Recently the band rehearsal room received a significant technology update. In early February we received a SMARTboard! The board was mounted in the front of the room and has been in use daily since it was hooked up. Most people have heard of SMARTboards by now. But it is much more than the "interactive whiteboard" that it is often described as. In a large room with classes our size it is a wonderful tool to be able to project images, video clips, large copies of documents, etc. on a board large enough for all students to see. It would have been invaluable during general music classes as we would have used the board for many purposes. Currently I use the board at the beginning to each rehearsal to scroll a powerpoint of that day's rehearsal activities for the students to see as they assemble their instruments.
Perhaps the most exciting application we have so far is the addition of SMARTMusic. SMARTMusic is an incredible program that allows students to "see" their progress as they work on music. In our application, by using the SMARTboard with the SMARTMusic, students can play right from the board and this allows a number of students to use the system at a time. We will be using it for lessons as well as the students will be working on solos.
I am also in the process of teaching students how to use the board and the SMARTMusic program without our supervision. When they can work alone, then we have truly used the tool for its intended purpose. Students can even purchase the system at home for $30 a year. A great investment!
