Technology Skills for Elementary Music Students

By Scott Emmons and Kimberly Walls

SOFTWARE/HARDWARE PRODUCTS

NOTATION: Ability to play back articulation, dynamic, and tempo markings

DIGITAL AUDIO: Record, play back, edit at least 4 tracks. Display waveform. Basic waveform editing.

KEYBOARDS: General MIDI, key velocity, drum machine, tempo control, volume control.

MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING: Painting tools, text tools, navigation buttons, sound recording, sound file & MIDI playback.

ACCOMPANIMENT: Band-in-a-Box

KINDERGARTEN

Play high/low sounds on keyboard

Manipulate keyboard volume control for loud/soft

Play steady beat using drum kit

Start/stop sequenced groove to accompany chant

Improvise drone on keyboard

Play rhythm patterns using drum kit

Click buttons to advance slides to show high/low

Click buttons to advance slides to show slow/fast

Click buttons to advance slides to show loud/soft

Record/playback voice

Select sound effects to accompany poems, stories, songs, dramatizations

Improvise sound collage by clicking buttons on-screen linked to sound bank

Change tempo of song files by manipulating tempo buttons on keyboard (stop between playings)

Change tempo of drum machine by manipulating tempo buttons on keyboard

Improvise melodic call/response using black keys (or pentatonic)

Improvise rhythmic call/response using drum kit

Improvise ascending/descending melodic pattern using black keys (pentatonic)

Play rhythm patterns of chants and songs using drum kit

Notate/playback ta ti-ti rhythms

Compose, notate/playback ta ti-ti rhythms

Use painting and text tools to create graphics and text for ascending/descending, high/low, same/different

1ST GRADE

Change tempo of song files by manipulating tempo buttons on keyboard (gradual change during playback)

Record/playback voice and layer voices for thin/thick

Improvise so-mi ta ti-ti rest la melodies on keyboard

Compose/notate/playback so-mi ta ti-ti rest la melodies

Record found sounds as digital audio, layer in collage.

Manipulate keyboard volume control for loud/soft (gradual change during song file).

Improvise borduns on keyboard

Compose/notate/playback borduns

Play strong/weak beats on keyboard (key velocity)

Discover/identify two-beat and three-beat meters by selecting drum machine patterns

Use painting and text tools to create graphics representing different meters, sections, melodic contours, legato & staccato.

2ND GRADE

Compose same/different melodies, chain into AABA

Add accents to MIDI file (notate & playback)

Compose & notate 16th notes, skips & steps, re, mi-re-do, half notes, meter in 3, minor pentatonic

Turn on/off tracks of African drumming to isolate instruments, thick/thin texture

Turn on/off tracks for harmony/no harmony

Compose rhythmic & pentatonic ostinati

Digital audio-record vocal ostinati

Compose parallel harmony

 

 

3RD GRADE

Assign pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff to MIDI track notation

Assign adagio, moderato, allegro, accelerando, ritard to MIDI track notation

Compose/notate syncopa, tie, 2/4, 3/4, ABACA

Turn on/off partner song melody tracks

Add crescendo, decrescendo to MIDI tracks/notation

Type names of notes

Compose one-chord & two-chord bass (root) ostinati and rhythmic harmony (triads).

Improvise one-chord & two-chord bass (root) ostinati and rhythmic harmony (triads).

4TH GRADE

Digital audio-examine waveforms of vocal and instrumental timbres

Digital audio-add dynamics (amplitude envelopes) to recording of choir

Manipulate tempo track of song file

Compose/notate 4/4, verse, refrain

Add articulations & dynamics & tempo changes to MIDI track (notation)

Digital audio-cut & paste tracks to make speech & singing canons

Cut & paste notation to make echo songs

Compose/notate ti-tiri, fa, V7, V, tam-ti, ti-tam, rondo, variations, melodic sequence

Assign timbres, turn on/off tracks of ensembles, 2-part songs

Assign bar lines according to metric accent

Use slide show program to visually depict melodic contour, entrance of instruments,

5TH GRADE

Compose descants, countermelodies

Compose rhythm ensembles with teem-ri, ti-reem, 6/8, triplets, 5/8

Play major, minor scales

Variations via augmentation & diminution

Improvise melodies, bass line, rhythmic harmony, backup vocals for 12-bar blues

Compose dorian melody/harmony

Manipulate timbre components (synthesis)

Compose rhythm section parts for rock-n-roll tunes

Improvise Latin percussion

6TH GRADE

Compose Band-in-a-Box tracks with unity & contrasting sections

Ornament melodies

Compose/notate 2/2 meter, 3/8, 9/8

Identify half-steps, whole-steps, intervals

Compose with whole-tone scale

Turn on/off SATB, SAT tracks

Turn on/off tracks (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic)

Compose (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic)