Getting Your Students Into SmartMusic Gradebook

www.smartmusic.com

https://gradebook.smartmusic.com/

We have been using SmartMusic Gradebook for several years now.  It is a HUGE piece of our SmartMusic everywhere plan.  The Gradebook is an excellent way to send musical assignments and collect them from individuals.

But the trick to using the SMGB is getting kids to set-up an account, login and register for class.  I guess that is really three tricks.

There are two obvious ways to do this.  You could send the instructions home and hope the kid is a good reader (or has help) and gets it done that way.  Or, you could take class time to do it.

We have tried it both ways and have found both methods have their upsides and downsides.

With the send it home method:

• Upside-- You probably will get parent support.  Kids probably aren't allowed to install software unsupervised at home.  At least they aren't at my house.
• Downside-- You may wait for months for this to happen!
• Downside-- You might not have students registered for the right section.
• Upside-- Parents will actually be aware that they have the program.
• Upside-- You will hear from the parents that it doesn't work on their computer if it doesn't work on their computer.
• Downside-- You will hear from the parents that it doesn't work on their computer if it doesn't work on their computer.

With the use class time method:

• Upside-- You will have everyone registered for class.
• Upside-- You will have little time spent tracking down the laggards.
• Upside--  It will be the right class.
• Downside-- You may be surprised by how many kids don't confidently know their contact information.
• Downside-- I have yet to meet the music teacher with enough rehearsal time.

Recommendations:

If at all possible, I would recommend the do it in class method.  Yes, you loose some of the parent involvement, but it saves you time in the long run.  You can be sure that everyone is registered and you can check to be sure the student is registered for the right class and fix it right away if they aren't.

I wouldn't do this with out some preparation.  At the bare minimum have students bring their e-mail address to class.  They will also need their address and an e-mail for parents.  Our fifth graders are pretty bright, but they haven't had to fill out this kind of registration form before and it takes a while.  I think we have it down to 40 minutes per class. 

If kids forget their home address, we use the schools address for creating an account.  

You need a plan for siblings that share e-mail accounts as well.  Parents could set-up e-mail addresses for the kids or you could use a bogus e-mail address for the login and have real parent contact addresses inside of the SmartMusic account.   

We just got Google Apps accounts at school for our students, so the individual e-mail address was easy for us.  

Everyone's situation is different.  We have access to computer labs and that makes having everyone do this at the same time possible. If you want to use a lab and don't want to install SmartMusic on all the computers, point your favorite browser to https://gradebook.smartmusic.com/ .  This address will let you use the browser to set-up accounts and register for class.

You would be crazy to do this in a lab setting without an interactive white board or projector.  Walk through it once with a dummy student by yourself.  Show the kids once using a dummy student when they aren't watching their computers to walk them through the process as well.

We used our IWB and had students very carefully follow us every step of the way, one step at a time.  Starting with opening the same browser. Have kids triple-check entries.  This is a situation where one misplaced keystroke will slow everyone down while you trouble shoot and fix things.  It is very important to get the login right as well.  How else are students going to get in to do their assignments?  Grandpa always said, "Don't hurry into trouble."  This is one of those times to listen to him.

If you have just one computer in your classroom, you could train a student to supervise the others in registration.  If you use the send it home method, this could be the way to clean up the late or poorly done registrations.

After setting up the accounts and registering the kids for class, I would make sure that they have written down what their login address and password are.  This could be the one piece of paper that should go in an instrument case.  Having watched our practice room computers for several years, I know that the number one login problem is forgetting the login info.

I would also aim to do this in-class process very early in the year.  What else are you going to do on the first day?  Talk about a bunch of rules?  This may also be the least valuable rehearsal day if you are concerned about that time issue.

This process sounds like a lot of work but it is worth it.  It gets easier with each section of kids you work with and kids with existing accounts will breeze right through this.  

SmartMusic Gradebook is THE way to keep tabs on your students and help them grow as musicians.  It will also help you to improve your teaching as well, just listen for trends of what to fix.  Getting them logged-in and registered is worth every minute.

ADDENDUM:
This is harder for students who haven't had an SmartMusic account before.  If they remember their account login info and password from last year, registering for this year's class is a breeze!  Figure half the time on this project for the experienced users.  I would still have them register for class as a group.  Nice to have them all in the gradebook.

FTC, Disclosure, My Blog

I see the FTC is going to have some rules about blogging, businesses, freebies, stock prices and disclosure. I saw it in the morning paper. (Yes, I still read a paper a day.)

I think it is a good idea to be open about such things.

No, I don't think I own any stock in MakeMusic. I say "think" because I do own mutual funds and who knows what they are buying from day-to-day. So as far as I know, I own no MMUS. I have thought about it and have joked about it when it was trading at about a dollar a share.

I mention MakeMusic, because they are small and I assume fewer people know or talk about them. I am sure some of you got here through a Google search on SmartMusic and are doing research. They are doing great things for music teachers, so count me as a MakeMusic fan.

I am pretty sure EVERYONE has an opinion on Apple and Google and my voice about them is less than influential.

I don't play the stock market, because I would be the guy buying high and selling low. I'll leave that to my professionals. If I change my mind, I will post it here.

I have been involved in some projects at MakeMusic as a beta tester. I have also done some consulting there. It is fun playing with the software and bug hunting. I sometimes get to see software before it comes out. I may even have some influence on the design process. I know they are talking to a number of teachers and musicians for their opinions. That's how good products are made.

I also get sign non-disclosure agreements. So, if you are reading this to get an insider's hot tip, you would be better off reading the MMUS web site. I figure if they announce it, it is safe for me to write about it. I take NDAs seriously as everyone should, so don't write or call and ask me to spill the beans. But do write!

So what are you reading if you read this blog? You are reading a music teacher's opinion of what is interesting and what has worked for me. I am enjoying the medium and I am having fun. I have had over 2400 visits from all over the world. That is pretty amazing to me.

Writing is good, because it does help you think about why you are doing what you are doing. That's not original with me, but I have found it true. I has helped keep me from going bonkers. No, I don't have a huge Seth-Godin-type following, but I don't expect that with my fairly narrow focus.

If you are thinking about blogging, do it, and be yourself.

Thank you for reading.

SmartMusic 2010!

http://www.smartmusic.com/smartmusic/New.aspx

SmartMusic 2010 went out the door of MakeMusic yesterday! Maybe you go the e-mail.

The timing of this event was perfect for me. I like to get this rolling with my students early in the fall and it looks new enough to make my old handouts out-of-date. I will need to update my demos for the students. I have had a look at 2010 and it was a big upgrade this time around. MakeMusic has spent a lot of time and effort at making this product more useful and easier to use.

My biggest beginning-of-the-year headache is getting SmartMusic installed and the users into the GradeBook. Remember, we use SmartMusic at home and at school pervasively, so I am not talking about the installations you personally do. I am looking forward to this fall and seeing if activation and registration goes better for the kids and parents. These processes have gained clarity with better design.

I have a theory that people don't normally install their own software, so the needed skills to do this are starting to disappear. The installation, activation and enrolling for class processes for SmartMusic are no harder than any other software that I have installed, but there have been a few calls to me about just those things over the past few years. I hope the new look helps.

They seem to have dropped the name Impact for GradeBook. I think that is a good move... everyone knows what a grade book is for.

The SmartMusic GradeBook has had a redesign. I think this new look will help the teachers get around a bit easier. I am looking forward to that as well. The big improvement in the GradeBook is that SmartMusic now works more seamless with its internet resources to create and get the assignments. Things happen from within SmartMusic instead of your browser launching. You are hardly aware that you are going to the web to get the information.

I think the really big feature for teachers and other users this year will be the search features. There are about a bazillion (ok, maybe only eleventy-billion) accompaniments for this program. That number keeps growing. It was time to make finding what you need easier.

SmartMusic works on an annual subscription basis, so you will be using this version if you use SmartMusic. If you teach, I think you will be pleased with 2010. Get it early and figure out where everything is.

Searches, better integration with the web, a few under-the-hood improvements and a new look. What's not to love?

SmartMusic 11!

MakeMusic! has released SmartMusic 11! Music teachers, if you haven't heard about SmartMusic before version 11, you have been hiding under a rock. If you aren't using it, you really should consider it. This version works hard at cleaning up some things. Installation, Activation and Enrolling for Class are three different activities and, in my past experience with kids and parents, this is the hardest thing to explain. The screen that did Activation and Enrolling for class didn't communicate simply enough. This version changes the look of that screen and I think it does a better job of communicating what to do. There is now a microphone set-up process. Complete with pictures of mic placement and help setting the volume.  I have heard a few assignments come in where the student really needed this. In digital audio recording having a mic set too high really causes problems with distortion.  A mic set too low in SmartMusic causes problems with the assessment feature and makes it hard to hear the work on the recording. This process will really help kids by simplifying this important step.

Teachers, make sure your students know how to: 1.) find this mic setting wizard, 2.) know how to review their recordings and 3.) know how to adjust the accompaniment/soloist balance and everyone will be much happier with the results! Also improved are the teacher tools. It is now possible to create an assignment and not have to recreate it for each instrument. Band assessments for the whole group in one-tenth the time. You will need Finale 2009 to make that work. Hopefully, that is just an upgrade for your school.  If you are starting from scratch, put Finale '09 on your must have list. SmartMusic is by subscription. You do renew this year after year. I'm surprised that more software doesn't work this way. You always have the latest version and don't have 42 outdated versions on your hard drive. (and MakeMusic doesn't have to support several years worth of versions.)  I wonder if Adobe shouldn't toy with this idea...ever wanted to upgrade Photo$hop?

SmartMusic runs on Vista or XP and Tiger and Leopard.  You can bump into memory and speed issues with the hardware, so check the requirements at www.smartmusic.com.  I don't know about your program, but at my school, we can be the last in the building for any kind of hardware upgrade.  

Hardware can be an issue at home as well.  94 percent of my students have internet access and a computer.  80 percent of my kids can run SmartMusic at home.  Most of that 14 percent are having problems with old hardware...Dad brought home a cast-off from work, etc.  So if you are doing a site license program at your school, do some careful surveying to get the real number of possible installs figured out for your situation. 

Who knows, maybe we will get to the promised land of solid machines for all kids someday.  Or all programmers will write code that doesn't need a ton of system resources.  SmartMusic on the iPhone App store anyone?

I am looking forward to using this program with my kids this fall.  MakeMusic! has found ways to make a solid product easier to use!  Stay tuned.

Opportunities to Learn Finale

I spent some time installing Finale 2009 this morning.  It seems to be working great right away.  I did run into small hitch and that was Finale asked for the location of my Garritan sounds.  There are a number of them included on the install DVD and  I forgot to install them.  Not much of a problem.

Garritan still hasn't come up with sounds that match my ensembles.  They are more than welcome to come out and sample my beginning band if they ever get tired of listening to fine instruments.  Human Playback may need a little tweaking to sound like my band as well!  

I love the ease that registering the upgrade is, just a couple of clicks and you are current.

I have been following my own advice and I am working my way through the included QuickStart videos.  The manuals are all electronic as well.  It never hurts to study how a program is supposed to be used.  It can save tons of time later. 

I am a book guy, so I miss the bound paper manuals that most current softwares are leaving out.  David Pogue hasn't published one of his Missing Manuals for Finale.  Writing that may be my next project...If you don't beat me to it!

If books and screens won't do it for you and learning Finale, I would like to point out a great upcoming  opportunity. The Minnesota Summer Music Technology Symposium will be here in August.  If you can't make it there, I would look for any workshop that features Mavis Kallestad.  Her workshops are well thought-out and hands-on.  Very few people know more about using and explaining Finale.  A session with her is worth your time.  You can reach her at workshops@makemusic.com or 952 475-2894 or look for her workshops at MakeMusic.com.

These short naps are wonderful. There is some news for Finale Users.

Wow.  I haven't written since last Thursday?  Really?

Last Thursday, Finale 2009 was released by MakeMusic.

I'm planning on upgrading, not so much because I like to stay current, but because there will be improved SmartMusic support.

You see, Finale is the key to getting what you want in SmartMusic.  If you can't find  what you need in the 50 bazillion exercises, etudes, band arrangements that are built in/available, your next step is to open a new Finale document and create it.

They say that linked part support will save a lot of time for educators.  I believe they are right.  I will love to verify that for you when I get my copy of '09 and the latest version of SmartMusic (10.3?)   That's gotta be coming in soon as well. 

Only only 41 days left to the end of the "seasonal summer lay-off."  It is good to have a couple of projects.