smartnotes: the smartmusic e-newsletter: Volume 2

Cathi Leibinger on the Value of the SmartMusic Gradebook

Cathi Leibinger is the band director at Ransom Everglades Middle School, a private school just south of Miami in Coconut Grove, Florida. MakeMusic's Dave Hawley spoke to Cathi in February 2010.

Dave: How has the SmartMusic Gradebook changed the way you teach?

For me, being able to assign SmartMusic skill tests – which we use as a pass-off system – and have them automatically post in the Gradebook makes things a whole lot easier for me, because the kids just get in the habit of logging in and seeing what they have to do.

And since I don't have to listen to students playing these tests in class, our class time together is devoted to skill development and rehearsal, not testing students individually.

It has made things go much more quickly in terms of skill development – the kids are working on what's appropriate for them. The kids are able to work at their own pace and work on a skill that is appropriate for their level.

Dave: When we think of the Gradebook we think of assessment – the red and green notes – and the recordings that come back to you. Is one of these more important than the other to you?

I think the on-line assessment – the red and green notes – and the associated score are more helpful for the kids because it allows them to know what they've done right or wrong and they consider it almost like a video game. When they see that they've got 85% they want to keep trying and trying to improve that score. My policy is that they have to get 90% or above before they submit an assignment, and I've got a couple kids who refuse to submit anything less than 100% – so they keep practicing. It's like Guitar Hero but for band. We call it Band Hero!

For me the recording is more valuable. I tell the kids that even if they get 100% on their playing test and all the notes are green, if the slurs aren't good, or the tone quality isn't good, then I have the right to reassign and send it back to them for more work. So I value the recording on my end – they value the assessment on their end.

Dave: When we spoke recently you mentioned having spoken to some educators who've heard of SmartMusic, but hadn't used it yet. Do you have any sense of what we need to better communicate to these folks to encourage them to try SmartMusic?

I recently explained SmartMusic to someone who said that it sounded like the old Vivace. I explained that it is made by the same company, but that it's become a much more affordable and universal product. I think some people don't know everything that's in SmartMusic. They still see it from the earlier standpoint of solo accompaniment – they don't know about the accessible method books or assessable concert band assignments.

I've also heard people say that "I don't know if my kids will pay for it," when I know that the kids could scrape up $30 a year if they were given a chance to see what it was. I have parents and grandparents who see it in action and who want it for themselves.

Dave: Some educators are using SmartMusic but haven't made the leap to use the Gradebook as well. Sometimes there's a little gap there, a little chasm of understanding. Do you have a comment or two that might encourage others to try the Gradebook?

Being able to set up assignments in a way that the kids always have something to work on has made questions disappear. "What am I supposed to be working on?" Well, they always have something to work on. Once you've graded their assignments you can put comments to the kids in their Gradebook. They can log in and check them, and this provides a great way for parents to see and hear what the kids are doing. The Gradebook creates an on–line portfolio. If you have a parent conference or if you're doing any sort of audition process or leveling process this portfolio makes it very easy to access what the students have done – to monitor student progress – from anywhere you have Internet access.

Dave: Have you heard any specific comments from parents on this?

They all wish they'd had it when they were in school!

Top Five SmartMusic Gradebook Tips
by James H. Anderson

james I recently queried my colleagues on the SmartMusic support team about their favorite Gradebook tips. The following are our top five. We believe these tips will help you make the most of your time and greatly reduce the likelihood of questions.

1. Grading on the Go
Keep in mind there are two ways to access the Gradebook, either though SmartMusic, or via the web. While accessing the GradeBook though SmartMusic is fast and easy, web access means you can also keep up on student records even from computers that don't have SmartMusic installed. Think about accessing the Gradebook in parent/teacher conferences – viewing the students' grades and listening to their performances on any computer. It's even an easy website address to remember: Just type www.smartmusic.com/gradebook into your web browser and log in normally.

2. Pre–Made Assignments
While it's easy to make your own assignments for your students, make sure you're not duplicating effort. We've already created many assignments for your use. For example, go to SmartMusic Assignments in the Gradebook, click on SmartMusic Assessment and Recording, specify Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, or String Orchestra Titles, and click on a title. When I click on "Gum-Suckers March" I see that there are three pre-made assignments available. Click on "Assignment 1" to see the specific assignments for each instruments. Method book exercises have pre-made assignments as well. Use these educator-created resources and save yourself time!

3. Set Up in the Order Presented
While we tried to make the Gradebook as flexible as possible to match your school's structure and curriculum, I'd suggest following the recommended setup procedure. As you initially configure your Gradebook account, you'll notice that we ask you to first set up the calendar with your year schedule (trimesters, quarters, etc.), then specify your classes and the times they meet, and finally enter your student records. Work through the set-up procedure in this order, instead of entering student data first, for best results.

4. Grading Periods
On our end, the school year resets on July 1 every year. On that date, your school year rolls over and you have a new set of terms and classes to prepare. This is important to keep in mind if you have summer sessions as you won't be able to have a class that spans both school years. Remember, if you don't have a grading period defined for a particular day in the calendar year, no assignments can go out or be submitted! So, even if your first semester ends on December 20th, you might want to set your last day in Gradebook to the night before your second semester. Why? Well, all of your students surely want SmartMusic assignments during their winter break, right?

5. Help on Each Page
If you're ever unsure what anything in the Gradebook does, help is at hand. On the right-hand side of each page there a "What is this page?" section that offers links to short answers that relate to the content and design of the current page. I've circled one below – please check these out!

Gradebook Example

These top five tips address the lion's share of Gradebook-related support calls we receive. I hope they help.

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Tips and Tricks

The SmartMusic Blog is a tremendous resource for all kinds of tips and tricks, with suggestions for everything from Early Student Performances to SmartMusic in College Methods Classes.

Additional recent blog posts include:

We’d love to hear from you. Please provide comments on the blog posts, letting us know what posts you've found helpful or what you'd like to see in the future.

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Just Released

New Music Titles Sittin' in with the Big Band, Singin' with the Big Band, Band Expressions, and more.

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Announcements

Free SmartMusic In-services
Interested in a free 60 – 90 minute in-service about SmartMusic? Contact Dave Hawley at dhawley@makemusic.com for more information.

Become a SmartMusic Advocate
Do you love SmartMusic? Are you using SmartMusic and the Gradebook with your students? Join our advocate program and help us spread the word to other music educators. Read what educators in your area are saying about SmartMusic and sign up using the link below the map. Join Now.

SmartMusic for your Entire School or District
Volume pricing is available for a minimum of 100 subscriptions. More.

Upcoming Events
Come see SmartMusic at the Pennsylvania MEA Convention, Iowa Bandmasters, and more.

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Meet the Team

Alicia Growing up on the windswept plains of North Dakota, Alicia Thompson dreamed of becoming an Olympic figure skater and enjoyed playing piano, particularly the Muzio Clementi pieces. Later, she studied the flute as well and eventually majored in business and minored in music at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Alicia always knew she wanted to do something with music.

Today Alicia is an administrative assistant with MakeMusic. Her work focuses on SmartMusic repertoire development. Once we obtain a license to add a piece of music to SmartMusic, Alicia enters data pertinent to the piece in our database, and gathers all the necessary files (Finale, .MP3, .PDF, and cover images) that will help our engravers and engineers to create the SmartMusic accompaniment. She also labels and files all the music in our ever-growing physical music library.

Believe it or not, there's a YouTube video that details this process and I think you'll find that it's fun to watch!

When asked what she likes best about her job, Alicia said: "I like being part of a team whose work has a positive impact on people. I enjoy hearing the testimonials from teachers about how SmartMusic has helped their students to make dramatic improvements."

Outside of work Alicia enjoys playing piano for fun, listening to everything from U2 and Radiohead to trance music, doing yoga, playing video games, and getting out to local clubs to experience music, comedy, and theater.

But when the figure skating competitions are on TV, she's still glued to the set.

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