Gary Doby

Director of Bands, Richardson West Arts and Technology Magnet

Gary starts using SmartMusic with his students in seventh grade, and works towards full implementation by eighth grade. In this spotlight, Mr. Doby explains this process semester by semester and how expectations of musical performance and number of assignments are raised with each term. He recommends only assigning a festival solo and one piece from the holiday concert as a starting point. This allows the students to acclimate to this method of assignments and assessment. Gary also talks about how he has overcome the challenges of using SmartMusic at a title 1 school, and about his plans for future use with his students.

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Asa Burk
Director of Bands, Grapevine High School

Asa has the unique experience of transitioning to the high school after implementing SmartMusic at Grapevine’s feeder middle school. This experience has pushed him to incorporate SmartMusic into every aspect of his high school band program, and move as much individual playing outside of the classroom as possible. This gives his students a musical context for proper practice, and maximizes his ensemble rehearsal time. In this video Asa talks about: improving tracking, documenting differentiated instruction, using Finale to develop district curriculum, guided practice, and how to give your students the best D flat experience ever!

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With a Master of Music Education from the University of North Texas, Burk earned his Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Howard Payne University. Over the years, his bands have consistently received UIL Sweepstakes Awards, Best in Class designations at various festivals and have been state finalists in the TMEA Honor Band. The Foundation for Music Education selected CTMS Honors Band as National Winner in the 2011 National Wind Band Honors Project Mark of Excellence.

The wait is over! We are thrilled to announce that the SmartMusic iPad app is now available as a FREE download through the Apple app store.

If you have a SmartMusic subscription, this app gives you unlimited access to the extensive repertoire library. The SmartMusic iPad app combines many of the great practice features such as:

• Music on screen
• Ability to save and compare takes
• Record and listen to your performance
• Select start and stop measures
• Adjust tempo
• Supports woodwinds, brass, percussion, string, and voice
• Shows your successes and areas for improvement (red/green notes)

Plus, more is on the way. The ability for students to submit and receive assignments will be available in the app Fall 2013.

Here is the list of individuals that made this release possible:

Development & UX

Chris Cianflone, Jaim Zuber, Jesse Daniels, John Ojanen, Kami Johnson, Mike Anderson, Paul Weber, Ryan Demlow & Tim Wilsie

Quality Assurance & Automation

Allen Fisher, Alex Smith, Kyle Imbertson, Taylor Kent & Tim Mader-Brown

Marketing

Sonia Bertek, Scott Menk & Tim Gogolin

Product Management

James Lund, Michael Williamson & Robert Grifa

Documentation and Support

Isaac Sobczak & Seth Adams 

Management

Barry Brown, Beth Sorensen, Paul Carlson & Yvonne Grover

Thank you all for your hard work!!

clear

Exciting times are ahead for MakeMusic and its customers!

Press Release

Rene Lira
Director of Bands, Coyle Middle School

Rene uses SmartMusic extensively both inside and outside the classroom. He uses the standard Gradebook functions such as sight-reading, rhythm, and automated assignments as well as picking concert music from the built-in repertoire. This video shows how Rene:

• Uses SmartMusic in the classroom
• Picks random etudes from a method book to sight-read
• Grades for submission only on sight-reading
• Uses the tuner daily
• Uses the recording feature to archive progress of the full ensemble when preparing for a concert
• Uses camtasia to explain assignments for over the summer

Rene Lira is currently in his 19th year as a music educator.  A native of San Antonio, TX, he attended John Jay HS (’89) and then received his Bachelors degree from the University of North Texas (‘94) Rene began his career in New Braunfels, with stops at Greenville middle school and North Garland HS.  Rene is currently the Director of Bands at Coyle Middle School in Rowlett, TX. 

Tom Currie
Director of Bands, Alamo Heights Middle School

Tom teaches 350 middle school students that turn over at a rate of 130-140 per year. Every student has a subscription at home, and submits weekly assignments. He talks about:

• Getting new students excited about playing music
• Beginners tracking music and contributing to the ensemble faster
• His computer, “Betsy”
• Gaining the support of the parents, “I showed it to them, and they were nuts about it”
• Using SmartMusic to take his already strong program to the next level

Tom Currie has a music degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and trombone is his primary instrument. He moved to San Antonio in the summer of 1981, and took over the Alamo Heights program the following year. At that time it was a very weak music program, but he was able to build up both numbers and quality very quickly. This is when he decided not to go the High School direction, and became interested in how to take his Middle School to the next level.

When it came time to build a new arts wing at his building six years ago, Tom added 15 laptops and wireless internet. This is when he fully implemented SmartMusic, and it is used almost every day. SmartMusic has helped Alamo Heights take their program to the next level.

It has been almost a year since we launched our 123 series and we’ve already had thousands of educators across the world go through the program. We have been just thrilled with the overwhelming response! We feel so strongly about the positive impact SmartMusic can have on music educators and their students that we are now offering the 123 series ON-DEMAND. Which means anyone can take advantage of our offer to get free SmartMusic when it’s convenient for them–anytime, 24/7–and not on our scheduled time.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve added in a little something for our current customers as well. You now have the opportunity to receive two (2) FREE 90-day student subscriptions and microphones to start a pilot program for your class. Simply watch Session 3 and the subscriptions are yours! No joke.

Watch today and see for yourself how SmartMusic can extend your reach and reinforce what you already teach.

What is the 123 series? Simply view and complete our three short online clinics and you’ll receive a 1-year educator subscription AND two 90-day student subscriptions for free*.

Get Free SmartMusic Now

*Everyone is welcome to attend. Free educator subscription for new customers only. Free student subscriptions for new and current customers..

Dr. Cynthia Gonzales
Associate Professor, Texas State University

Dr. Cynthia Gonzales briefly abandons her extensive vocal training for a humorous look at a SmartMusic sight-singing assessment. Dr. Gonzales also demonstrates how SmartMusic can develop ear training, harmonization, echo singing, and Solfege skills, all while producing data that shows massive individual improvement. Your vocal students will never have to “be a trombone” ever again.

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Dr. Gonzales has earned three degrees in Music Theory: the Ph.D. and A.M. from Harvard University and the M.M. from the University of North Texas. Her scholarly interests include Arnold Schoenberg’s tonal and transitional compositions, text-music relationships, and 19th-century chromaticism. She has also presented at several conferences on the use of technology and popular music to teach aural skills. She has twice been an author for choral textbooks published by Hal Leonard and Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, including the edition now being used in Texas

Dr. Giovanna Cruz

Orchestra Director, Bowie High School

As the sole Director at Bowie High School, Giovanna is responsible for juggling 4 large ensembles as well as 30 chamber groups each year. She has implemented SmartMusic to maintain the highest possible standards for her ensembles. Dr. Cruz uses SmartMusic for:

• Concert and contest repertoire
• Automatic SmartMusic assignment feature
• Importing Finale created SMP files (region etudes and final exams)
• Defining fingerings in Finale, breaking down difficult sections, then importing into SmartMusic for assignments

In this video, Giovanna shows her personal SmartMusic files created in Finale and used to maximize student performance, as well as built-in tools and repertoire that has helped her students perform their best.

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Giovanna Cruz obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Education at the Universidad Metropolitana in her hometown of Caracas in 2000. After finishing her degree, Dr. Cruz moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies in music at The University of Iowa. She obtained her M.A. in cello performance in 2002 and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2005. Dr. Cruz has been the Orchestra Director at James Bowie since 2008. During her tenure at the school, her varsity groups have received Superior ratings in performance and sight-reading at every UIL Competition since her hiring. Her groups have also received superior ratings in competitions in Corpus Christi, TX and Richmond, VA.

You may have heard recently that the SmartMusic login process will soon change. The video below shows how this will affect you and your students.

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