Commentary
W
ith over three million teach-
ers serving close to 51 mil-
lion students throughout
the United States alone, it’s no sur-
prise that talk about school closures,
the shift to distance learning, and the
uncertainty surrounding the future of
education has led much of the con-
versation during the global COVID-19
pandemic. to Reimagine and Retool Music
Like many teachers, I have been
tasked with one of the biggest chal- Education During Covid-19
lenges: creating new ways to shift our By Tracy Williamson
curriculum online to support students learn-
ing at home. Fortunately, the move to distance
learning has been supported by the edtech tools, particularly
in specific areas of studies, like music education, which is what I
teach to middle school students at Gorham Middle School.
Transforming Music Education to Support Distance Learning
To support my choir and music students’ transition to dis-
tance learning, I had to rethink my approach to teaching and
learning. In the past, students were often limited to practicing
music in the classroom using the school’s collection of physical
instruments. Distance or remote learning for music education
would not have been possible at that time.
But today, distance learning is not only possible, but also has
the potential to offer an invigorating learning experience for
students. Indeed, I am finding new ways to engage my students
online using a combination of online learning tools, including
these:
Music Tech: Both Soundtrap and Flat.io are music technol-
ogy platforms that integrate with one another to support mu-
sic-making online. Flat.io is a music notation software that allows
learners to create their own sheet music online while Soundtrap’s
online studio offers a collaborative digital audio workstation that
encourages students to explore creative sound-making through
thousands of loops, presets, beats, and more.
Video instruction: Flipgrid allows for teachers to facilitate
asynchronous video discussions with students. Teachers can
record their own instructional videos and create assignments
for students to respond via a recorded video submission. Mean-
while, Screencast-O-Matic is a great tool to create video tutorials
and recording step-by-step guides to walk students through a
series of steps to complete their project or use a new tool and/
or feature.
Digital Badging: Badgr is a digital badging platform that al-
lows teachers to create and issue customized digital badges to
students. Students can collect their badges from various classes
and subjects via a digital backpack. Digital badges can be a great
alternative to incentivize students, especially when traditional
grading is not available.
It was a huge advantage that my students already had some
experience using many of these tools in the classroom. As soon
as we transitioned to distance learning, I dove into my tech tool-
8 School Band & Orchestra • June 2020
box to begin developing “app-smash-
ing” projects that combined various
online tools to encourage students
to explore creative sound making. To
date, my students have embarked on
three projects, including:
Virtual Choir: My students and I
meet virtually using Zoom for choir
rehearsals. When introducing a new
song, we start by reviewing the se-
lected music—for example, the first
song was “Home” by Phillip Phillips—
and together, we walk through the sheet
music and study the lyrics. After the group’s
virtual rehearsals, students record their assigned
parts into Soundtrap’s online studio on their own time. Within
the studio, I can combine multiple student-created tracks into a
single song. For this project, I surprised the students with a vid-
eo montage that included recordings from our school’s teachers
and staff sending their good wishes during school closures.
Tabata Workout Composition: Tabata is a popular form of
exercise that uses a series of interval training. For this project, stu-
dents were tasked with creating their own Tabata workout song
that incorporated a variety of beats, loops and sounds to indicate
new intervals, as well as the varying intensity of the workout. Us-
ing Screencast-O-Matic, I demonstrated how students could ac-
cess and use Soundtrap’s extensive collection of beats, loops and
sounds, as well as record their own instruments into the studio
to create their track. Students then listened to their own music
while recording a video on Flipgrid of their own Tabata workout
video from home for PE class.
Digital Badges: An ongoing project that easily transferred
from in-class to online learning was our music reading incentive
program, through which choir students can earn digital badg-
es. To support distance learning, I create short music reading
prompts in Flat.io. After studying the music, students use Flip-
grid to record themselves singing their part and are awarded
with Badgr’s digital badges once completed. For example, to
earn a level one music reading badge, students must record
themselves performing three short examples in 4/4 time incor-
porating whole, half and quarter notes and three pitches: Do, Re
and Mi.
Without online learning tools, much of music education
would have been lost during this time. Instead, I am working
with students both in-real time and asynchronously to find new
ways to collaborate and create new sounds and music together.
Tracy Wheeler Williamson is general music teacher, choral director,
and steel band director at Gorham Middle School in Gorham,
Maine. She is an Apple-certified teacher, certified Soundtrap Educa-
tor and Expert and is working on her Google Educator certification.
Tracy holds a bachelor of music degree in flute performance from
Boston University and a M.M. in music education and flute perfor-
mance from Boston Conservatory. Connect with Tracy on Twitter @
GorhamMS_Music.
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