We have a new resource that contains many classroom activities that use SmartMusic’s audio and visual components. In addition to having students use SmartMusic as a practice tool at home, using it in the classroom can help engage students so that you can use the time you have to teach more efficiently.

All the activities are set up like a lesson plan and a procedure is given for you to follow. They are in Microsoft .DOC format so that you can edit the plans and personalize them. A blank lesson plan template can also be downloaded so you can create your own.

Here is an example of one activity called Teach Repeats, First and Second Endings without Saying a Word (Almost!)

This example shows how you can use SmartMusic to teach a concept like the first and second endings. Although first and second endings aren’t very complex, there is still quite a bit of explaining to do. Imagine if you had your students watch an example on the screen as they follow the cursor, hear the accompaniment and then see an arrow showing playback to the repeated target measure and how the cursor “jumps” to the second ending. By asking the students questions, they will tell you how first and second endings work. Personally, the day I tried this in my classroom was a game changer. I could use SmartMusic to help teach concepts by having the students experience it first, them telling me what they experienced and then we could talk about what the concept was called!

To learn more about the classroom activities that are currently available and to download them, click here. To get information about setting up SmartMusic for classroom use, click here.

Do you have some SmartMusic classroom activities to share? Click the “Comments” link below.