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)