Vermont MIDI Project Incorporates Noteflight Learning Edition

by Sandi MacLeod

The Vermont MIDI Project (VMP), www.vtmidi.org [1], has attracted national and international attention for our efforts to embed music composition into the curriculum. We’re recognized for our online mentoring of student work by professional composer mentors. We regularly feature live performance of original student compositions both at the semi-annual Opus concerts, and with collaborators such as the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Youth Orchestra and Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble and Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra. Student work is performed live often at the local school and community level too. VMP provides technical and curricular support for teachers in music composition and aspects of music and technology. The project provides resources such as podcasts, successful lesson plans, web conferences, and workshops. An annual four-day residential summer institute attracts educators from around the country and Canada to take courses and network with others.

[2]Recently we’ve added a new benefit for our members. The new tool has our early implementers glowing about the immediate curriculum effects and positive changes this new tool is providing for them. The new tool is Noteflight Learning Edition (NLE).

First, let’s understand NLE - in case you haven’t heard about it yet. Released last fall, NLE is a free online notation editor.  When I first heard about NLE, I was curious to try it. I have used several notation products over the 15-year history of VMP and was pleasantly surprised at the features and ease of use of this free online service. Students would have no trouble figuring out this program and using it immediately. Teachers can be resistant to change and take a while to learn a new tool, but I didn’t think this would be too challenging for them. NLE answered the persistent concerns from teachers about the cost of software, especially for their elementary and middle level programs. All of the schools within VMP want a notation editor for the support of the development of music literacy (many teachers use other software with their students as well, but all agree that a notation editor is essential.) NLE is web based and works in any browser or either computer platform. Students can work on their composition projects anywhere they have Internet access and aren’t limited to the finite school music periods. With NLE, schools are not required to purchase, install and upgrade software. The technology support staff will be thrilled.

When I first investigated NLE, I foresaw some issues with student registrations since Noteflight requires that students be 13 years of older and have an e-mail address for the free registration. A parent can register their child, but since I envisioned many VMP elementary and middle level teachers and students wanting this tool, I was uncertain how this registration limitation would work in a class setting. Individually it’s great for those individuals, but asking each child to get their own NLE registration isn’t realistic.

Noteflight Learning Edition, released in February 2009, is the answer to the classroom use dilemma. NLE is an incredibly powerful tool. The registration process and accessibility for students is tied to the individual teacher participation. NLE does have a cost associated with it, but it’s very reasonable for the large number of students any teacher can enroll. Teachers enroll their own students and no e-mail is required. Enrollment is fairly simple if you have a spreadsheet or csv file handy for your class.

This virtual learning environment combines a powerful learning management system called Haiku with the notation tool, Noteflight. They are integrated so that a teacher can set up a class for students with many choices. I know the VMP teachers who are actively now using NLE haven’t exhausted the possibilities for use, but here are some features we’ve been utilizing so far. Individual classes are set up with lessons that include scaffolded learning steps. Students can be divided into sections within a class. The lesson can include Noteflight examples or notation templates to complete. It’s easy to integrate audio and video resources, pdf documents, or links to other resources on the web.  Calendar and announcements features are available. Students and their teacher can engage in an online discussion or comment on classmate’s music scores. Students can hand in assignments through the dropbox feature. Teachers find all assignments collected in one location for easy access. Teachers can create practices or exams to assess student learning and integrate a gradebook feature. Teachers set practice sessions up with a limit on the number of times a student may try again or a time limit for completion. A teacher can create a login for parents as well to view some aspects of the class and an individual student’s grades. However, parent logins don’t allow them to do a student’s homework for them!

So far eleven VMP teachers have set up NLE for classes this fall. This collective group has almost 200 students enrolled in their courses.  These teachers are experimenting with the best way to present content and considering how to use the features provided in NLE to enhance what they want to do at their own school. You need to understand that in Vermont there’s no statewide curriculum and no statewide assessment for the arts. Vermont has over 300 individual public schools, a few as small as 70-75 students per building. We have 65 school districts and a strong feeling of independence at every level.  The lack of statewide requirements allow individual teachers to create a variety of lessons and projects within NLE.

It’s also important to understand that developing good content takes time with NLE. I’ve previously taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and using a LMS was something we’ve been doing at the college level for several years. Online course management is beginning to take hold in high schools and occasionally at the middle level. It’s not often found at the elementary level. VMP teachers see huge benefits for all grade levels of music activity. The younger students benefit from having organized lessons in music theory and composition. Students in performance groups from beginners through advanced can extend their precious rehearsal time by doing assignments with a notation tool and submitting it to their teacher.  Teachers can inject music theory and composition into any music program with NLE.

Two things make me very excited about this incredible tool for students. First, students are not limited by a teacher’s assignment or the time they have in music class to work. VMP teachers tell us students are using Noteflight and asking to share their original compositions created at home. Students can compose anytime they have access to the Internet – home, school, the public library or at a friend’s house. A student only shares those pieces they wish with their teacher or friends. Secondly, a student can develop a portfolio of their work to demonstrate their learning over a span of time.  This time period could be a year or multiple years that they are in a music program with participation in NLE.

We’re sharing our lessons and projects with each other for feedback about the strong and weak features of the work. Teachers are “borrowing” ideas created by others in our community and using/adapting these for their own classes. This ability to share and not reinvent good lessons and assessments is another thrilling benefit our trailblazing teachers have discovered. Below is a more detailed listing of the lessons and activities our teachers are currently exploring. As our use of NLE grows among members of the VMP, so will our good work with students.

• Chorus members in a high school class have a theory-based course online that begins with simple note identification and ends with creating a canon. Students do their work as an assignment outside of class.
• Seven different teachers of grade 5-8 students have composition and theory lessons developed by their teachers. Music elements include composing with a motif, creating harmony, developing a theme and variations, identifying skips and steps.
• Beginning band students in 5th grade are creating compositions with the five notes they have learned to play. Throughout the year they will create additional pieces as they broaden their ability.
• High school chorus students have a class page within NLE that includes multiple video recordings of a selection they will sing. Students respond to describe the differences in each selection.
• Five third grades each develop whole class compositions to provide background for a regular classroom PowerPoint project supporting an award winning children’s book.

Noteflight Learning Edition is available from SoundTree.  Call us at (800) 963-8733 or email us at info@soundtree.com [3] for more information and to purchase.