The original version of this page can be found at : http://forum.makemusic.com/default.aspx?f=23&m=315863
| Posted By : kelising - 1/19/2011 11:45 AM | I must voice a HUGE frustration/complaint. . . .
I am choral educator and a long time user of Smart music and have had great success using it with my students who are preparing for solo/ensemble. I have also recently started to import music from Finale files that I have created to use as a rehearsal/practice tool for the choirs. However, for one person who is also a full-time teacher and parent, the files that I create do not compare in quality to the files generated by Smart music.
WHEN will Smart music start updating files for vocal solos and ensembles? There has been very few additions to the vocal music since I first subscribed 7-8 years ago except for pop music which is completely useless to me. There are no duets, trios, etc. and I keep getting messages that Smart music has been updated with THOUSANDS of new titles, but they are all instrumental.
Also, why can't there be titles for chorus like there are for band and orchestra? I realize that it would probably be only accompaniment like the solo titles, but that would be more than what is currently out there. I'm feeling quite ignored as a vocal person! |
| Posted By : jamaroney - 5/21/2011 8:17 PM | | I, too, am a voice teacher and choral director, and I share the same complaint, except mine goes back to 12 years ago. SmartMusic apparently decided early on to forego vocal and choral music. Yet they have increased subscription fees, made regular updates to the program which require the user to upgrade computers, and abandoned floppy disk support years ago, shortly after my school spent over $1200. All of this, and no notable additions to their vocal music and absolutely NO choral music. |
| Posted By : Jim Jolley - 5/25/2011 8:07 PM | I know I am going to get a tongue lashing from someone,but......................
Have you talked to the folks at SM and make requests and/or complaints heard? I have found ( and I am a BD) when you ask a lot, things generally happen. Some tunes I have requested have been implemented recently.
Jim Jolley - Band Director - Center Hill Middle School
Finale 2006c, 2008a, 2009b, 2010a, 2011 - Smartmusic 2011 - Garritan CoMB - Vista |
| Posted By : snowtenor - 7/14/2011 12:11 PM | I am a voice teacher with a considerable number of college students and private students, and I too am frustrated with the lack of updates to the vocal side of the SM catalog. I am reluctant to recommend a site license to my department head because of the lack of advanced level vocal music. For example, there is nothing beyond the first volume of the Singers Musical Theatre Anthology, so I end up loading accompaniment discs into SM, essentially turning it into a glorified karaoke player, but not providing the benefits of a true SM file.
Steven Snow
Muhlenberg College |
| Posted By : Choirguy - 7/27/2011 12:04 PM | Just two things to keep in mind:
1) SmartMusic is investing heavily right now in SM2012, which will have some special features geared towards vocalists. If you do a search, you'll find mention of these features, as they've been demoing the beta in public in a number of places, including at the Minnesota ACDA summer dialogue next week.
2) You can always create a Finale file and export it as a Smart Music file to utilize all the SM features. Or better yet, if you are a college professor, you could assign the student to create the file.
All that said, the addition of vocal literature over the past years has been pretty limited, although for the majority of high school applications (which would probably be SM's vocal target), most of the First Book series are there, as well as the 24 and 26 Italian art songs--which is a good starting point for a singer--high school or college.
And to the school that put $1200 into those old cartridge or disk files, if you contact SM, they used to offer an exchange program--don't know if they still do that. |
| Posted By : arsnova54 - 8/23/2011 9:04 PM | I understand the beef. I invested into SmartMusic just before they switched over from the old cartridges.
But I have to say that I received my copy of SM2012 today and I am really excited about its potential for classroom use and sight-reading assessment! Hopefully they will start with some basic choral rep soon, like some of the ACDA repertoire lists, such as http://vtacda.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/choralrepertoire.pdf
The main drawback right now is that I just bought Finale 2011 last year and now it appears that I will need to upgrade to Finale 2012 when it comes out in order to create SmartMusic assessment files created in Finale. |
| Posted By : Jim Jolley - 8/23/2011 10:32 PM | | arsnova,
You can create a smartmusic file in Finale 2011 and it will work in sm 2012. Been doing assignments for several weeks now with no problems.
You will really enjoy the sight reading capabilities!!
Jim Jolley - Band Director - Center Hill Middle School Finale 2006c, 2008a, 2009b, 2010a, 2011 - Smartmusic 2011 - Garritan CoMB - Vista |
| Posted By : rhaynes - 9/2/2011 2:08 PM | | I have talked to many folks at Smartmusic about this and their answer is that "...it is not in their finanical interest to support the vocal component." I find it interesting that all of the band folks that commented on this forum are all like "just talk to them, they are reasonable, they will help." Yes, they will help, they will help the band folks... period. They ARE NOT planning and DO NOT have any plans to extend services to the vocalists. All of the heads of the company have said so. Why? The band folks speak alot louder and in one voice. They understand what they want and say so enmass. If we vocalists want this change we need to "band" together. Let's start a group, let's get organized and unified in one voice. When they think that they can make money on us, they'll listen to us... not until. And the fact that they have programs for Texas and Florida don't thrill me or mean anything. They are not going to be equal programs to the instrumental ones. They will be the bare minimum, do just enough of what the needs are for those two states in this assesment and nothing else because that is what got paid for. Where are the vocal textbooks? Where are excerises for vocal students? Where are vocal pieces or accompaniments? If you are eagerly waiting for them, stop. Let's get something going.... |
| Posted By : James Lund - 9/2/2011 3:54 PM | Rhaynes,
Welcome to the forum! I'd have to ask that you refrain from creating quotes attributed to MakeMusic in this fashion, as you're implying something we haven't actually said.
It is true that we have certainly been focused on the band and orchestral components of SmartMusic for the past few years. However, I would strongly recommend you look more closely at the 2012 release. Vocal assessment is the primary new feature, as well as several vocal method books and many exercises. You'll need Finale 2012 to create vocal assessment files yourself (coming this Fall), but otherwise I think this particular release paints a very different picture than what you're saying. We also need to know specifically what repertoire teachers and students are looking for, which is done at this website (rather than the forum):
www.smartmusic.com/FindMusic/Request.aspx
I'd encourage you to spend more time with 2012, because I think you'd see there is certainly a strong commitment revealed in this release.
Thanks,
James Lund
MakeMusic, Inc.
These on-line forums are intended for the exchange of ideas among the users of MakeMusic products. If you'd like individual help from our technical support staff, please contact us directly at www.smartmusic.com/support. |
| Posted By : rhaynes - 9/2/2011 4:53 PM | |
I certainly do appreciate the quick response, thank you James. And while I will refrain from using quotes but I have to tell you that representatives from Smartmusic HAVE said that to me verbatim (otherwise I would not have used the quotes). Look, I'm not trying to vilify Smartmusic. You are running a business, and the instrumental folks are the ones making it successful. I get that. But if we were all being bluntly honest, Smartmusic has ignored the vocal and choral folks. I'm glad that the Texas and Florida jobs have made putting money into the vocal side financially possible, but it is still light years away from the instrument offerings. I know other teachers and choral textbook people that have also tried to get vocal equality on Smartmusic. I'm hoping that we can all band together to make it worth your while to make us a priority. I have been looking around on 2012, and while it's great that Finale 2012 (which you can't get yet) will support the vocalists, that's almost like saying that we have been ignored. There are some things there now for vocal/general, but there are a lot of choral people who have gotten used to the idea that Smartmusic isn't for them, or worse, that they have been so frustrated with it up until now that they don't want any part of it. I'm glad that there are offerings now for vocal people, but where is the ensemble music? You can't tell me that every piece of instrumental ensemble music is only on the site because someone requested it. I know, you guys are just getting off the ground with the vocal stuff and it will take time but that to me is another sign that we have been ignored in the past. Maybe ignored is not a good choice of word, because I don't believe it is personal, just not good business practice. Maybe that is all changing, I don't know. For instance, go to "Bass/Baritone Voice" solos.... 9 results. (Don't go to Bass Solos, there is nothing there!)... Go to Trombone.... 167 results! I know, it will take time. I guess my point is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and therefore we need to speak up! Thank you again, James, for responding. Maybe the fact that you were willing to start this dialogue means that things are already heading in the right direction. |
| Posted By : Jim Jolley - 9/3/2011 10:34 PM | rhaynes,
I have been a beta tester for 2 years and a smartmusic user longer. I am also a finale user and will get 2012 when it is available.
I have found in my testing of smartmusic that makemusic has been really trying to make a good product. The interface change in 2011 was a pretty big change that had been planned since (I think) 2008. Once they made the change to the more internet based, the product has gotten much better (In my opinion). Of course with any major change there are issues and from my end, they have been listening and trying to get a better product and here we are.
Maybe smartmusic knew that smartmusic wasn't say ready enough for vocals yet and waited until the product was good enough to do the job. (That is my opinion and not that of the company and no one has said anything like that to me). I do know they have really tried to make a good product and when there are errors or bugs, they have attempted to fix them. I don't think you were being ignored, just waiting for the right combination of things to happen for a good product.
I have said this over and over again, if you have a need or request, you need to submit a feature or music request. Everything I have asked for has been created (not overnight but done none the less). Voicing concerns here doesn't always get to the right people, although James does a good job of passing things along. Follow the process and things do get done.
Jim Jolley - Band Director - Center Hill Middle School
Finale 2006c, 2008a, 2009b, 2010a, 2011 - Smartmusic 2011 - Garritan CoMB - Vista |
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