Teaching Music Improvisation with Technology

Incorporating technology in music classrooms can take the mystery out of improvisation. What music technology does is establish a strong foundation for chord, scale, phrase, ear training, and listening exercises, creating a solid backdrop for student expression. As author and educator Mike Fein shows, technology is a valuable tool that can be used effectively to supplement student practice time while also developing the skills necessary to become a proficient improviser. Complete with notated exercises, accompaniment tracks, and listening resources, this book gives teachers methods to set their students free to make mistakes and to develop their own ear for improvisation at their own pace. Broken down into significant areas of music technology, each chapter focuses on developing a new skill and guides readers to tangible outcomes with the assistance of hands-on activities that can be immediately implemented into the classroom. In addition to these hands-on activities, each chapter provides the reader with an "iPad Connection" to various iOS applications, which allows teachers and students another, albeit significantly less expensive, medium through which to learn, share, and create art.
This book will appeal to music educators of students in grades K-12. It will serve collegiate music education courses secondarily, and will also appeal to those music educators who work with improvisation and technology.

Michael Fein is an instructor in music technology who teaches at Haverford High School, at The University of the Arts, and at Central Connecticut State University. He was named Teacher of the Year by TI:ME, the Technology Institute for Music Educators, and he is a frequent clinician at music education conferences across the country.

Table of Contents:
Preface
Ch. 1: Introduction to the Mechanics of Improvisation1. Improvisation is....2. Developing improvisation in musicians3. Repertoire guidelines4. Classroom Technology5. How Can Technology Facilitate the Development of Improvisation in Musicians?6. Existing Materials and Methods7. iPad Connection: SmartMusic for iOS8. Breaking the Ice: Percussion-only Improv Jam9. Ch. 1 Review
Ch. 2: Auto Accompaniment Software: Band-in-a-Box and iReal Pro1. Eb Jam Blues2. Blues Variation: Freddie Freeloader3. Modal Improvisation: So What4. Chord Bracketing: Autumn Leaves5. iPad Connection: iReal Pro6. Ch. 2 Review
Ch. 3: Notation Software: Note Flight and forScore1. Notation Software Options2. Creating a Lead Sheet: Für Elise by Beethoven3. Creating an Exercise Sheet: Money by Pink Floyd4. Creating a Motif-based Solo: Four by Miles Davis5. Creating a Chord-tone Solo: All the Things You Are6. The Power of MIDI in Notation Software7. iPad Connection: forScore8. Ch. 3 Review
Ch. 4: Music Production Software: Audacity, GarageBand, and GarageBand for iOS1. Isolating and Slowing Down Audio in Audacity: Miles Davis solo on So What2. Comparing Melodies in Audacity: All Along the Watchtower by Dylan, Hendrix, and Matthews3. Importing MIDI into GarageBand: Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock4. High Quality Audio Recording in GarageBand and Audacity: Reprise of All the Things You Are Chord Tone Solo5. iPad Connection: Creating Accompaniments Using Smart Instruments in GarageBand for iOS: Little Sunflower by Freddie Hubbard6. Ch. 4 Review
Ch. 5: Web Resources for Listening (YouTube and Spotify)1. Using YouTube to Teach Musical Improvisation2. Using Spotify to Teach Musical Improvisation3. iPad Connection: YouTube and Spotify Apps4. Ch. 5 Review
Ch. 6: Web Resources for Posting: SoundCloud, Podomatic, Google Drive, and YouTube1. Preparing Audio Files for Web Posting2. Posting to SoundCloud3. Posting to Podomatic4. Posting and Sharing with Google Drive5. iPad Connection: Posting to SoundCloud and YouTube from GarageBand for iOS6. iPad Connection: YouTube Capture7. Ch. 6 Review
Ch. 7: Web Design to Organize Online Material (Weebly)1. Web Design Overview2. Web Design with Weebly3. iPad Connection: Weebly App4. Ch. 7 Review
Closing Remarks
Index