|
|
| MakeMusic Forum > Public Forums > SmartMusic - FORUM HAS MOVED! > Improvisation Lesson Plans | Forum Quick Jump
|
| 
Dale Wolford
Registered Member
      
Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2
| Posted 12/4/2005 2:50 PM (GMT -6) |   | With the addition of the new improvisation on-screen accompaniments, it would be great to start developing lesson plans for students, giving them a step-by-step process to go through. I'm going to start and plan to post them on my web site, but I would love to work with other folks who want to do this as well. I'd love to hear from anyone else that is interested.
Also, suggestions of current web sites using things like the Aebersold with lessons plans that you can recommend I look at would be great.
Dale | | Back to Top | |
|
Tyler
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2001
Total Posts : 3586
| Posted 12/20/2005 5:35 AM (GMT -6) | | Lesson plans in general are a great idea. One thing that SM can give that hasn't really been tapped into yet is structure. It's often difficult to get students to practice exactly what they should and exactly how they should. I've just started a new approach for a trumpet student of mine. I used Finale to make a single file that's a complete 30 minute practice session. It takes her through warm-ups, lip slurs, scales, twisters, and songs, with suitable breaks and repetitions built in. I have her record it, and I'm assured that her practices are effective. I think in the future it would be really great to have a Lesson Plan feature in SmartMusic, where teachers could set a series of exercises, methods, etc. to open in succession and play.
Windows XP, all updates
Real Time Finale Discussion - FinaleIRC.Com | | Back to Top | |
|
Dale Wolford
Registered Member
Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2
| Posted 12/20/2005 2:33 PM (GMT -6) | | | Great idea for developing a specific practice session--I agree students need a clear structure to follow. I also like your idea of having a "Lesson Plan feature" in SM. Although just having a list for your students of the order of the exercises they should do, might work for now. But if it could be saved like the current Playlists feature that would sure make it easy to use and as we know the EASIER it is to use the more it WILL be used! | | Back to Top | |
|
dubaifox
Registered Member
Date Joined Nov 2004
Total Posts : 33
| Posted 1/22/2006 4:26 AM (GMT -6) | | I have really been enjoying the new jazz features in 9.0!! The backing tracks really have a lot of soul and heart in them and they REALLY SWING, which is amazing for a computer program. The tunes are hip!
I have a Mac laptop connected to a projector. I set my whole band in front of the screen and go through one of the Jazz Tunes or Blues progressions and have each section play the head.
At the same time, I will teach a very simple background riff (by ear) for the others to play as the sections are playing the head so they don't get bored. I might even do a real simple call and response while other sections are playing the head. I also have them play (from memory) the root notes of the chord progression, which is easy to do with a blues progression, but takes a little time if it is not a blues progression. They also might just jot down the chords on a piece of paper, advanced students can learn to transpose for their instrument.
Then, I will call up the feature in SM that displays note patterns, (rather than the lead sheet) and play some of those. This might go on for 30 minutes and by the end of it kids are improvising without even knowing it.
Recording the whole group, sections or soloists also works amazingly well from my Mac laptop. Some kids feel more comfortable scat singing than soloing on their instrument. They love to hear themselves recorded!!
This really keeps the whole band entertained, it is quite non-threatening, and creates a great environment for kids to learn how to improvise. | | Back to Top | |
|
Tyler
Registered Member
Date Joined Mar 2001
Total Posts : 3586
| Posted 1/22/2006 5:54 PM (GMT -6) | | dubaifox said...
I have really been enjoying the new jazz features in 9.0!! The backing tracks really have a lot of soul and heart in them and they REALLY SWING, which is amazing for a computer program. The tunes are hip!
I have a Mac laptop connected to a projector. I set my whole band in front of the screen and go through one of the Jazz Tunes or Blues progressions and have each section play the head.
At the same time, I will teach a very simple background riff (by ear) for the others to play as the sections are playing the head so they don't get bored. I might even do a real simple call and response while other sections are playing the head. I also have them play (from memory) the root notes of the chord progression, which is easy to do with a blues progression, but takes a little time if it is not a blues progression. They also might just jot down the chords on a piece of paper, advanced students can learn to transpose for their instrument.
Then, I will call up the feature in SM that displays note patterns, (rather than the lead sheet) and play some of those. This might go on for 30 minutes and by the end of it kids are improvising without even knowing it.
Recording the whole group, sections or soloists also works amazingly well from my Mac laptop. Some kids feel more comfortable scat singing than soloing on their instrument. They love to hear themselves recorded!!
This really keeps the whole band entertained, it is quite non-threatening, and creates a great environment for kids to learn how to improvise.
I think you should send this to customer support as well and ask them to forward it to their SM team. People are finding creative ways to use SM more effectively, and other teachers might benefit from your idea if the SM team can put it on their website.
Windows XP, all updates
Real Time Finale Discussion - FinaleIRC.Com | | Back to Top | |
|
mburt
Registered Member
Date Joined Feb 2006
Total Posts : 8
| Posted 2/20/2006 9:06 PM (GMT -6) | | Dale and Tyler,
I am very intrigued by the possibilities that SmartMusic/Finale presents for creating lesson plans. I would be interested in how you are approaching this. I teach strings 6-12. I and my students are just beginning to use SmartMusic.
Guiding students (especially beginners) through each of their practice sessions using this technology, would be very beneficial to them.
One of the thing I have done is use the beginning band method books in SmartMusic to expose my students to playing in flat keys.
Eric | | Back to Top | |
| Forum Information | Currently it is Tuesday, December 19, 2023 7:41 PM (GMT -6)
There are a total of 403,820 posts in 58,165 threads.
In the last 3 days there were 0 new threads and 0 reply posts. View Active Threads
|
Forum powered by dotNetBB v2.42EC SP3
dotNetBB © 2000-2023 |
|
|