Integrating Free Technology Resources for Elementary Music Educators* Amy M. Burns, Elementary Music Educator There are numerous free technology resources elementary music educators can incorporate in their classrooms immediately. Burns will highlight many of these resources and show how students utilize them in her elementary music classroom. *It should be noted that I will be showing you free resources, however, many of these resources have in-app purchases or are lite versions or are watered-down versions, which makes them free but reminds you that you can get more if you would like to invest the money. For a complete and thorough listing, scan this QR Code or go to my website, http://www.amymburns.com and click on Websites/Software Amy M. Burns aburns@fhcds.org Far Hills Country Day School Music Educator, Author, and Clinician Author of Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom, Help! I am an Elementary Music Teacher with a SMART Board, and Help! I am an Elementary Music Teacher with One or more ipads! Author for Online Learning Exchange Interactive Music powered by Silver Burdett Past President of TI:ME and Chair of Early Childhood Music of the NJMEA Board Website: http://www.amymburns.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/awillis2 Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/awillisburns/ Facebook: amywillisburns Google+: Amy Willis Burns 1
Audio/Music Creation: Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) - Audacity is a free, easy-to-use, multitrack audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems. o Uses: Easily change the tempo and key of any audio file. You can also remove lyrics from some audio files. In addition, your students can record themselves adding some basic audio effects like reverb, in the classroom or from home. o Alternative: a watered-down version of Protools! http://apps.avid.com/protoolsfirst/ Soundation (http://soundation.com/) - a powerful online music studio with recording, effects, virtual instruments and over 700 free loops and sounds. o Uses: It is like garageband, but in the cloud! Soundtrap (http://www.soundtrap.com) - online music studio that can work on mobile devices. Incredibox (http://www.incredibox.com) - Have your students easily create their own beat-boxing acapella group! o Uses: The students create music as a background accompaniment to a rap that they wrote in class. Button Bass: (http://www.buttonbass.com/) - Similar to incredibox with a variety of styles. Resources: Socrative (http://www.socrative.com/) - a free response system for your students where you can create quizzes, tests, assessments, reflections, etc, tat they can login and answer from their mobile devices and laptops. QR Stuff (http://www.qrstuff.com/) - Use this site to create qr codes, which makes it easier for young students to access websites, pdf files, audio files, etc. Bulletin Boards for the Music Classroom (http://www.musicbulletinboards.net/downloads_nonmk8.htm) - Tracy King, the Queen of Music Bulletin Boards, and music educators, made this website back in 1999 and it has a plethora of resources for the music educator. The downloads page that I showed has numerous traditional song lyrics and/or notation as powerpoint files, as well as rhythmic and instructional powerpoints and pdf worksheets. o Uses: Need to find lyrics to a song at the very last minute? Check the downloads portion of this site and download the powerpoint file. Freddie the Frog Books: (http://www.freddiethefrog.com/games/freddie_the_frog_and_the_mysterious_wa hooooo/index.php) - Love this rhythm stick activity Music K8 Idea Bank (http://www.musick8.com/html/idearesults.php) - Access this free idea bank of close to 2000 ideas that relate to songs found in Teresa Jenning s Music K8 series. Making Music Fun (http://makingmusicfun.net/) - 600+ free printable resources, including sheet music, worksheets and lessons. o Uses: Need a recorder song for beginner to intermediate players fully notated? Try this website! 2
Music Tech Teacher (http://www.musictechteacher.com) - TI:ME 2006 Teacher of the Year, Karen Garrett s website for her 2nd through 5th grade students who are learning to read, write, compose and publish their music to CD's and the Internet. Student work, pictures and music compositions are on this site. The site is also used to provide music technology links, quizzes, resources and information to all music teachers interested in using technology to enhance music instruction. o Uses: Want to quiz your students musical knowledge? This site will either have the quizzes ready for you to use or give you great ideas for ones you can use with your elementary music classes. Stop Light for Movement Games: (http://pbskids.org/rogers/trafficlight.html) http://mysongfile.com/index - Miriam, a music educator in Australia, created this Kodály-inspired website where you can cross-reference numerous songs by rhythms, melodic elements, forms, games, themes, canons in 2-4 parts, songs in parts and more. You can sign up for free and access some of the free materials on the site. However, if you have ever taken a Kodály course and wished there was a site that had the songs, lessons, and a database of the materials from the class, then paying to be a member of this site is worth the price. Music Series Websites: Quaver Music Website (http://www.quavermusic.com) McGraw Hill (https://www.mheonline.com) Silver Burdett (https://www.onlinelearningexchange.com/content/products/music.html) Videos: http://www.youtube.com - Youtube in the music classroom has endless possibilities. http://www.safeshare.tv - View Youtube videos with no advertisements, no comments, and a clean background! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar1ellmrkve - Rhythm practice to Minions performing the Banana Song. The ending has one Minion punching the other, so on my website, you can download the video without that ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns_ntnckpky - Listening Guide to Tchaikovsky s March from the Nutcracker Suite, put together by Alexis Washburn http://www.amidonmusic.com/images/mp3s/kindergartenreel.mp3 - If you own Listen to the Mockingbird, this link contains the audio file to the Kindergarten Reel that was not included on the CD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri1-yhjge9g - Dan Barrow s great music videos of the staff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey-hj9wz6lk - AT8 fingers louie s adaptation of Trainor s All About the Bass rewritten to describe the notes of the bass clef staff. Curriculum: Augusta County Public Schools Elementary Music Curriculum Guide - http://www.augusta.k12.va.us/page/396 School District of Osceola County Elementary Music Curriculum Framework - http://www.pe.osceola.k12.fl.us/elementarymusic/osceolaelementarymusiccurriculumfr amework.html#h.9w18ns7oyhmm 3
http://www.sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/music-curriculum-6191215/ - This resource details the various areas of the elementary school music curriculum. Aligned to Common Core State Standards: SL.K.1, SL.1.1, SL.2.1 - this is from sharemylesson.com. You will need to create an account to download lessons. Share My Lesson (http://www.sharemylesson.com/) - Free lessons by teachers, for teachers. http://www.carnegiehall.org/toolbox/ - The Music Educators Toolbox is a collection of free, open-source learning resources and assessment tools created for classroom use by music teachers and Carnegie Hall teaching artists. Developed after an in-depth, five-year partnership between Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute and PS/MS 161 in upper Manhattan, the resources are designed to be adaptable for use in a variety of music classroom settings. The Toolbox currently features grade-specific music education resources addressing fundamentals of Rhythm and Meter, Form and Design, Expressive Qualities, Pitch, and Performing Recorder Websites: Recorder Express Game (http://www.joytunes.com/master) - Some traditional recorder songs come to life and assess your students playing abilities. Based on Recorder Express by Artie Almeda. JoyTunes Recorder Master Game (http://www.joytunes.com/master/?tok=googlealfred) http://www.themusicinteractive.com - Welcome to The Music Interactive web site, a place for music games, activities, and Computer Aided Instruction software for your students. This is where you can download Staff Wars Versions 1.2 and 2.2. Orchestral Sites/Games: http://www.sfskids.org - Consider this site your premier web destination for learning about music -- that's why it's here! http://www.dsokids.com - The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's magical doorway to a world of musical fun and learning for students, parents and teachers! http://www.nyphilkids.org - The New York Philharmonic Kidzone is a place for kids to come and learn about the New York Philharmonic and about the instruments, music, musicians, and more. Carnegie Hall Listening Adventures: - Learn about sound, music notation, text, and instruments of the orchestra through a series of interactive games. http://listeningadventures.carnegiehall.org/ypgto/index.aspx - Young Person s Guide to the Orchestra http://www.classicsforkids.com/ - Classical music's great composers come to life through music and stories. http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org o Whack a note game o Orchestrating using a baseball metaphor o Exploring instruments o Lessons/curriculum Interactive Whiteboard Lesson Sites http://mustech.pbworks.com/w/page/21952707/frontpage - Smart Board, Power point, 4
and Promethean Music Lesson http://resources.mrsfriedmanmusic.com/ - Smart Board Music http://www.cphmusic.net - Cherie Herring s blog with many SMART Board downloadable music activities and assessments. She is an amazing educator who uses her SMART Board and ipads in wonderful ways! http://kodalyaspiringmusicclassroom.weebly.com/downloads.html - SMART Board files created by The Kodály Aspiring Music Classroom blog. http://www.sherry.smartboardmusicbuddy.com/ - This website was created by Ms. Rockafellow as a resource for teachers with smartboard software. Many of the smartboard lesson plans that were created, can be used for choral, band, strings, and general music classes. http://elementarymusicresources.blogspot.ca/p/my-smartboard-files.html - Ashley s Queen s free downloadable music resources, many include SMART board music files. http://iwbmusic.blogspot.com/ - Interactive web-based resources for the music educator http://exchange.smarttech.com/search.html?q=music - Discover more than 50,000 easyto-use, relevant, classroom-ready resources and a growing online community on the SMART Exchange website. You can access the website by clicking the icon in the toolbar in SMART Notebook software. You can also easily share your lessons on the SMART Exchange website. Apps: (these apps emulate some of the websites mentioned above and are free or lite versions) Check my website: http://www.amymburns.com and click on ipods/ipads, or download my free ibook: Help! I am an Elementary Music Teacher with One or More ipad! Scan here to download the free ibook: PDFs: http://shop.musicplaytext.ihoststores.com/images/misc/vocalexplorations.pdf - vocal exploration pdf http://www.artiealmeida.com/resources/statues.pdf - Artie Almeida statues pdf 5