User:Justin Mariner/sandbox

Welcome to the SmartMusic Undergrad Hub! This wiki is geared towards educators who are interested in using SmartMusic as a tool in their undergraduate programs. SmartMusic has seen widespread use in school bands and choirs, as a way of helping students learn their parts. However, many other uses are possible. This site is a place to share ideas about ways of using SmartMusic in undergraduate aural skills, keyboard and theory courses, as well as information about how to implement these ideas.

SmartMusic
SmartMusic is a software practice tool for musicians, published by MakeMusic. It records students performing music, usually with the music displayed on screen. It can provide visual feedback and a numerical assessment score based on the level of accuracy of the performance. Recordings and assessments can be submitted digitally to instructors.

Versions
SmartMusic is currently available in two different versions, “Classic SmartMusic” and “New SmartMusic.” The newer version works in web browsers instead of requiring installation as a standalone application, and it allows users to import exercises from most notation software, whereas Classic SmartMusic only accepts input from Finale. Meanwhile, New SmartMusic discontinues features that are used in certain exercises that are described on this site. New SmartMusic does not support


 * MIDI input
 * recording without assessment, to create open-ended assignments (part of “solo” files in Classic SmartMusic; see “Input and assessment capabilities” below)
 * displaying and recording music with more than one part (a feature of “solo” files in Classic SmartMusic; see “Input and assessment capabilities” below)

For more information, see MakeMusic’s comparison of versions.

Input and assessment capabilities
SmartMusic can assess the accuracy of a performance when there is only one right answer; in other words it can assess the performance of a notated melody, but not improvisations or other open-ended activities. The software’s ability to assess performance accuracy also depends on which instrument it is recording. Instructors can set up assignments in several different ways, in order to take advantage of different capabilities as follows:


 * SmartMusic can display a single-line part on screen (e.g., trumpet, voice), capture an audio recordings of this part, and analyze the audio to produce an assessment of performance accuracy.
 * SmartMusic can display music on a grand staff, capture a MIDI recording of the music shown on screen, and analyze the MIDI data to produce an assessment of performance accuracy (available in Classic SmartMusic only; MIDI keyboard and interface required).
 * SmartMusic can record without assessment, providing the flexibility to display and record anything, including any instrumental combination, and exercises with more than one possible answer. This is done via the “solo” file type, available in Classic SmartMusic only.

Class management

 * Instructors can create online courses on SmartMusic’s server, where enrolled students can receive their assignments, submit their work, and view their grades.

Libraries

 * Users can download existing music from free or paid libraries, or can create custom exercises using notation software and exporting to SmartMusic.
 * Instructors can create their own assignment libraries to speed up the process of distributing assignments to students enrolled in their courses.

Options during recording
Several options can be turned on or off by students through the user interface. When giving assignments, instructors can choose which of these features are required, optional, or forbidden.


 * whether students can record and choose from amongst multiple takes, or can only record one take (sight reading)
 * whether students hear a metronome while recording
 * whether students can hear their part while recording
 * whether students hear an accompaniment (if included in the file)

Limitations

 * Accompaniment parts cannot normally be shown on screen, only heard.
 * Assessment is only possible with monophonic instruments and MIDI keyboard.
 * MIDI is only supported in Classic SmartMusic.
 * Open-ended exercises are only supported in Classic SmartMusic.
 * Most exercise setups involve a fixed timeline, recording a specific number of measures in a specific tempo, even if the metronome is not audible and no music is visible.

Types of Exercises
Michael Callahan in his recent work, by integrating keyboard activities into theory classes, has shown how porous the borders are becoming between “keyboard proficiency” classes and traditional written theory classes. The same is beginning to be the case for aural skills in the theory classroom. Therefore the topics of this wiki are not the traditional curricular items listed in our university course catalogues, but specific uses of SmartMusic: singing input, keyboard input, and whether these can use the assessment feature. If assessment is not used, SM is used for recording to be listened to later by the teacher.

Exercises with keyboard input
Keyboard exercises in two staves can be done either with MIDI input, or with audio in the “solo” type of file, i.e. without assessment. Keyboard exercises with more than two staves can only be done with the solo type of file. Assessment is only possible with MIDI input. MIDI input and solo files are available in Classic SmartMusic but not in New SmartMusic, therefore all keyboard exercises are only possible in Classic SmartMusic.

Combining exercises
Two exercises can be used in conjunction, forming a larger assignment with two steps. For example, Michael Callahan uses an aural learning exercise to familiarize students with several examplars before they record their own improvised sequential melody.