Saturday, May 28, 2011
ETC_Final Project
Relevant and Innovative Learning Scenarios Planning
By Jermaine Evans
My learning scenarios will walk you through a “new school” way of teaching, “old school” mixing techniques, and keeping students motivated. These scenarios are based on using a DAW, computer, and SoundCloud. Students will learn techniques such as compressing vocals & instruments and Equalizing sounds.
1. Target Audience – College recording arts students
2. Materials –
• A computer
• SoundCloud
• A DAW
• An already mixed and mastered song.
3. Objectives – Students will mix and post their songs online.
4. Procedure – The teacher will have specific topics they will touch on such as Equalizers, compressors, reverbs, and more. Students will take notes and apply topics that were taught through out the week on a song of their choice.
• Students will then upload their mixed song to SoundCloud
• Students will then email the teacher a link to their post so it can be played in class.
• As students listen to their peers’ songs they will “blog” their feedback to the class board.
5. Web 2.0 Tool – http://soundcloud.com/: This tool allows you to upload your music. It will also allow you to post links of your music onto other websites and blogs.
6. Social Participation/Social Learning – For this lesson, the teacher will give the students a list of songs to choose from. Then students will have to pick a song, mix and upload it to http://soundcloud.com/. The students will have a week to complete this assignment by using what they learned in class. As a class we will listen to all of the students mixes and give feedback.
7. Making Connections – Recording arts students should be familiar with mixing a song. This will teach them new skills such as how to use compressors, EQs, and effects properly. With the peer-to-peer feedback this will motivate them to want to do this assignment and start taking their mixes seriously.
8. Create/Produce – The end product will be a mixed song by the student posted online for review.
9. Assessment – There will be grades given every Friday of each month. The grades will be based on the following:
• Utilization of lessons taught throughout the week
• Meeting an assignment deadline
• Overall end product
For example, one week the student will learn about compressors and controlling levels. During that week, students will work on a project that exhibits the lessons that were taught. When its time to listen their finished projects all students will start out with 25 points. The teacher will begin grading their assignments by deducting points every time the levels “clip” or distort. At the end of the week the points will be added to the other weeks. This will give the students their grade. If the student did a perfect job on their mix they will have all 25 points times 4 weeks equals 100 points. There will be a 10-point “bonus” in which the teacher will use the student’s feedback in your grading.
10. Reflection – Students will have an open discussion on their experience. As a class, we’ll talk about things we did and thing we can do better next time. As a self-reflection, I will take notes on what the student learned, what they liked and dislike about the assignment.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
PE5_SoundCloud
Since I started research music friendly web tools like WahWah.fm, UJAM, and SoundCloud. I am trying to come up with a mouth long class that will utilize these tools and some others too. I am drafting up a email that I plan on sending to all of the companies asking them how do they feel about some one utilizing and their apps as one. I’ll keep my blog update and let you know how it works out.
PE4_SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an application that allows you to record and post your music on the web. There is even a smart phone application for SoundClond. I am really looking forward to incorporating SoundCloud into my leaning environment. This will help motivate my students to want to learn and try something new. SoundCloud is available for MAC and PC, and it is free. Based on some research I did you will be able to upload your music to SoundCloud by way of recording it live or by using a USB cable.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
2_BP4_SoundCloud
“Sound Cloud is a platform that puts your sound at the heart of communities, websites and even apps. Watch conversations, connections and social experiences happen, with your sound as the spark.” Sound Cloud is a great web 2.0 tool for sharing and promoting your music to others. With Sound Cloud you can upload your music to their site as well as pictures to the uploaded audio. People will have the ability to go to your Sound Cloud page and leave comments on your page about your music. Another nice feature Sound Cloud offers is the ability to record live directly into this web tool. Sound Cloud has applications available with all “major” phone companies such as AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. It’s also available on iTunes and Android networks. With this application you can record live through your phone and to the site in real time. For example, if you’re doing a live interview and you want to record and post it to your blog; you would be able to accomplish this with your phone by using the Sound Cloud app. You also have the ability to post your work to Facebook, Twitter, Sound Cloud Blog, Tmblr, a developer’s blog, and MySpace. Sound Cloud even has a Facebook player, which allows the user to blog their work easier and faster. In my opinion, Sound Cloud is a great tool to have in your toolbox. Grouping this tool with other tools such as UJAM will really help the user get their sound heard.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
BP4_UJAM
UJAM is a great web 2.0 tool for teaching and learning. All you need is a computer to use this virtual studio. It’s perfect if you’re interested in learning how to produce and/or create your own music. UJAM is also helpful if you just want to record yourself singing or rapping. This web tool can be used to teach learners the steps that need to be taken in order to accomplish making a song. UJAM allows the user to record vocals live with a microphone plugged into your computer. It also allows the user to play a vast amount of instruments by using a midi controller. A few extra tools that come with UJAM have the ability to turn you recorded vocals into midi information which allows you to convert your vocals into an instrument. Your live vocals are now a guitar or keyboard. UJAM teaches users some basic music theory and keys. When playing notes on your midi keyboard this web tool gives you the capability to change and rearrange the notes. When moving the notes around it shows which note(s) can and should be used. UJAM provides templates of music to use and remix which teaches the user about different types and styles of music. UJAM has templates ranging from “Jazz Cat” to “Hard Disco” from “70s funk” to “Folk Group”. This tool teaches the learner about pitch, tempo, vocal styles, tune improving, reverb and effects. Using this free and private application will allow you to learn these techniques as well as enhance your engineering skills.
Friday, May 13, 2011
2_BP2_UJAM
UJAM is a cloud-based platform that empowers everyone to easily create new music or enhance their existing musical talent and share it with friends. This is a tool that allows you to make music without having any musical experience at all. You can sing directly into the web tool and it will record you. UJAM will also add harmonies to your vocals. This tool has a list of musical styles to choose from such as Cool House, Rave Signal, Hard Disco, Jazz Cat, Chill out and more. You even have the option to create your own musical style. It also has a function that will change your vocals into midi information. UJAM has music templates that you can remix to make your own music by changing chords and melodies. It provides users with the option to pick vocal styles, improve tuning, and adjust tempo. When recording, you can sing to a click track which will help ensure that you remain on beat. This web tool has been co-signed by some of the biggest composers and Grammy Award winning music producers today such as Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams. With UJAM no longer will you need a team of people to produce good music. It allows you to do it all, and even better, it makes it easy to share your hard work with the world. You will be able to create your own ringtones and add music to your videos. You will also have the ability to upload it to YouTube or your vlogs. I think this is a powerful tool that can be used by anybody.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
2_PE3_Garage_Band
I had the opportunity to learn some more about Apple’s iLife software. I completed the Garage Band Essential Training on Lynda.com. Here’s my certificate of completion.
This was fun!!!!
This was fun!!!!
2_PE2_Garage_Band
Damian Allen did a good job walking us through this tutorial.
In garage Band you can choose from a large number of instruments. You can pick what kind of drum kit you would like to play such as active, brushes, world percussion and simple. There are also more are available for downloading.
A new feature added to this version of Garage Band is Learn to Play. This is a program that shows you how to play a guitar or a piano. Learn to Play goes through some basic music theory and playing techniques. There are videos that go along with the training to give you a sense of one on one training or just being in a “real” classroom environment.
In garage Band you can choose from a large number of instruments. You can pick what kind of drum kit you would like to play such as active, brushes, world percussion and simple. There are also more are available for downloading.
A new feature added to this version of Garage Band is Learn to Play. This is a program that shows you how to play a guitar or a piano. Learn to Play goes through some basic music theory and playing techniques. There are videos that go along with the training to give you a sense of one on one training or just being in a “real” classroom environment.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
PE6_Final_Project
1. Target Audience – 10-15 college recording arts students
2. Materials – cell phones, laptops, DAWs(digital audio workstation), and a love to
learn/teach
3. Objectives – The learner will create and mix a song then use Wah wah fm, to
broadcasting of the song.
4. Procedure – I will let the students pick a song to mix and at the end of the week
they will have to broadcast the song with Wah Wah fm.
5. Web 2.0 Tool – “” This is a mobile
broadcasting app for you mobile “Smartphone”.
6. Social Participation/Social Learning – to mix a song and broadcast it to be
critiqued by me and the other classmates. Collaboration with others in order to
reach the end product must take place.
7. Making Connections – The students need to have some basic knowledge on mixing.
8. Create/Produce – The students will be mixing a song, then broadcast the song from
their phone to the other students phones with the Wah Wah.fm app.
9. Assessment- I will assess my students at the end of the week. At this time the
students should have created and loaded the mix, and be prepared for broadcast. The
students utilize the skills we went over during the week. Like eqing and
compressing vocals.
10. Reflection – This way the student will be able to listen to the other students
work and there own and with peer criticism they can make changes to there mix.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
PE5_Wah_Wah.fm
Since I’m so excited about using the WahWah.fm application, I signed up to be a beta tester for this app. I sent them an email telling them I’m working on my masters and I picked their application to research. I believe that this application will play a role in building enthusiasm in my students, which would allow for more of them to learn something from this app. Hopefully I’ll hear back from them soon. I’ll keep my blog updated and let you know how it works out.
PE4_Wah_Wah.fm
WahWah.fm is an application that is available on smart phones. It allows you to broadcast your music to other smart phones. I am really looking forward to incorporating this application in my learning environment. I feel this will help motivate my students to want to learn and try something new. WahWah.fm will be available early 2011 and free of charge. Based on my research you will be able to upload your music to the app either by way of recording it live or by USB cable to your phone. Since I will be checking for quality of the music, I will require my students to use the USB cable so they can provide the cleanest sound possible. WahWah.fm will be teaming up with Sound Cloud. I take it that they will use Sound Cloud for the online space so that you can store your music online.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
BP4_WahWah.fm
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
BP2_WahWAh.fm
Wah Wah .fm is the Web 2.0 tools I found to be the most useful. It gives me the ability to allow my students to post their mixes and other songs they like. I would have my student post their favorite mixes. For example, if my student loves the new Jay-z song, and they feel like the mix is incredible, they can make a playlist and broadcast it so other students could hear it. This will give the students a since of “power” and would be fun for them to do. The down side to this app is that its only “cell phone base” and is only available for the iPhone. If this app would work on all cell phones or even online, it would be a lot better. The students of the future need something new to keep them motivated, and Wah Wah .fm could just do the trick. Allowing the user to post their ideas in a radio format was a great idea. Almost every engineer I know or even a music lover likes to show off his or her work or taste in music. Just think, students like to be on their laptops or their phones anyway. Why not give them work to do on the laptop or phone? This would definitely be a new way of teaching or at least getting your point across to students, which is extremely important. I’m really looking forward to using the web2.0 app in the near future in an effort to spark some new found inspiration, motivation and focus in my students.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
BP1_Welcome to My Blog
Teachers can be hip too!!!!
Welcome to my blog.
This is a teacher and students blog. Feel free to post your motivational ideals!!!! On this site I will be posting my thoughts on teaching and ways to keep collage students motivated.
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