SmartMusic is a program that we use with our middle school band program. It
is a great tool for students to use at home. We will give homework
assignments weekly and students will have several days to pass it off at home
or play it off at school. Students can re-try their assignment until they
receive the grade they desire. Once turned in, I will receive the grade and
a recording of their playing grade. I also love this program because it is
almost like having a private teacher at home. It will show you what mistakes
you made. If you want to explore outside of our band book that we use in
class then there are several other method books to practice and other band
and solo music availble for free.
How to Order SmartMusic:
1. A subscription for SmartMusic is for an entire calendar year. If you
order it August 1, 2009 then you will have the subscription until August 1,
2010.
2. Go to smartmusic.com to order it. A subscription is $30 for an entire
year and you will need an instrumental microphone for $20. You can pay for
the subscription on-line.
Ways to Use your SmartMusic at Home:
1.Pass off your assignments at home. The computer will grade and record
your playing. If you are not satisfied with your grade, try it again.
2.When you are practicing at home, use the metronome. This will help you
stay on the beat.
3.Use your tuner. Practice playing several notes & see if you can get them
in tune.
4.Practice with the Essential Elements Book that we use in class. You can
plug your microphone in and it will show you what notes you played correctly
or missed. You can also put only the solo line to help with correct
pitches. The background music helps you stay in tempo and makes it more fun
to practice.
5.You can move on in the book or use the other method books on SmartMusic to
practice with. There are several things on the different methods such as
scales or other music we do not have in our book.
