Rosemead High School (Pasadena, CA)
- Instructor: Danielle Collins
- Class Title(s): Music Technology and Performance Classes
- Grades Levels Included: 9-12, Public H.S., urban, low-income school
- Structure of NTM Class(es) and Class Activities: Two implementations:
1) Music Technology class: Students use GarageBand to create multimedia projects with software instruments, podcasting, automation, importing their own compositions from Noteflight as MIDI, syncing to video for commercials, video games, movie scenes. Students also survey DAWs and analog devices. Students participate in daily listening activities (Who/What/When/Where/Why) and post responses on blogger.com
2) Performance classes: In addition to performing, for the spring semester, students are broken into 6 groups: conductors (all study in forums on same works, then contract musicians to play for composer's forum & conduct it), composers (write for composer's forum concert, work with conductors to write within the group's ability), experimental ensemble (building and playing those instruments live on the spring concert), sound design (recording/editing/sequencing), visual media (works w/ sound design group to create video scenes), and research committee (scripting/programming/storyboarding the spring concert). Students submit their top three preferred groups. Workshop groups meet four times (45 mins each) in the spring semester after school with teacher, all assignments posted with deadlines, groups usually stay and work together following the meeting. Resulting efforts are performed on the composer's forum concert and the spring concert. - Software Used: GarageBand, Noteflight.com, Virtual Keyboards, Powerpoint, iMovie
- Hardware Used: Mac computers, internet access
- History: Class was approved both by district and UC in spring 2013. Students LOVE the class. Concept was designed in 2011 to empower students to take a larger role in the spring concert and get the orchestra/band/jazz/percussion to work together. Results are positive, students are able to sample different groups each year, covering more content standards.
- Date Submitted: December 2013