Web-Based Magical Innovations at:
Somers Middle School in Somers , New York
by John Kuzmich, Jr.
October 6, 2007
Music technology can be magical when used creatively to both improve ones teaching and at the same time, save busy music teachers invaluable time. In the July and August, 2007 issues of SBO magazine, the technology column has begun featuring school districts, states and specific teachers who are using music technology literally "outside of the box" in creating their own curriculums. Which can be translated to using music technology beyond it's basic application. But instead, in developing a master plan of how music technology can improve the overall music program and effecting the most students and faculty. Mr. Steven Chetcuti(chetcutis@theradiohour.net) at Somers Middle School in Somers, New York has created a very elaborate technology plan in which not only every instrumental music student, but every student is benefiting with technology regardless of which class they are enrolled in: music appreciation, band, class guitar, ear training, and living history: fife and drum . All of which utilize a variety of software applications in an innovate web instruction program that has been customized for his students.
Classroom Music – The Radio Hour
All technology instruction originates from his web site at: www.theradiohour.net Steven Chetcuti started this project in 1991 when, as a full-time instrumental teacher, he was given the assignment of teaching 8 th Grade Music Class. This assignment developed into a multi-faceted curriculum called The Radio Hour. In 2004, www.theradiohour.net was created out the need for more instructional time in the classroom setting. Steven saves at least 30 classes of instruction with home-based online assignments ranging from note taking to online testing to interactive listening flashcards, and interactive crossword puzzles, harmonica and guitar video lessons and more. “The Radio Hour” at www.theradiohour.net which is perhaps the single most creative web site for elementary/secondary instruction on the Internet. This site offers a complete music history curriculum for general music instruction for grades 4-12 covering Classical, Jazz, Rock, Evolution of Black Music, and Classroom Guitar. Each curriculum is broken down into two parts.
The Workbook is full of music analysis, historical and music facts, vocabulary, hands-on activities, review puzzles, and rubrics for self-assessment. The organization of each workbook helps keep students on task. All of this is supported by the website which includes music analysis reviews, composer overviews, links to research sites, and on-line flashcards and online quizzes. The Teacher's Workbook contains a wealth of support at www.theradiohour.net/members.htm which includes lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, ready made discographies at iTunes and an electronic gradebook.
Software at theradiohour.net
The most interesting part of this website is the diverse, yet well planned use of different software programs. Steven has chosen software that is easy to use and consistent in output. One program that is used throughout the website is Timesketch by ECS Media ( www.escmedia.com ). This program helps a teacher to chart the musical events of a song allowing the teacher to color-code and thus highlight the important parts of a song like form, themes, or instrumentation. Songs can be linked to CDs, MP3s, and Midi files. After a teacher creates a “sketch” of a song this can then be viewed using the free plug-in called timeketchplayer available at www.timesketch.net . This cross platform software is compatible on both Mac and PC computers. Here is an example of Purple Haze performed by Jimi Hendrix.
The bubble graph represents the different musical events that happen during this song. Blue represents not thematic material(introductions, interludes, codas) Yellow represents themes, and Red represents improvisation. By looking at this picture you can see and obvious AABA form that may not be heard during a normal classroom music listening exercise. The Radio Hour now has over 200 songs analyzed in timesketch format ranging from Classical to Jazz to Rock to Pop.
Students are assigned listening assignments at home using at program called FlashcardXML at www.templatekit.com Students can go to any pull-down menu of The Radio Hour and select “Flashcards” which will take them to the flashcard homepage. There students can select from vocabulary or music flashcards. These flashcards give a short excerpt of the music from a specific unit of study. Students can manipulate the flashcards by randomizing the playback order, playing next or previous flashcards, removing flashcards not needed or restarting the process. Since the program is flash based all you need to view these cards is an internet browser.
Classroom assessment takes valuable instructional time away the teacher. Giving students at test usually takes a class period. Steven has solved this problem by creating interactive online multiple choice tests. Students are assigned online quizzes at the end of each music history unit. Each test has a bank of 40 questions from which the test randomly selects 30. The questions and possible answers are presented randomly so that two students sitting next to each other in a computer lab would not get the same test. Upon completion, the student can choose to retake the test of to submit their grade to the teacher via email. The teacher can modify the testing for students with special needs but removing the time requirement or reducing the goal of correct answers. see how you do on the Baroque Era Quiz at www.theradiohour.net/quizzes/ cl01_baroque/quiz_game.html
In 2005, Steven to an intensive training session on Sibelius and its interactive playback plug-in called “Scorch”. After using Sibelius the teacher can “scorch” everything from instrumental exercises to full band scores and then create an .htm file that links to an interactive play-a-long version. ( www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/download/get.pl?com=sh&prod=scorch ) Students can then change the tempo, the key, and when selected, save and print the exercise. Steven uses this software in many parts of his website including ear training(solfege), scales, harmonica and guitar class, and recently Fife & Drum Band. Here is an example of a scorch file:
The Creation of www.somersmusic.org
Steven volunteered to take his department into the 21 st century by becoming the webmaster for the music department website. Teachers send Steven materials that they want uploaded or edited on the current website and it's done. Steven was looking for more than just an information center for concerts and field trips. The goal was to create a center for musical learning which can inspire and instruct the students while providing information to the community.
The homepage at www.somersmusic.org shows pull down menus for each building. Each school has the same menu which covers the “basics” with links to calendars, rehearsal schedule, festivals, permission slips, FAQ's to a myriad of things ranging from communication, lessons, concerts, instruments, lesson procedures, transportation, maintenance, practice logs, school delays phone chains, and materials, rehearsals and grading.
Somers Middle School Band – Performance Benchmarks
Steve Chetcuti has further enhanced his school web site at warp speed since learning Sibelius and Scorch since only August, 2005. The concept of timeline benchmarks gives the students a goal as well as providing parents with a concrete goal of performance standards for home assessment. These benchmarks can be found at www.somersmusic.org/smsband_benchmarks.htm . That is not all that students and parents will find on the benchmark page. There are interactive scales posted for printing as well as “live” practice, with the students adjusting the metronomic settings for customized home-practice. Can't say enough about both hearing the scales and playing along with the playback options. Scale sheets cover diatonic, arpeggio, chromatic and blues scales. Because they are interactive the student can transpose them into all keys. Students can also download play-a-long files to “Jam” on their scale patterns.
But wait, there's more!
Ear Training
This idea of interactive solfege is a well kept secret at www.theradiohour.net/eartrain1.htm . Imagine you're a high school theory teacher and you have a curriculum that's keeping you up at night trying to figure out how you are going to get your students to pass their AP Theory exam in June. Between textbook and workbook lessons, composition assignments and student questions you never seem to get to sight singing. The answer is at www.theradiohour.net. There are currently three levels of instruction with a goal of seven levels. Level one is free to all visitors and schools can register for all their students for a $50/yr subscription fee. Registered schools will have their students sign in and send their “attendance” via email to their teacher. The teacher receives an email of the student's participation, the time signed on, and the level practiced.
The Radio Hour: Guitar – Fretting Over Music History
In the fifth installment in Steven's interactive curriculum website. Students learn about the evolution of music through various styles of guitar music. Starting with Classical guitar and going through Country, Folk, Blues, Jazz, and last but not least Rock, students develop hands-on connections through researching musicians, analyzing songs with his innovative “Call Charts” pedagogy. But look beyond the extensive curriculum that Steve has created and look at the website support. In a world wide web of guitar lesson websites, how many are free? Not too many. Then ask yourself, How many are focused on public school education? Answer: Even less. This is why the site deserves not only a look, but an Oscar. Scorch interactive lessons, iPod videos lessons, beginner songs, and jam tracks are just the beginning. Each chapter analyzes the components of each genre, key musicians, and analyzes characteristic song samples. This is also supported by interactive listening flashcards, online multiple choice tests, and scorch interactive lessons. Take a look a the Rock Guitar chapter at www.theradiohour.net/g06rock.htm
Living History: Fife & Drum Band
The times that a colleague from another discipline comes to the band director for corroboration on a project in a career can be counted on one hand. When Steven was approached by a 7 th grade social studies teacher about creating a Fife & Drum Band he knew he had to make this special. The Somers Middle School Fife & Drum Band has a limited rehearsal schedule but supplements their practices with a wealth of technology. Steven Chetcuti has developed a homepage at http://www.theradiohour.net/ smsband_fifendrum.htm . Here the students learn history, reading notation, hand position, tone production, and songs in both video files and interactive play-a-long format. Here is the Yankee Doodle drum part:
The Future of Music Education and Technology
At this time Somers is undergoing a major renovation including a new music suite. A new auditorium, band and orchestra rooms are only part of the multi building renovation plan. However, these classrooms are being planned with the future of education in mind. Administrators and teachers sat in countless meetings to plan computer labs, interactive hardware like Smartboards, and sound systems, all being synchronized to make the most of the little time that we as teachers have to make an impact on the lives of these future contributors of society. It is teachers like Steven Chetcuti that see this challenge and are facing it head on. There are many more like Steven out there doing what they do day after day, year after year, kid after kid. If you know any more like him drop me a line, you can't expect me to find all the needles in the haystack.