Bandmasters Review - December 2019

Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmasters Review • December 2019 24 The Band Hall is under attack! An invasion has occurred that causes all young minds to become completely entranced by a foreign body that requires all attention - Before - During - and After Class! Spoiler alert - it’s technology. Watches, tablets, headphones, and yes, the almighty phone are here and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. So how do we harness this technology to benefit our students? Simply put, MODELING . Teachers modeling the successful integration of technology into the music learning process. Students CAN BENEFIT from the technology they wear and carry in their pockets! So how do you model something that may still seem new? Well, the same way we learn to walk, talk, and Instagram about our favorite lunch...OBSERVE, BE BRAVE, and TAKE CHANCES when it comes to using technology in the classroom. I’d like to share with you some common problems in the teaching arena and some simple ways the integration of technology with an app like TonalEnergy can benefit your classroom and students. Data and Streaks Today’s society is experiencing a Personal Data Collection revolution regarding how much information one can track about themselves. Using the Snapchat messaging app, all one must do to begin a streak is Snap a friend and have a friend Snap back. That counts as “1”. I have personally heard students discuss their streaks of well over 100 (200 total messages sent) and the lengths they will go to have these streaks remain active when their parents take away their phone for whatever reason. (You lose your streak if you miss a day.) So... the real question is: How can we potentially harness the amazing minds of these brilliant young individuals? The TonalEnergy Practice Streaks tracker allows you and your students to see how many days in a row they have opened TonalEnergy for practice. Simple. That’s it. Opening a music practice app everyday increases your odds of ACTUALLY practicing! As an added carrot, YOU as a teacher can track your own personal streak and share with your students! There is nothing more enticing than the slightest opportunity for a student to be able to hold their practice streak up and best their teacher! It’s the little things. Additionally, you can set a daily practice goal (in increments of five minutes) and have the app tell you when you have met your daily goal. Simple. As an added bonus, you can share your streak and daily practice time in as many ways as you can share on your device. ALBERT’S CHALLENGE: Share your OWN streak to your email, hit print and post on your board challenging your own students to show their streaks or even better...beat your streak! You can view your streak when opening the app, by tapping the purple lightning bolt/counter on the tuner page, or by going to the Preferences page (bottom right tap of TE app). A Metronome is More Than Just a Beat A metronome is easily one of the most important, valuable tools that a young person can use to improve their individual musicianship. It promotes consistency of time from the practice room, the band room, and the marching field. Without this steady beat, students would truly be marching to the beat of a different drummer! Even non-musician superintendents, principals, and parents can tell when something is just a little “off” in a performance. What happens when using only a standard metronome is not enough to communicate the musical intent that a composer wishes to portray through Effecting Today’s Music Students... Generally, with Technology Albert Vela