Noteflight Warmup

Here is my Noteflight warmup! This is a vocal warmup I use at the summer camp I work at; it gets the kids warmed up rather quickly and easily, and sometimes I'll speed it up or slow it down a little to keep things interesting!

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/04141e2005330dffc5d8dc49fa7288ffa4cdeea4

PLN: ACDA(American Choral Director's Association)

I had first heard about ACDA in high school, when my choral director would have some ACDA choral journals lying around and would let us look at them. They always seemed to have very interesting information in them, and since I've been here I've heard numerous faculty talk about ACDA.  The other day, my choir director even told us that she is the President-elect for the CT chapter, so that made me want to go on their website and learn more.

There are many great components to the ACDA website. Similar to that of NAFME's, there is a forum section, but here it is strictly choral, with discussions on repertoire, rehearsal management, etc. There's also a classifieds section with posts for job opportunities such as paid chorus members, soloists, and conductors, along with scores for sale. There are also repertoire lists for groups ranging from small college level choirs to middle school girls choirs. This is definitely a website I'll look into more, and will definitely consider joining the Hartt ACDA chapter!

http://acda.org/

PLN: Jazz in the Schools(NEA, JALC)

This week, I really wanted to try to find something to add to my PLN that incorporated integrating Jazz Music into an elementary or middle school curriculum. As someone who went to private school all the way until my freshman year, I was not exposed to any sort of jazz music until that time, and I really wish I had been. The National Endowment for the Arts' program Jazz in the Schools(which is produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center) allows students to fully experience the history and creation of jazz through five sections, each with an opening essay, video, music, photographs, and other discussion resources. Not only is this a great way to introduce students to jazz, but it also covers National Standards #8 and #9, and the site says it covers National Curriculum Standards for social studies, history, arts education, civics and government, and geography. 

I'm really glad international music meccas like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center have great educational resources. This is definitely something that I'll want to look into as I progress in my studies here.

http://www.neajazzintheschools.org/home.php?uv=s

Tech Reading: MIDI vs. Digital Audio

To be honest, I'm really glad this is what the reading was about this week. After reading the article, I realized what I thought MIDI was was completely different than its actual purpose. I found the article to be very informative, especially for someone who isn't the most technologically inclined. I was very intrigued by how MIDI works, and how it's essentially just different forms of messages, whether it be creating or taking away a note, creating dynamics, etc. Although I found the article to have lots of good information on MIDI, I felt that the author was biased more towards the use of MIDI and less of a focus on Digital Audio. Other than that though, I enjoyed the article, and now have a better understanding on how to use MIDI.

PLN: Teoria

When I was thinking about what to blog about this week, I realized that I could write about a resource I was already using for my Music Theory class: Teoria. Teoria is a Music Theory resource that allows the user to watch tutorials on specific concepts, and then practice exercises that go along with these tutorials. What I like about Teoria, in comparison to other online Music Theory resources, is that you're able to not only practice your theory, but are able to go and check back at their tutorials if there's something you're unsure on.

Another great aspect of Teoria is that it has mobile capabilities as well, so if you're on the go or don't have a computer readily available, you can do Teoria exercises on your smart phone. As someone that's on the go all the time, I know that this could definitely be beneficial. Their mobile portion of their site offers both Theory and Ear Training exercises as well. I know that I'll be definitely looking into how I can use Teoria more and its many components.

htttp://www.teoria.com

PLN: Carnegie Hall Online Resource Center

To figure out what I would add to my PLN this week, I began to look back at the numerous websites I had bookmarked using Diigo, and noticed that I had bookmarked something from Carnegie Hall's website. I was initially confused as to what I could have found on the website of Carnegie Hall that would relate somehow to Music Ed, but was pleasantly surprised when I found that they have an entire Online Resource Center for Music Educators, filled with lesson guides, student guides and worksheets, video and audio, etc.
Not only is it separated by grade level so it's easy to find, but the Online Resource Center also separates its content by the National Standards of NAFME, so if you're specifically trying to find something that encompasses one of the standards, it is easy to do that as well. Once you click on a Standard, it even further divides the content into genre of music and instruments. I think this is certainly a resource that I will look into more as I continue my education.