RECORDING & ASSESSMENT
A perk of the 21st Century.
GARAGEBAND
(Free with Apple devices.) Still the #1 application for stress-free digital recording, looping, doodling, and basic post-production work. Similar to what imovie did for film, Garageband has revolutionized modern recording software.
USER TIP: The newest update to Garageband has a fun "songwriter" function that could be useful for teaching the elements of modern (ok, pop) composition/arranging.
AUDACITY
http://audacity.sourceforge.net
Audacity is free, open source, cross-platform (works on macs or PCs) software for recording and editing sounds. You must download the application. It functions similarly to Garageband, albeit with a much less attractive interface.
SOUND CLOUD
https://soundcloud.com
Kind of like a Twitter for sound. Users can post sounds to share with friends, fans, and followers. Students use this to share their music with each other.
USER TIP: Sound Cloud could serve as a digital portfolio for students' progress throughout the year. It's easy to store, track, and share with specific users online without the hassle of e-mailing/downloading files.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS INTERACTIVE
An online interactive resource that companions with the text. There are tools for communication, online portfolios, assessment, and practice. (Most of this is in Smart Music, but alternatives are always welcome).
JW Pepper's response to Smart Music for choir. "The app that lets you learn your part, on your own. Choral Master is a multitrack playback engine with a scrolling notation display. In addition to isolating or removing a vocal part, you can easily loop sections, slow down difficult parts and record your own performance into the arrangement." Tracks are expensive: $5 per voice part track.
Free trial download. Speak with Bill Gilfry for more information on maximizing this tool.
