On a lighter note

 

Students make music the Smart way

 

By Maria Allard

C & G Staff Writer

     Lincoln High School music students are becoming smarter.

     This year, the students were introduced to the SmartMusic program, an interactive, computer-based practice tool designed to help students develop their skills and make practicing less tedious.

     SmartMusic is equipped with several components, including challenging exercises, instant feedback tools, rhythm patterns, timing activities and more. SmartMusic also serves as piano accompaniment and contains a songwriting component. Students also can take advantage of a metronome with SmartMusic and can decipher if their timing is off.

     The students utilize SmartMusic on a regular basis, and many have noticed an improvement in their playing because of the program.

     “It has 50,000 exercises that are already pre-made,” said band director and music teacher Dan Taylor, who brought SmartMusic to the classroom. “There is a ton of stuff kids can do. They have a lot of fun practicing. They have a better sense of rhythm, and I’ve noticed improvements in tone quality.

     “This type of program has been around 10 years,” added Taylor, who demonstrated SmartMusic to the students at the beginning of the school year. “I thought it was a great program.”

     Taylor acquired a grant from the Van Dyke Educational Foundation for Excellence to purchase a laptop computer for the program.

     During a recent class, 10th-grader Kou Lee, an alto saxophonist, worked on his sight-reading by using the assessment component. As Lee practiced, a green light shone above each note he hit correctly while a red beam indicated each incorrect note the musician played.

     “Another aspect, say you’re a young kid and you don’t know how a song goes,” Taylor said. “There’s a way to make the computer play the song before you hear it.”

     Students also can work on fingering practices.

     “If you don’t know how to finger a note, it will show you how to finger per note,” Taylor said.

     And if a student is having trouble with a particular measure or two, SmartMusic can be programmed to repeat the particular measure.

     “It will repeat those measures over and over again,” Taylor said.

     According to Taylor, SmartMusic contains about 30,000 piano accompaniments with which to practice solos. This undoubtedly has given the LHS students more confidence in their playing abilities.

     “You have to own the piece of music for the solo accompaniment,” Taylor said.

     Last year, prior to SmartMusic, Taylor said four LHS students attended solos at the annual Michigan School Band And Orchestra Association’s band festival. This year, 17 Lincoln students, including senior Stephanie Simmons, registered for the MSBOA festival scheduled for Feb. 10 at Rochester High School.

     Simmons, a flutist, looks forward to the competition and feels prepared thanks to the benefits of SmartMusic.

      “It’s helped me a lot, especially with tough rhythms,” said Simmons, who plans to perform “Menuet from Platee” at next month’s event.

     Eleventh-grader Eric Pippin has taken to SmartMusic. The percussionist said his rhythm has improved a great deal with all the practice he gets in through SmartMusic. He’s been in band since the fifth-grade.

     Ian Stoll, an 11th-grader who plays a mean bass clarinet, knew SmartMusic was the perfect vehicle for him.

     “When Mr. Taylor demonstrated it, I was in love with it,” Stoll said. “Since then, it’s been fantastic and improved my tone overall.”

     Even with SmartMusic, Stoll said, “you still have to have the mind set of practicing.

     “Being in band requires so much patience and discipline,” Stoll said.

     “And a lot of practice,” Pippin interjected. “Band is a lot of practice, dedication and hard work.”

     You can reach Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com