Posted by jamesfrankel January 25th, 2008
I am thrilled to introduce an invaluable new resource to anyone who teaches with technology at the elementary school level. Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom written and edited by Amy M. Burns, is a collection of over 50 lesson plans that focus on younger students. Amy M. Burns, a fellow New Jersey educator from Far Hills Country Day School, was the first ever TI:ME Teacher of the Year. She is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences, and is currently the Secretary/Treasurer of the TI:ME NJ State Chapter, the chair of the TI:ME Grants Committee, as well as a member of the TI:ME Board of Directors.
Published by Hal Leonard and presented by TI:ME, this exciting new resource is filled with comprehensive lessons complete with clear objectives, required materials, links to standards, detailed procedures, and a wonderful evaluation rubric. In addition to the many lesson plans contributed by Amy, there are lessons from twenty other fabulous teachers. As an added resource, TI:ME has set up a website that has downloadable PDFs of all of the handouts, audio files, notation files, PowerPoints, and more that are associated with each lesson. The book was just released by Hal Leonard at the NAMM Show last week, and will soon be available on the SoundTree website, as well as other online outlets. At the low price of $19.95, this book is sure to be a best seller among music educators.
Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom is a long overdue resource for any teacher who is interested in integrating technology into their elementary music curriculum, or the perfect book for those who have been using technology for awhile and are looking for fresh new teaching ideas. I strongly recommend picking this book up today! Well done Amy!
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews, Music Technology | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel October 10th, 2007
Alfred Publications has just released a new series written by some of my favorite authors (and friends): Tom Rudolph, Lee Whitmore, Stefani Langol, and Floyd Richmond. Book One: Composing Music With Notation is the first in the series. It is intended for teachers at the K-12 level. It provides in-depth lesson plans and project ideas. Here is what the Alfred website says about the book:
Complete with an accompanying data CD that contains compatible files for most music-notation software programs, Composing Music With Notation introduces and explains concepts that will help music students to have a broader understanding of the elements of music, become familiar with the operation of notation software programs, compose melodies and accompaniments on the computer, and use notation software to create their own arrangements! Best of all, no previous experience with music notation software or music theory is required!
Book One: Playing Keyboard is another book from the series and it designed for use with students in the later elementary grades up to high school. It is a perfect resource for a music teacher who has a keyboard lab, and is looking for a comprehensive resource to get started. Here is what the Alfred website says about the book:
Playing Keyboard is organized into five units, each including progressive and supplemental activities for practice and reinforcement. Topics include:
Unit 1: Left- and right-hand melody in C position; percussion accompaniment
Unit 2: Two-hand melody with C chord; percussion accompaniment; enrichment songs
Unit 3: C and G7 chords with the left hand; improvise percussion parts; enrichment songs
Unit 4: C, F, and G7 chords with the left hand; percussion accompaniment; Theme and Variations form
Unit 5: Variations of the 12-bar blues progression in C; improvise melodies using the blues scale.
Knowing all of these authors quite well and the amazing work that they have done in the music technology field, I strongly recommend getting the books from this series (one more will be released soon). It is the perfect addition to any music educators library.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
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Posted by jamesfrankel October 1st, 2007
I read a fantastic article written by Stephen J. Dubner on the New York Times website yesterday titled What’s The Future of the Music Industry? A Freakonomics Quorum. The article includes interviews of five music industry analysts and insiders and asks where they see the music industry now and in five years time. It is an extremely interesting look into the reasons the record industry is in the situation that it is in now – constantly blaming illegal file-sharing for the demise of record sales. It is alo the most well-rounded look at the problem I have yet to read.
I strongly recommend reading this article. It will make think twice about what is happening in the music industry today. For those of you who teach high school – particularly those who might run music technology or recording and engineering classes – it is a must read for your students.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
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Posted by jamesfrankel May 31st, 2007
Happy 217th Brithday US Copyright Law!
On this day in 1790, George Washington signed the Copyright Act of 1790 into law. The original law was based on the 1710 Statute of Anne, the first copyright law passed in England named after Queen Anne. The original copyright act passed by the second session of the US Congress was quite short, taking up only a half a page of the Columbian Centinel – one of the many papers that the act was published in. The law protected only US citizens who published books, charts, and maps for a period of 14 years – international copyright protection didn’t happen until 1891. This period of time could be renewed for an additional 14 years. It is a simple law with a simple purpose: to encourage creativity by protecting the right to reproduce it for a limited period of time.
Since 1790, the copyright law has been changed numerous times to include various forms of media – including music. Believe it or not, music in the United States was not protected under Copyright Law until the Copyright Act of 1909. It is interesting to trace the history of copyright law to see how we’ve come from a simple half-page document to the current 239 page law. Copyright Law today is quite different from the original document written in 1790, and so is the technology-driven world that we live in.
To learn more about the history of Copyright Law in the US, I strongly recommend the following books:
Music Copyright for the New Millennium by David J. Moser
Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Creativity by Lawrence Lessig
Digital Copyright by Jessica Litman
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews, Copyright | 1 Comment »
Posted by jamesfrankel May 21st, 2007
Looking for a great resource that covers pretty much every piece of technology on the market today? Look no further. The Technology Guide for Music Educators (TI:ME/Thomson Course Technology, 2006) is a wonderful book from the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) that does just that. The book, which sells for $19.99, provides product descriptions, technical specifications, pictures, comparative charts, Web resources, and curricular-integration ideas for the hardware and software currently available to music educators. Twelve of music education technology’s best came together to write the book with Scott Watson serving as editor. It is a great resource for anyone looking for information about specific products and how they can be used in the classroom. To read more about the book, check out my article entitled Read Me! in the February/March issue of Music Technology Magazine. The article also reviews three other invaluable books that every music educator should have on their shelf.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews, Music Technology | 2 Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel April 6th, 2007
The Failure of the DMCA
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) was written to protect works in the digital domain from unauthorized duplication and the circumvention of technologies that protect the works from being copied (DRM). DRM has had quite an unwelcome reception by consumers, and there have been some changes to the original law based on the now landmark case where Sony was implemented DRM on their CDs without consumer knowledge – eventually recalling all of the effected CDs for a full refund. There has been quite a bit of press recently about EMIs decision to drop DRM from their music being offered on iTunes – one of the many online places to purchase DRM protected music. Some say it is a move by Apple to avoid becoming another Microsoft in the EU. Nothing stings quite as hard as anti-trust litigation in the European courts.
I was recently reading one of my favorite technology blogs, TechDirt, and I came across a fascinating article about Bruce Lehman, one of the original architects of the DMCA, who now admits that the DMCA has been a failure. He is quoted as saying: “our Clinton administration policies didn’t work out very well” and “our attempts at copyright control have not been successful”. Well said Bruce. While I am a strong advocate against music piracy, I am equally firm on my stance against DRM. When I purchase something I believe that I have the right to do whatever I want with it – as long as I am not breaking any laws. When I bought my car it didn’t have a device that would shut down the engine the moment I drove over 65 MPH. When I bought my cell phone it did not have a device that would give me a small shock when I used it in the car while I am driving. If I get caught breaking these laws there are consequences – and there should be – but can you imagine the American people’s reaction to cars that shut down and cell phones that shocked? DRM is the same exact thing in my opinion. It is a device that controls my actions with legally purchased music. One of the down sides of DRM is that the protections placed on the music are often paired with lesser-quality file formats. Apple’s Protected AAC format is nowhere near the quality of an AIFF file. So not only are you buying music with protection on it (CDs do not have these protections) you are buying an inferior quality product. I am hopeful that the EMI move motivates American record companies to do the same: drop DRM. Until then, I’m sticking with CDs.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews, Copyright | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel March 29th, 2007
Music Education Technology Magazine is a fabulous free resource for music educators containing articles and lesson plans that utilize technology in the classroom. You can get a free yearly subscription by visiting the website – and you’ll receive 4 issues a year.
I have been writing for the magazine for a few years now, and my latest article, Read Me! is about four books on music technology that I believe every music teacher should own. I am also featured in an article by Scott Watson entitled Desert-Island Technology. Check them out. Let me know what you think.
Posted in Book Reviews, Music Technology | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel February 14th, 2007
Some of you might know that I have a book published by SoundTree entitled Teaching Classroom Music in the Keyboard Lab. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, here’s what it’s all about…
A few years ago Lee Whitmore, the Managing Director of SoundTree, approached me to create a series of lesson plans for the keyboard labs that SoundTree was installing as a partner with the VH1 Save the Music Project. Eager to help out with such a noble cause, I wrote down 15 of my favorite lesson plans and tied them together for use in those labs. When a teacher receives a VH1/SoundTree Keyboard Lab they get a 16-station keyboard lab complete with the amazing GEC3 Group Controller and a teacher station. The lesson plans were written to help music teachers understand how the lab can be used to teach students how to compose, improvise, perform, and learn general music concepts with technology. Each lesson plan comes with reproducible student handouts and activities to extend the lesson if computers are available to the teacher.
One of my favorite things is traveling around the country to train the teachers who receive these VH1/SoundTree labs. The project selects teachers who are teaching at-risk student populations, and in many cases the students would not be learning music if not for the project. The labs are wonderful and I am thrilled that my lessons are helping teachers and students learn music in a keyboard lab environment.
If you’d like to purchase a copy of Teaching Classroom Music in the Keyboard Lab, you can visit the SoundTree online store, or call 1 (800) 963-8733. I hope that you enjoy the lessons, and if you already have a copy of the book, I’d love to hear how the lessons are working with your students.
Posted in Book Reviews, Lesson Plans, Music Technology | No Comments »
Posted by jamesfrankel February 7th, 2007
My good friend Dr. Tom Rudolph has a new publication out entitled: Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software. Along with co-author Vince Leonard, Rudolph has created the first guide to Sibelius, and at 330 pages, it certainly is comprehensive. The book comes complete with a supplemental website with notation files and links to relevant websites. Whether you’re an expert Sibelius user, or just getting started, I highly recommend getting a hold of this book. While the Sibelius manual is quite easy-to-read as it is, it is refreshing to get a new perspective on the software, and when someone like Tom gets the chance to write about software, you can be sure that there will be numerous examples of how to implement the software in the music classroom (Chapter 14). I will be teaching a TI:ME 2A Course this summer through Villanova University that will be focusing on utilizing Sibelius, and this book will be the text for the course.You can buy it at the normal online bookseller websites, or from any of the music technology specialists such as SoundTree.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews | 1 Comment »
Posted by jamesfrankel December 13th, 2006
MENC has an interesting section of their website called Creativity in the Classroom. This section features lesson plans targeted at copyright issues and how they effect creativity – everything from intellectual property rights to fair use. The lesson plans are broken into interdisciplinary subject areas including: English, History, Civics & Government, Economics, Technology, and the Arts. Each discipline has a series of lesson modules that address how copyright issues effect everyone from the creator to the owner of the content. They are interesting lessons in that they were funded and created to teach students specifically why downloading music without paying for it is a crime. Organizations such as ASCAP, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Schools Boards Association, the U.S. Register of Copyrights, and the American Bar Association supported the creation of the lessons, and they have had a strong influence on the lens that copyright law is presented through.
I have lectured at countless workshops and conferences about this topic with my presentation titled To Burn Or Not To Burn: It’s More Than An Ethical Question. The thrust of my discussion has always been what teachers can do to educate their students about copyright law and what the Recording Industry Association of America is doing to stop illegal downloading. As part of my lecture, I pressent the other side to the story and some of the amazing cases involving students, parents and the fines they incur when they are caught. Teachers need to realize that there is a strong argument being made by people like Lawrence Lessig, author of my favorite book on the topic of copyright law: Free Culture. His work with the organization Creative Commons is trying to create opportunities for students to work with copyright protected materials that does not violate copyright law. Teachers should not only use the lesson plans from the MENC website but should also consider Lessig’s arguments and give the students a broad view of the issue. I am a firm advocate against piracy, as is Lessig, but when teachers and students are worrying about violating the law when they use literary and musical works as inspiration in their classrooms – it’s a problem. I strongly recommend you read Free Culture for yourself. It is a powerful book. I also recommend MENC’s Copyright Guide, also on their site.
I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Posted in Book Reviews, Lesson Plans, Music Technology Links, Website Reviews | No Comments »
