Apple products are a very
prevalent item in the middle school and high school where I teach. Every student and teacher has a MacBook air,
many teachers have school issued iPads, and almost everyone has some type of
smart phone. With all of this technology
at our disposal I have enjoyed finding apps that can be used in the band
classroom. This article outlines 20
useful apps, including irecorder, the
music player, and a metronome app. Some
of my other favorite apps are INStuner, Prometronome, and StaffWars Live.
As I have mentioned in
previous posts, one to one technology is in place in the school where I work
for all students grade six through 12. As
a band director, I am always looking for ways to meaningfully integrate
technology into the classroom. In this article,
Peter Perry (2015), the Instrumental Music Director at Richard Montgomery High
School in Rockville, Maryland, discusses strategies and useful apps for the
performing ensemble classroom. While I
already use some of the suggested strategies, such as Google Drive, Remind, and
Volunteer Spot, I look forward to trying out Music Monitor to assess individual
student performance.
This article is a nice
reminder of the ways that technology can inspire students in the instrumental
music program. The Bay Shore High School
instrumental music program is one of the most outstanding music programs in the
United States and in this article, Ball (2004) outline the layout of the program
and the way that technology is being used.
She even goes on to discuss students that have gone on to music
technology careers based on the inspiration gained during their time in high
school. This story helped me to remember
that constantly trying to find the best methods of integrating technology for
my students is worth the time and energy because it may just inspire them to go
to do something great.
