Technology is one of the most effective ways of simultaneously stimulating the visual, aural, and kinesthetic senses. By providing a high level of cognitive stimulation, children begin to use higher level reasoning and problem solving that is valuable across the curriculum. Also, technology is familiar to many children, which increases their sense of safety and curiosity. In many ways, technology is personal to children, so using computers and iPads is a way of developing the mutual respect mentioned in Standard 1.
In the area below, you will find photos of different music applications that I use to create a stimulating and safe environment for children.
2Beat: Children compose using various layers of sound. Enables children to experiment with tempo, timbre and volume. Children can see and hear their rhythms (visual and aural stimulus).
2Compose: I have used this to teach children to compose rhythms. Children choose different lengths of notes (4, 2, 1, 1/2), and have to place a total of 4 beats in each bar (maths connection). Children experiment with volume, texture, and instrumental sounds. This is also a valuable resource for teaching pitch, as the notes appear with letter names (literacy connection).
2Create: Children use this program to record a short sequence using musical instruments and other sounds. This is good for basic experimentation with timbre in the early years.
2Play: This is an excellent resource for teaching the basic concept of the keyboard. Children are able to see which notes are high, which are low, and the distance between pitches. Notes are recorded in the workspace underneath the keyboard, so that they can have a visual reference of what they have played.
Djembe iPad app: I use this app to introduce children to the djembe, before allowing children to play the real drums. The app provides a controlled environment in which I can explain where to touch the drum, and the different pitches that the drum can create. This app also allows me to create backing tracks for the children to hear and to play along with. The children are able to record rhythms and save for future reference.
iXylophone: This iPad app is an excellent way of providing 1:1 access to a keyboard instrument. The children are able to see, touch, and hear the difference between the high and low bars. Children turn their iPads vertically so that the xylophone is like a ladder that goes ‘up’ and ‘down’. This helps me to introduce and reinforce the concept of pitch in music. The different colours provide a good reference (which colour bar is the smallest; which colour bar is the biggest?). This app also provides the option to display the names of the pitches (visual cues, literacy link), and for children to record their own composition to share with others (assessment for learning).
Muse Score: This computer program allows more advanced children to compose and save music. I have used this in KS2 to help children understand how to create 4-beat rhythms, as Muse Score only allows 4 counts per bar. Children use a variety of notes (crotchet, minim, semibreve) in order to add up to four (maths link). Higher ability children may add fractions of beats (quavers, semiquavers) to create 4. Children also experiment with pitch and contour.
Music Pads: This is a popular app that the children use like a drum machine. Each pad can be edited to play a particular sound (drums, electronic effects, synthesizer). Children create a combination of sounds that effectively accompany a fun song. This allows children to play independently (with headphones) and in small and large ensembles.
http://www.j2e.com/starks-field-primary-school/Mr+Salazar/iPad+Composition+Summer+2014/
Notate Now is an iPad app that helps children to practice writing musical notation (handwriting link). Children have to create noteheads and stems for different notes. As with Muse Score, the notes have to add to 4 (maths link). The iPad plays the music that is composed so the children receive aural feedback on their musical handwriting and maths (assessment for learning).
Note Trainer: This app allows children to practice reading pitches on the lines and spaces of the staff. The iPad assesses whether the children selected the correct pitch. Reading staff notation helps children to decode symbols (literacy link), and accelerates the progress of children taking instrumental lessons such as violin and recorder.
Play Pad is an iPad app that helps to introduce children to staff notation. Children are able to touch different parts of the stave in order to kinesthetically and aurally experience the concept of ‘high’ and ‘low’ pitch. This eventually correlates to visually decoding high and low pitches in the music that we perform.
Rassleband is an iPad app that allows children to experiment with various instruments at the same time. It is an excellent resource for children in the Early Years. This app helps to improve fine motor skills and the practice of verbal communication and vocabulary (touch the red bar; touch the triangle; what is the name of this instrument?). Most importantly, this app allows children to play lots of instruments without taking up a lot of space, or creating a huge mess in the classroom!
Scratch is an open source application available online. I have created codes that make the cat play certain pitches and songs (computing link). Children learn to read the codes (literacy link), and to play songs in sequence. Children are also able to edit the codes to make the music go faster, or to use different pitches.
ShowMe is an iPad app that functions like a white board. Children are able to record questions or summaries of their learning, which I then use to assess their understanding.
The synth iPad app allows children to practice playing keyboard instruments. It is an excellent way of providing 1:1 access to an instrument that many children enjoy, but is otherwise impractical to teach in a primary school setting.