This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
A typical day in the music classroom would involve my students either learning a song to sing using Kodaly methods or to play using some form of Orff arrangement. They would be learning the music theory and vocabulary that goes along with these songs along with the composers and instruments.
Our school is a Title 1 school that has about 90% students who are African-American and 6% Hispanic.
They are very inquisitive and listen to most of their music on the radio or off You Tube if they can access a computer. They use the technology that we have at school regularly and many know their way around the computer better than some of the teachers. They love when I include popular music in my lessons and can show them what they can download safely without causing a problem for themselves or the school. Most music now is digitally purchased and downloaded if they like it, audio and sheet music alike. If it has free domain it can be downloaded legally and printed and if it's audio or video it can be transformed into an MP3 or MP4 download that the students with the modern technology can take with them. Most, however, do not own this technology and may be left out of the way of the future of music purchasing and listening abilities.
My Project
My students need an iPad for portable music programs, and the ability to transport from class computer to keyboards. A few of our students already know how to use some of this technology because they have smart phones (or borrow one), MP3 players or PSP's. I have had some students ask to share songs and, as you may know, teaching them how to download music and other music related items legally off the Internet is an area of music that I am required to teach the students in our State Standards. Innovation, Technology and the Future is the last category of the Big Ideas for Music. This includes; Curiosity, creativity, and the challenges of artistic problems that drive innovation and adaptation of new and emerging technologies. MU.F.1 Creating, interpreting, and responding in the arts stimulate the imagination and encourage innovation and creative risk taking. MU.F.2 Careers in and related to the arts significantly and positively impact local and global economies. MU.F.3 The 21st Century skills necessary for success as citizens, workers, and leaders in a global economy are embedded, in the study of the arts.
The iPad, and its ability to run many music programs, will make student engagement in music go hand in hand.
It sounds like a dream come true. The iPads have been seen on numerous music related shows. For example, they show the students on Glee using the iPad to learn their music on the go. On American Idol we saw how Harry Conick Jr. used it to read the songs he was playing on the piano when he was a guest artist and mentor. There are also apps that can be used to record the students' music.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Veglia and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
