is Soundtrap, an application that lets students record sounds and/or use built-in sounds and sound effects to create podcasts and songs. “There are other digital audio workstations, but Soundtrap lets groups of students work together in real time,” says Williamson. “The collaboration makes it perfect for distance learning.”

Williamson’s students create compositions in music class to learn about form and genre, and use the program’s text chat so she can see their planning process. Her sixth-grade students write and record blues songs in Soundtrap. She also relies on the platform to assess her chorus students, rather than using the limited class time to do so. “I see my chorus students only once a week,” she says. “Soundtrap lets me make a template with prompts that I can push out in Google Classroom.”

Ultimately, it’s all about the collaboration. “Communicating together within the app as you’re building pieces and recording is a great way to get to know each other as you’re being creative,” Williamson says.

Music-math connection

As the math supervisor for the 60,000 students in Knox County Schools, Gary A. Petko constantly looks for new ways to help students understand math. “A few years ago, we had an initiative to integrate the arts into math,” Petko says. “The Great Schools Partnership put us in touch with Muzology, which focuses on using music to learn math.”

Since music activates the regions in the brain that are key for successful learning. Petko was intrigued, thinking about how chords and notes make it easier to memorize lyrics. “I still remember every single word from The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” he says.

In 2016, a group of Knox County middle schoolers who were not algebra-ready tested Muzology in a four-week summer program. They watched videos about adding fractions and took practice quizzes. “The kids loved it,” says Petko. “The songs were catchy, the singers and videos were relatable, and the students sang the songs and memorized the steps.” By learning the math vocabulary, the students improved their skills. In fact, the students who used Muzology performed two times better on assessments than a control group who didn’t use the program.

Based on that success, the district increased use of the platform. Today, students create their own songs and teachers use the videos for everything from introducing topics to reinforcing materials to test preparation.

“Math intervention has been a huge priority, and some of our high school and special ed students have used Muzology,” says Petko. “By integrating music into math, we’ve been able to engage kids who we thought would never be engaged.” 

• How It's Done: Remote Music Education
• How It's Done: Enhancing Music Class With Technology

There was a time when if the music teacher was out sick, a sub would pop in a video and all classes and lessons would wait for another day. With schools moving to a remote music education model, tech is helping students not miss a beat.

Who: Dan Shaut, Director of Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra (regional honor band with students from 10 different high schools) and Highland High School, Director of Bands.

Where: Hudson Valley, NY

What: Using Tech to Teach Music Education Remotely

While many music teachers panicked or gave up hopes to make any progress when faced with a change in class venue, my students were already inquiring about online options. Here are a few tech helpers that are keeping us on track:

Noteflight - This is a notation program that allows teachers to send assignments and students to create music and record midi instruments or real instruments. I am using this class for my Theory and Song Writing class. We are currently working on writing/arranging blues tunes. I can set the parameters and break down the assignments. Students can then share the notated music with me for feedback. End result will be a written song with recorded audio. Students will help each other by recording their specific instrument. 

Schoology - I am able to send them assignments, tests, quizzes and also files (audio, video.) It is kind of like social media but on a closed platform. I will often post recordings of the ensemble rehearsing or performing for the students' self reflection. I will also set up short playing tests and the students will upload a video of them playing. 

Audacity - This is a free open-source recording program. For my large ensembles I will be sending out a click track, so we are all literally on the same beat. Students will hear the click track through headphones and make a recording through Audacity (or any other platform to create audio recordings). I will lay down these tracks and line them up so that we can hear how well we are staying together. This will allow us to start to assess from an ensemble perspective. I will give feedback and we will try again with the goal of students learning their individual parts. That way, when we do have a true rehearsal we will be ready to soar!

Band-In-A-Box - This program allows me to create backing tracks after inserting chord changes to the tunes. This is a great to tool for working on improvisation for specific tunes. It allows students to feel like they are playing with a band. It's a lot more fun than playing by yourself in your living room. 

Vimeo/YouTube -  I am working with other musicians to create short masterclasses that I can share with my students. I am hoping I can get some of the highly talented creatives that have lost most or all of their income for the foreseeable future. I like that Vimeo doesn't add commercials. I'm considering pairing it with Patreon as a way to raise a little bit of money for the artists that have lost so much income. This would be through our registered nonprofit, Bridge Arts and Education, but would also be beneficial to all my students.

Zoom - I liked the idea of being able to use it from any platform and without the participants needing to pay for it. I had done some tinkering with it as an option to open my private studio so that geography wasn't a deciding factor. Once COVID-19 made it a requirement to do distance learning I was prepared to jump right into it. Integrating with Calendly lets students select from times I've made available. They will automatically receive an email with the link to the meeting and I will have all the meetings added directly to my calendar without back and forth emails with students/parents. 

Positive Results

I think the students are looking for some form of normalcy and routine. For music students, creating music and collaborating with peers is the norm. This helps us bring some form of that to a time that lacks normalcy for everyone.

Biggest Challenge

The quality of online learning is dependent not only on the teacher's equipment and software but also that of the student. Zoom doesn't replicate the quality of in-person lessons due to the latency, lack of tone quality, and loss of musical subtleties.  However, it works well enough to make progress and is an appropriate stopgap during our time of social distancing.

This unfortunately does not work for large ensemble rehearsals because a very accurate sense of time is vital to success. Large ensembles enhance latency issues and we have not found any platform that can handle this well.

Pro Tips

Do your best. Don't expect perfection from you, the students, or the technology. We have to understand that our expectations can not be the same online as they are in a school setting. I can expect full attention for our rehearsal or our class time, but now there are a lot outside influences (money, tech issues, child care, etc) that require the educator to be more understanding. Remember that making music is fun. Be flexible, but keep the trajectory moving forward. 

Finding Funding

I have looked hard to find programs that had no cost to the user and could be used (even if not ideally) on just a smartphone. Currently free due to Covid-19: Zoom, Calendly, Audacity, Sight Reading Factory.

Tech Tools

- Zoom

- Calendly

- Band-in-a-Box

- Schoology 

- Noteflight

- Audacity

- Wix (website creator)

- Sight Reading Factory

- Vimeo

- Youtube

One New Jersey district is combining two of its students’ deepest loves—technology and music—to not only amp up band and chorus class, but bring a new level of harmony to subjects throughout the curriculum. 

Who: Dr. Christie Riso, Satz Middle school Music teacher and Band Director

         Christina Nigro, Satz Middle school Music teacher and Chorus Director

Where: Holmdel Township School District, Monmouth County, NJ

What: Enhancing Music Class with Soundtrap and other Tech

In today’s world, students are very fluent in technology, and very into today’s music as listeners. All the different tech platforms available give them so much access. 

Combining the two was inevitable in order to reach students who are nonmusic majors. We created a curriculum that would make learning music relevant, and something that they can eventually use in real world jobs. Soundtrap is a program similar to Garage Band, used in the music industry. (When News 12 came to visit they told us that this program is even similar to their film editing program.) 

We also offer advanced middle and high school courses: Music Tech I and Music II classes (Music Tech I class uses GarageBand, Music Tech II uses Logic Pro which is professional sequencing program). If students come into high school already having some background, we will be able to go deeper into composition/orchestration techniques as well as mixing/mastering techniques. We're hoping that having more students exposed to creating music with technology in the middle school will encourage more students to participate in high school.

Positive Results

Our students were excited and started to create music immediately using the vast sounds and loops included with the program. Then we started to use the musical instruments in the program to create music from scratch, recording real musical instruments in the classroom. 

We have created mindful meditation music projects for the entire district to use, a loop ABA song, personal podcasts with music and sound effects, and Mashups like a Radio DJ by importing mp3s and mixing songs. 

Biggest Challenge

SoundTrap can be accessed from any computer, laptop or even a downloadable app on your phone and works well with Google classroom (all projects can be exported as mp3 and uploaded). Of course, in any new program there are some challenges—the usual issues with wifi, program glitches, students forgetting to save their work. 

It’s also hard getting quiet recordings when the entire class is working on a project with microphones. Students would work in a quiet section of the hallway to record with the microphones and then rotate so other students could have a chance. We hope to create a small recording studio for this purpose.

Pro Tips

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and to let the students figure things out by exploring the program. It helped them get fluent in the music technology very quickly. 

Try combining the music tech into other subjects. Our students created their own rap song using lyrics from poems suggested by Mrs. Lisa Imbro, an English teacher. Game Design teacher, Christen McCafferty, is working with the class to create music to accompany games students are designing. Another project is Changing a Nursery Rhyme into a Horror Story, done by creating the soundtrack and then adding images using Adobe Spark.

Finding Funding

There is a free one month SoundTrap trial that you can use to see if it will benefit your school. We used that first to show its benefits and then had it transferred over to a full program once the district music budget paid for it. (All the student’s work remained in their accounts and were just transferred into the school version.)

• Soundtrap Music Program
• Adobe Spark
• Garage Band
• Logic Pro
• Chromebooks
• Google Classroom

QuaverSEL

Shake up SEL lessons with music and movement

Pros: With a well-designed curriculum, this site uses a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to teaching SEL skills to young students.

Cons: The program doesn’t collect individual student responses; assessment is limited to teacher observation.

Bottom Line: Fun for students, easy for teachers, QuaverSEL uses the power of music to boost social and emotional learning.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

What better way to acknowledge Violin Day (12/13) than to access the collection of stringed musical instruments housed at the Library of Congress? The photographs, construction details, recordings, articles, and related resources will be music to your ears.

Brought to you by Knovation, powered by ACT  

Amazon today announced a new addition to its Amazon Future Engineer program – a music remix competition that teaches students how to write code that makes music. Alongside Georgia Tech and their learn-to-code-through music platform, EarSketch, participating high school students have the opportunity to win prizes by composing an original remix featuring original music stems from Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Ciara and her song, “SET” from her latest album Beauty Marks. All high school students across the country are encouraged to enter the competition now through January 20th. Teaching guides are available for teachers to bring the competition to their classroom, or as part of their introductory computer science curriculum.

Students will use computer science and coding to build their remix using musical samples from Ciara’s song “SET,” as well as other sounds from the EarSketch library. Students will learn looping (repeating) to extend the length of their song, use strings to create new beats, create custom functions representing different song sections, and learn to upload their own sounds to the EarSketch library.

The top three student winners will each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington to be an “Amazon Future Engineer” for the day. Additional winners will receive a PreSonus Audiobox 96 Studio and Amazon.com Gift Cards. The competition opens today and will close on Monday, January 20 at 11:59 PM EST.

Pinna

Subscribe for access to quality kids' podcasts, audiobooks, and shows

Pros: Offers tons of high-quality audio productions that teachers can use to introduce topics, supplement classroom lessons, or simply entertain.

Cons: Teachers may find that the site lacks some basic features to support classroom use.

Bottom Line: For engaging, thought-provoking, ad-free content, it's tough to beat Pinna's classroom-friendly offerings for the price.

Read more 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education

Learning the history of jazz, in both its earliest forms and its contemporary ones, is a groovy way to celebrate International Jazz Day on the 25th. Legendary musicians and fabulous recordings of key performers as well as definitions of key jazz styles are found along this timeline.

Brought to you by Knovation, powered by ACT  

Why do we pay taxes? What do taxes pay for? Who is required to pay them? On this Tax Day (4/15), investigate all about taxes in this Schoolhouse Rock video! Sing along with the song to learn about taxes,   why we have them, and why we should pay them.  

Courtesy of Knovation  

Nearpod Student Engagement Platform for K-12 teachers, announced today that it has acquired Flocabulary, a video and student creativity platform that uses educational hip-hop to engage students and increase achievement. 

This partnership comes at a time when student engagement is cited as a top priority by 91% of superintendents. However, Gallup surveys find student engagement drops as they move through school. By 11th grade, only 32% of students feel engaged in the classroom. This lack of student engagement has also been linked to challenges such as chronic absenteeism and poor academic performance. 

Research shows that engagement and achievement increase when students’ interests and voices are respected and reflected in the classroom.

Following the acquisition, Nearpod will have a combined team of 200 employees headquartered in Miami, FL. As part of Nearpod, Flocabulary’s team of 60 will continue to operate out of their Brooklyn, NY office to grow and support the Flocabulary brand, as well as create culturally-relevant content using formats and genres that students relate to and that boost student engagement while being aligned to academic standards. 

Nearpod will continue to invest in collaborations with respected content partners such as Common Sense Education, Newsela, PhET, iCivics, Desmos, and Education.com as well as enterprise platforms such as Google Classroom and Canvas.

The Expo Hall showcased even more edtech tools that are changing and enhancing today’s learning. When you walk on to a vendor floor at a large national convention two things happen:

1. You get overwhelmed with the magnitude and don’t know where to start.
2. You could get swallowed up by the big name vendors with larger booth and tons of conference swag. 

[Report from ASCD, Part 1: Sessions Covered, Classroom Coding, Leadership Strategies and More]  

Sometimes the small booth with a small or no table can be the exact resource your classroom needs. Below are just some of the standout products from smaller or lesser-known companies, but get to know them because they will help your instruction, student learning, and growth.

Freckle is a tool that allows for differentiation in Math, ELA, Social Studies, and Science. Freckle’s power is that the tool takes the manual work out of differentiation so teachers can focus on the important work of helping students grow. The tool helps reaching every student at their own level. You can even get a free teacher account at www.freckle.com. 

Flocabulary is an online learning tool for all grades that uses educational hip-hop music to engage students and increase achievement across the curriculum. Flocabulary uses standards-based videos, instructional activities and student creativity tools to supplement instruction and develop core literacy skills. Check it out at https://www.flocabulary.com.

Gab-on: Communication between family and children is decreasing and I saw a tool that is trying to support an increase in home communication.  GAB-on! is the first platform I have seen that links a child's school day to a conversation starter at home. It's not a report from the teacher or school; it's a conversation between student and family. Students enter GABs  about their day, in live time while they have meaning and relevance. GABs are hints/cues about what a student is doing that remind him/her what they did, later in the day. GABs also prompt families to ask more specific questions about their student’s day to increase conversational productivity, student voice and improve achievement. Check it out at https://gab-on.com.

Milestone C: I stopped at the booth and was impressed how this program brings internship-style experiences into the classroom by simulating technology career tracks. They have half-year courses, multi-year learning tracks, and supplemental modules to support schools and districts nationwide. Additionally impressive was the staff. They had engineers, scientists, aviators, and seasoned educators on the team to develop learning products designed for and aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. Visit them at https://www.milestonec.com.

Empatico: I saw this great display about global communication and had to check it out. Empatico is a free tool for educators to connect their classrooms with others around the world through live video and activities designed to foster meaningful connections among students. I was impressed at how simple the virtual connections were to make to classrooms by combining everything needed in one platform. They connect classes with  a partner classroom, live video, file sharing, and standards- and research-based activities. Empatico empowers educators and students to explore the world through experiences that spark curiosity, kindness, and empathy.  Check them out at https://empatico.org.

Alive Studios: I walked by the Alive studio booth and was quickly drawn in by the interactive visuals and graphics. Once I was at the booth it wasn’t just “cool” graphics; they create supplemental resource kits that use Augmented Reality to enhance the learning experience for all types of learners. Each resource kit supports multiple learning styles by appealing to students through sight, sound, and interactivity. Alive Studios programs are aligned to the Common Core State Standards to root lessons and activities in standards lesson planning to match learning with a purpose. Visit them at  https://alivestudiosco.com.

Writable: Writing is an essential element in learning and finding a digital tool to support that need is important. I learned by stopping at the Writable booth that this tool is a guided writing practice program that connects any style of instruction to a cycle of authentic feedback and revision. I learned that the tools can build more independent, reflective writers, and helps schools assess & monitor writing growth. Visit Writable at  http://www.getwritable.com.

Sibme was not a learning tool but caught my attention. It is an online video coaching and collaboration platform designed to improve professional practice. Sibme enhances classroom observation, allowing teachers and instructional leaders to record classroom instruction for the purpose of reflection, conversation, and feedback. Check it out at https://sibme.com.

Podcasts from Experts: Ryan McHale, the host of Pondering Education, (@PonderEducation) recorded, posted, and tweeted interviews with many featured speakers. Check out all ASCD podcasts at http://ponderingeducation.com.

There is never a dearth of great ideas at national events like these and ASCD Empower19 did not disappoint. Read more of my ASCD takeaways @MatthewXJoseph and click here read how to turn ideas into actions from events like ASCD.

A lot of times it is common to focus on "The Big 4" of language arts, math, science, and social studies, when exploring technology tools for learning. However, it is important to see how technology can be integrated into all subject areas and skills.

One excellent area for using Google tools is in music education. Technology can help students create their own music, as well as explore and understand musical concepts that may be difficult to visualize otherwise.

In this post we'll look at tools from Google, or that work with Google, that can be used for teaching, learning, and creating with music. These include Chrome Music Lab, AI Duet, Groove Pizza, Flat, and many more.

See below for details, links, and descriptions for all of these tools.

Session Resources
Session Agenda - Google Docs link
Session Slideshow - Google Slides link

#1 - Chrome Music Lab

Chrome Music Lab is a collection of 13 interactive "experiments" that let users create, play, and learn with a wide range of music concepts. Experiments include Song Maker, Rhythm, Spectrogram, Chords, Sound Waves, Arpeggios, Kandinsky, Melody Maker, Voice Spinner, Harmonics, Piano Roll, Oscillators, and Strings. These activities are also cross-platform, working on laptops, tablets, and phones.

I recently did a blog post where I went into details on each of the 13 tools in Chrome Music Lab. You can get all of those details here: "Learning Music, Art, Science, Math and more with Chrome Music Lab"

#2 - Groove Pizza

Groove Pizza is a fun tool to create beats. You start with a "pizza" and then add beats to three different rings, which can then be played back. Here's how it works:

• Launch the tool at the website: https://apps.musedlab.org/groovepizza
• You can begin with premade "Specials" to see what can be created and then modify those as desired.
• Or you can start with a "Plain" pizza where you make your rhythm from scratch.
• You can add beats to three different tracks.
• You can make up to four groove pizzas at a time that will play one after the other.
• You can change instruments including "Rock", "Techno", "Afro-Latin", "Hip-Hop", and "Jazz".
• You can adjust the "Volume", "BPM" (beats per minute), the "Swing" (to slightly offset some of the beats), and the "Slices" (number of beats).
• When done you can even download your creation as a .WAV file.

Another neat feature of Groove Pizza is its math application:

• If you click on the "Angle" button, the angle measurements for each vertex will be displayed. This can be a helpful way to teach or reinforce the concept of the sum of the interior angles of a polygon.
• You can also click the "Polygon" button to shade in the shapes on your pizza. This can tie into the study of different polygons.
• Finally, fractions can be visualized using the groove pizza, as well as the option to change the number of "Slices" which can be applied to comparing fractions and equivalent fractions.

To learn more about how this tool works, check out the video below:

#3 - AI Duet

AI Duet gives you a chance to play music along with an Artificial Intelligence. Using Machine Learning, Google fed loads of music into the AI so it can respond to what you play with its own complimentary tune. To try this out:

• Go to the site at: https://experiments.withgoogle.com/ai/ai-duet/view/
• Click "Play"
• Start playing my clicking on the on screen musical keyboard.
• Or use your computer keyboard with the "A" row being the white keys of the keyboard, and the "Q" row being the black keys.
• The computer will then play a duet with you based on what you played.

To learn more about how this tool works, check out the video below from Google:

This can be a useful tool to help students dissect a song to understand better how each instrument or track contributes to the whole song.

#4 - Seeing Music

The "Seeing Music" tool allows you to visualize sounds and music. You can choose multiple sources for the music, as well as several different methods for displaying the sounds. Here's how it works:

• Go to the website at: https://creatability.withgoogle.com/seeing-music/
• Choose where you want to get your sample music/sounds from including your microphone, sample provided sounds (sax, guitar, violin. etc.), a playable on-screen piano, or an uploaded audio file of your choice.
• Choose which visualization you wish to use including Hilbert Scope, Spectogram, Waveform, Oscilloscope, and more.
• You can also turn on the option for "Grid and Notes" which will display the actual notes as the music is playing.

To learn more about how this tool works, check out the video below from Google:

#5 - Google Arts and Culture

The Google Arts and Culture site is a massive collection of photos, primary source documents, videos, VR experiences, and more, all dedicated to cataloging and exploring human history, art, music, and more. For music, one particularly useful collection is the "Performing Arts" section of the site.

• Go to the site at: https://artsandculture.google.com/project/performing-arts
• Explore the different section of "Performing Arts" including:
• Stories - Multimedia presentations on music topics
• Virtual Tours - 360 degree street-view style tours of theaters around the world and other musical locations
• Items - Over 15,000 photos and artifacts in high resolution
• Videos - 360 degree immersive videos that put you inside of musical performances
• Collections - Themed collections of material on different locations, theaters, movements, and more

#6 - YouTube

Of course no list of music resources would be complete without mentioning YouTube. This is a fantastic way to expose students to music from around the world and throughout time, as well as learn about topics in music theory. Below is just a small list of some helpful music-related YouTube channels and playlists to get started with:

TED-Ed Music Education - YouTube link
Chris Wright - Understanding Music - YouTube link
The Listener's Guide - YouTube link
Instruments of the Orchestra first grade - YouTube link
Odd Quartet - Music History, Theory, and Tech - YouTube link
Music Theory Guy - YouTube link
The Physics of Music - YouTube link

#7 - Flat Website and Add-ons

Another music composition tool is the Flat website, as well as the Flat add-on for Doc and Slides. The website at https://flat.io is the full version of the tool, which allows students to collaboratively write sheet music with a wide range of instruments. There is a free version, a paid version, and an educational version (https://flat.io/edu) which integrates with Google Classroom. I tested out the free version which lets you create 15 scores with over 100 instruments.

In addition to the full version of Flat on the web, there is also a simplified version as an add-on for Google Docs and Google Slides. Here are the basics for how that works:

• Install the Flat add-on for Docs or the Flat add-on for Slides.
• Launch the tool by clicking "Add-ons" then "Flat" then "Insert Musical Snippet".
• You can now compose your musical snippet using the notes and menu items.
• Click the play button as needed to hear what you have created.
• Click "Insert" when done to add the snippet to your Doc or Slide as an image.
• Later you can play back the music by selecting the image and re-opening the add-on.

#8 - Soundtrap

Soundtrap is a very powerful, but very easy to use, music composition and collaboration tool. Although it is not from Google, it works well with you Google account. You can log in using your Google account, and if you choose to purchase the educational version, it integrates with Google Classroom (and has lots of other benefits).

For my testing, I just tried out the free version, which still had an impressive amount of options. With the no cost personal version you get:

• 5 projects
• 900 loops
• 210 instruments and sounds

Here are the basics (way oversimplified by me) on how Soundtrap works:

• Log into the site at https://www.soundtrap.com
• Open and existing project or create a new one.
• On the editor screen you can now add and edit tracks for your composition.
• You can add a track by choosing from the large collection of pre-made loops with many different instruments.
• Or you can add a track by recording it yourself with the on-screen keyboard, again using hundreds of instrument sounds.
• You can invite collaborators to work in Soundtrap with you on your creation.
• When done you can export your music in several different formats.

#9 - Screencastify

Standing up in front of a class or group of students to sing a song or play an instrument can be a stressful situation for some students. It is very easy for their nerves to get in the way so that the student’s performance is a poor representation of what they really know. One option to help with this is to allow students to record themselves with a screencast.

Although we often think of screencasting as recording your screen, most tools will also allow you to just record your webcam. Students can record themselves singing their song or performing their music in the privacy of their own home. This can have several benefits:

• The student will be much less nervous you will get a more accurate measure of what they know or can do.
• The student will likely do the recording multiple times to get it perfect, encouraging lots of practice and repetition.
• The student will likely gain confidence, as the screencast serves as a stepping stone to presenting live eventually.

There are many excellent screen recording tools you and your students can use. One of my favorites is the Screencastify Chrome extension, which can be installed from the Chrome Web Store here.

For more details see my blog post on "7 Super Screencasting Activities for School" as well as the video clip below from a recorded webinar I did that specifically addresses using screencasting for a student to give a speech or performance:

Conclusion

Music is a powerful tool for student learning and expression. Technology can provide many ways to enrich and extend this experience. If you have other technology resources that are helpful in teaching and learning with music, please consider sharing them in the comments below.

BandBlast - The Music Education Revolution

Games, videos infuse music practice with play and personality 

Pros: Cool visual style will draw kids in; solid, serious music content will help them hone core musical skills.
Cons: The videos seem a little dated and only work with an internet connection; some more reference info would help.
Bottom Line: A cool, comprehensive resource for supporting beginning music students.

Read more here. 

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. 

By Common Sense Education  

Soundtrap

Powerful online audio production with built-in collaboration features  

Pros: Collaborative creation and cross-platform access includes mobile devices.

Cons: EDU version's walled garden is pricey.

Bottom Line: Soundtrap is a uniquely collaborative music-production environment, but you'll want to evaluate the privacy issues and what the pricey EDU version offers. 

Read more here.

Site of the Week picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

 By Common Sense Education 

When I used to teach middle school math, one unit I always loved to do each year was my "Music and Math" unit. We explored lots of connections between music and math, while learning about fractions, exponents, prime factorization, and more. We even concluded the unit with a day of student performances called "Curtstock" or "Curtsapalooza" (depending on the year).

One of the great things about music is how connected it is to other disciplines. As mentioned above, music can tie into math through fractions (duration of notes), exponents (decibels), multiples (beat), and prime factorization (harmonizing notes). Likewise music can connect with science when exploring sound waves, frequencies, and more, as has influence and occurrence in history, literature, and art.

To help explore musical concepts and how they relate to other topics, Google has created the Chrome Music Lab. This is a collection of 13 interactive "experiments" (so far) that let users create, play, and learn with a wide range of music concepts. These activities are also cross-platform, working on laptops, tablets, and phones.

See below for an explanation of each of these engaging tools...

 Accessing Chrome Music Lab 

The main website for the Chrome Music Lab can be accessed at the following link:
https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments

All 13 of the experiments can be accessed on the main site, although, each one also has its own unique web address. As we explore the different experiments, their separate addresses will be listed below. 

#1 - Song Maker 

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/

This tool lets you create your own song by clicking on the grid to add notes and percussion. Alternately you can sing your note into your mic, or even use a MIDI keyboard. If desired you can change instruments and adjust the tempo. When done, you can play your song back, and then share it as a link, download it, or embed it on a website. 

#2 - Rhythm 

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Rhythm/ 

This tool lets you create rhythms by clicking on the grid to add beats for several different percussion instruments. You can also switch between different options for the number of beats before the pattern repeats. 

#3 - Spectrogram 

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Spectrogram/

This experiment allows you to see a visual representation of a sound with a spectrogram, which shows the frequencies that make up the sound, from low to high, and how they change over time. You can choose between and compare a variety of instruments, other sounds from everyday life, and even your own voice. 

#4 - Chords

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Chords/

This tool allows you to explore and learn about chords. You can click on any key on the on-screen piano, and a three-note chord will be played. You can also switch between major and minor chords.

#5 - Sound Waves

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Sound-Waves/

With this experiment you can see how sound waves travel as vibrating air molecules. A grid of blue dots represent the air molecules, and when you click on the on-screen piano the dots will vibrate to show how the sound waves move. You can also click on the magnifying glass to track a single molecule for a more detailed visualization of different sounds waves for each note. 

#6 - Arpeggios

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Arpeggios/

This experiment lets you play arpeggios, which are chords played one note at a time.  You can click on the wheel to choose different notes, and on the arrows to hear different patterns. If desired, you can also click the controls at the bottom to change the instrument and tempo. 

#7 - Kandinsky

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Kandinsky/

This experiment combines art and music. It was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky, an artist who compared painting to making music. Simply draw on the screen, and anything you draw (lines, circles, triangles, or scribbles) will be turned into sound. Use the controls at the bottom to switch to different instruments and sounds. 

#8 - Melody Maker

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Melody-Maker/

This tool is a simplified version of the Song Maker. You can click in the grid to add notes, change the tempo, and choose an option to add accompanying notes. 

#9 - Voice Spinner

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Voice-Spinner/

This experiment allows you to explore how frequency affects pitch. First you can use the recording provided, or you can use your mic to record yourself. Then using the controls at the bottom, or by clicking and rotating the sound waves, you can play the sound fast or slow, forward or backwards. 

#10 - Harmonics

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Harmonics/

This tool lets you play notes in a harmonic series, which is a set of frequencies with a simple relationship, such as twice as fast, three times as fast, four times, and so on. This can lead to an exploration of musical intervals, octaves, and major chords. 

#11 - Piano Roll

 https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Piano-Roll/

This tool is a simulation of an old-time piano roll. You can play the music and see the notes scroll by. There are different songs to choose from and instruments to play. 

#12 - Oscillators 

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Oscillators/

This tool lets you explore how the shape of a wave can change the sound it makes. You can choose from four different waveforms including square, sawtooth, triangle, and sine. When you click (or touch) from the top to the bottom of the screen, the wave will play from high to low. 

#13 - Strings

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Strings/

This experiment lets you explore the natural mathematical relationship between a string’s length and its pitch. Several strings are available to play, with each being divided into different lengths.
 

Conclusion

Chrome Music Lab is an awesome way to explore music, as well as see connections with other subject areas. Google has collected many examples of creative uses by teachers in their classrooms which can be seen in this large collection of Tweets. 

cross posted at www.controlaltachieve.com

Eric Curts is an education trainer and consultant with over 20 years' experience throughout the U.S. He is an authorized Google Education Trainer and a Google Certified Innovator. Read his blog at www.controlaltachieve.com and follow him on Google+ and @ericcurts on Twitter.
 

Do your students love hip-hop? Or they maybe just enjoy engaging videos? Flocabulary might be a go-to instructional option for your classroom. To find out, watch this short overview of Flocabulary's key features, including their music video-style learning videos, built-in activities and assessments, and downloadable graphic organizers.

For more information, check out the full review of Flocabulary on Common Sense Education.  

Flat

Terrific composition tool empowers budding musicians to create, share

Pros: Flexible features and great on-screen guidance make this a match for beginners and pros alike.

Cons: Some features can be a little slow to respond.

Bottom Line: An excellent tool for writing and sharing musical creations.

[Superb App Introduces Kids to Animation]

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

• Recently our school acquired a classroom set of Google Cardboard VR goggles via a generous donation from an former student. I have been struggling to find classroom applications until I came across Google Expeditions, an immersive platform that lets you go on VR trips to historical landmarks, go down to the atomic level, get up close
• Check out Chrome Music Lab. This chrome experiment even features its own Song Maker, allowing to create and share your own music. My mind is spinning with all the invention possibilities, especially when interfacing this chrome experiment with the MakeyMakey when facilitating summer science camp.
• Student-Driven EdCamps might be an easy way in the door. To be honest, I am not sure when, or if, I would begin to implement something like this at my school site, but it does represent a solid protocol for empowering student-student and student-teacher collaboration via an informal model that has proven successful at empowering teachers. I keep coming back to this article and musing over its potential and possible variants.

[New, SIMPLIFIED, Student Portfolio System]

cross posted at www.cyclesoflearning.com

Ramsey Musallam teaches science and robotics at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, California, with the aim of fostering inquiry-based learning environments fueled by student curiosity. He presents widely on sparking student curiosity and teaching with technology. Musallam is a Google Certified Teacher, a YouTube Star Teacher, and a Leading Edge Certified Teacher. Watch his TED talk here and read his blog at www.cyclesoflearning.com.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in September by exploring the roots, artists and instruments of salsa! Includes English/Spanish lessons related to salsa greats Yomo Toro and Celia Cruz.

Courtesy of Knovation

[Cinco de Mayo in the Classroom]

Studytracks™, the app that converts everyday school subjects into relatable music content, today launched into the U.S. education market. Already widely used in the United Kingdom and France- and after an extensive beta test with selected California schools, Studytracks is now available for students and educators across the United States. The app is available through Google Play and the App Store with the schools platform available for a free trial through their website.

Studytracks was created by George Hammond-Hagan, an award-winning songwriter and music producer, who wanted to help his son learn physics. Using the "Earworm Effect," Studytracks takes curriculum and puts it to music to drive engagement, retention and achievement in and out of the classroom.

[Class Tech Tips: Circle Round Folktale Podcast for Kids]

"One of the biggest things that we saw with Studytracks is the results," said Shawn Duff, teacher at Monrovia High School. "The kids would listen to the songs, the Studytracks, do the self quizzes, and it allowed them to retain a lot more information and it was kind of crazy because they would come in knowing words and concepts before we even got to it, before we even cracked the textbook or started a lecture about it."

To learn more about Studytracks and the free 30-day trial, visit https://www.Studytracks.education/us/school/register/.

May 31, 2018, is Save Your Hearing Day; learn how to save your hearing with this article. According to The World Health Organization 1.1 billion people ages 12-35 listen to personal audio devices at “unsafe volumes,” risking permanent hearing loss. The availability of smartphones with access to music through earbuds has contributed to this increase. This article offers simple ways to protect against hearing loss: get headphones that fit; give your ears a rest; turn the volume down, get earplugs for concerts, sporting events, etc. Be careful not to push earbuds deep into your ears, and get regular hearing screenings. These simple actions may save your hearing as you age!

[The National Museum of National History: Bicycle]

courtesy of Knovation

Full Sail Labs announces the expansion of its online courses and new subscription plans to help teens explore their creativity through storytelling, art, and technology.

The subscription plans include courses in:

• Game Design– Courses in 2D, 3D, Match 3, Side Scroller, Arcade Style gaming, and more using the Unreal Engine and Blueprint Visual scripting.
  
• YouTube Creation – Create a social media presence, learn to produce original videos, build a brand, engage an audience, and monetize content on YouTube.
  
• Music Production – Explore areas of music production through song arrangements, recording sounds, and adding audio. Learn to produce original music using Ableton, Garageband, and Odesi software.

[5 Innovative Suggestions For Supporting "Kids Today"]

Subscription plans are available starting at $20/month. All subscription plans include a risk-free guarantee and course support. For more information about Full Sail Labs and the entire course selection, visit www.fullsaillabs.com/online.

Flocabulary

Schoolhouse Rock meets Tupac in this delightful hip-hop-based platform

[Class Tech Tips: 3 Ways Adobe Spark Promotes Creativity in the Classroom]

Pros: Smart songs are helpful and catchy; they hit all the right spots to satisfy both teachers and students.

Cons: Some subject areas are lighter on content than others, but new material is added regularly.

Bottom Line: Flocabulary has the goods: It's savvy enough to keep kids focused, and teachers will be tapping their toes to the unorthodox learning method.

Read more here.

App of the Day picks are selected from the top edtech tools reviewed by Common Sense Education, which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly.

By Common Sense Education

Celebrate National Weatherman's Day on the 5th by learning from Nick Walker, the weather dude, how meteorologists predict the weather. Sing along with his song, find out the different methods to forecast weather, and complete weather based activities.

courtesy of Knovation

Math Science Music

Thoughtful tools teach STEM skills through music and creativity

Pros: Interdisciplinary design boosts STEM and musical skills at the same time. Win-win.

Cons: Nontraditional site navigation without a menu and search function can make it difficult to locate resources.

Bottom Line: Limited but quality content gives STEM teachers a new toolset for fostering engagement and understanding.

Read more here.

By Common Sense Education

To be or not to be? That is the question for many teachers when it comes to allowing music in the classroom. Many see it as a distraction, but young people often disagree. Innovative educators know that students own the learning, but at the same time, the educators are responsible for the success of their students. Therefore it is in everyone's best interest to turn to the research and find out if music can indeed support student success.

Fortunately, I combed through more than a dozen articles and studies (several listed at the end of this post) so you won't have to. Here is what I've found.

The research says...

The research shows that music can be terrific for helping set a tone. The right music can be calming, help reduce stress and anxiety, support someone in being happy, and get people in the mood for physical activity or competition. It can also be a great tool to support productivity and concentration and what teacher wouldn't want that for their students?

However that's not the whole story. Some music can also lead to students becoming distracted, less productive, agitated, and depressed.

The verdict: It depends.

Letting your students listen to the music can be great for you and them, but not just any music. And, the music that is right for one person, may not be right for another because of a variety of factors related to enjoyment of the music, personality type, and goals an outcomes.

Choosing the right music

Here are some overarching concepts to keep in mind.

Focus and productivity can increase with music that the listener finds enjoyable, is familiar, does not have lyrics.

Mood can be enhanced and energy level brought up with music that is upbeat and familiar.

Getting started

1) Discover customized music

Wouldn't it be great if there was a way you could find the perfect music aligned to each unique student? Cool Cat Teacher, Vicki Davis, suggested trying Focus at Will to #NYCSchoolsTech educators and staff discussing the topic. In her blog, Vicki explains that the app claims to use science to design the music that puts you in “the zone” of productivity. It works for her and her son who swears by it. She bought a subscription which she uses it in her classroom, although she shares that sometimes kids want music with words in which case she uses another platform. Here is what it looks like after taking the quiz:

The quiz takes a few minutes. You can do it as a class activity or have students do it with their parents for homework. Once you have the results, chart how your students did so students can see one another's type.

2) Discuss music types

Share with students some of the research about the effects of music and how different music helps them increase focus and productivity. Ask students to group together by results of the music survey. Let them listen to the sample track and share what they notice and challenge them to find other music that might fit in that genre.

3) Create playlists

Encourage students to work in groups to create a playlist that incorporates what they have learned. Work with students to set expectations and limitations i.e. no profanity, limited lyrics. Once each group has their playlist have them present it to you for sign off. You may want them to have a family member review and sign off as well. Students should also sign a contract committing to listening to the songs agreed to on the playlist and agree to consequences if this is not followed i.e. lose privileges for a week, month, semester.

Is it worth it?

Doing a study productivity, focus, and music, will take some time up front that will provide your students with skills, strategies, and an awareness that will last a lifetime. Need help convincing administrators? Let them know that doing this is helping students become empowered learners who know how to customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process. Not only is that important for students, but it is also the International Society for Technology Educators standard 1B.

Further reading and research

Articles citing studies of the effect of music on students:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16597767
• http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/ndemers/sciproc/coping%20with%20stress.pdf
• http://blog.online.colostate.edu/blog/online-education/3-reasons-you-should-try-studying-while-listening-to-music/

Articles citing studies of the benefits of music at work:

• https://www.helpscout.net/blog/music-productivity/
• https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/how-listening-to-music-at-work-can-increase-productivity-082516.html

HT to innovative educator Eileen Lennon for getting the conversation going.

Lisa Nielsen writes for and speaks to audiences across the globe about learning innovatively and is frequently covered by local and national media for her views on “Passion (not data) Driven Learning,” "Thinking Outside the Ban" to harness the power of technology for learning, and using the power of social media to provide a voice to educators and students. Ms. Nielsen has worked for more than a decade in various capacities to support learning in real and innovative ways that will prepare students for success. In addition to her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator, Ms. Nielsen’s writing is featured in places such as Huffington Post, Tech & Learning, ISTE Connects, ASCD Wholechild, MindShift, Leading & Learning, The Unplugged Mom, and is the author the book Teaching Generation Text.

Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of her employer.

HTTP://ORGS.USD.EDU/NMM/GALLERIES.HTML

The National Music Museum located on the University of South Dakota’s campus is offering virtual tours of the museum.