Great Jazz History Site

This jazz site with the UK Guardian is amazing.

Real jazz, great essays. Must read.

Expansion

Here are some initiatives we have started this year on how they are doing. None of this was here at the beginning of the year.

1. iPads. They are totally integrated into our class at this point. But I feel I haven't even scratched the surface on what I should be doing. I need more support on syncing and updating. This takes so much time. That I dont have.

2. Smartmusic. We are using it pretty extensively at the HS. I wish I could use it more for choir. I had about 5 students get subscriptions ar elementary school. We definitely need to do more there.

3. Recording studio. Its in. I have been trying since December to get the piano moved out of the room. Budget got frozen so no money for furniture. I haven't even begun to figure this out.

4. MacBook. I use it all the time, but I havent even begun to figure out Garageband. I did a little work with iMovie. This is one place I would like to take a class.

5. Finale/Scanner/Forscore. I have hopes for putting our music on the iPad. I havent started yet. Scanner isnt even plugged in. Waiting for piano to be moved.

I need to have somebody come for a week, set everything up and help me organize.

Lists of iPad Apps for Music Room

2/14/11 List

11/18/10 List

10/21/10 List

10/12/10 List The big list.

iPad Apps for Music Room

Here are some additional apps we have been using with the iPads:

Google Translate: Freaky cool. Does an amazing job. Will speak and write the translation.

Wolfram Alpha: Type in C# harmonc minor scale and the scale comes up. Great resource for just getting the facts. Let alone it is an amazing algebra/calculus engine.

VoiceJam: We haven't quite figured out how to use this, but it is a very cool loop generator. Watch the video.

iGuitarFree: pretty cool and good sounding app. Would like a quality guitar chord generator. Ideas?

Trio: allows three people to play on same iPad. Bass, piano, and drums.

#1 Thing we use on iPad: piano.

#2 Thing we use on iPad: youtube

#3 Thing we use on iPad: internet/musictheory.net

I have a compilation list on 2/14 entry. Check it out.

My Recovery

Today I really played trombone for the first time since my stroke on December 11. I hadn't played at all in about three weeks. No excuse, I just hadn't been playing since I went on leave.

I am about 98% there. Now that might be OK for awhile, but that last two percent is the tough part. That last two percent is what enables me to play and think and adapt. I notice my reading is much improved, but I couldn't learn from my mistakes. If I made one error I kept making the same error. I would not feel comfortable to take a gig right now (not that anyone is calling...).

I expect to play a lot when I get back to school as we are doing the Aebersold Maiden Voyage in band. This will give me a chance to relearn my scales and see if I can apply them when I improvise.

I really need a choir accompanist. I worry about my ability to play piano and listen to choir at same time. I have a lot to relearn.

I find my writing has improved dramatically in the past week. I can write in paragraphs a lot better now. Still, it is not quite right (notice almsot every sentence starts with I). I still think in bullets and write the same way. I have trouble thinking macro form (beginning-middle-end).

Old Videos

Having some fun converting old videos.

CMEA 2011 Conference

Today we learned that we will be presenting at the 2011 Connecticut Music Educators Conference (CMEA). We will present a session titled "iPads in Schools". We hope to perform the winning compositions from the iPad composition contest.

I hope to get the students heavily involved in this presentation. Let us know what you would like to see!