SmartMusic Information

I am currently using the application SmartMusic as a way to individually assess students in our band program.  With 170 middle school band students participating a year, trying to keep all members progressing and playing music appropriate to their level no matter whether they are beginners or experts is no easy feat.  With this program, I can customize assignments that are at an appropriate level for all musicians, whether beginners or experts.  That way, all students can have something to work on that is challenging, but not too difficult or too easy.  With increased requirements for teachers to show documented growth in student learning throughout the course of the year, using a system like SmartMusic is very important to tracking student achievement.  Also, for events like County Band, Band Tour and Band Fest, it is the best way for me to see at what level each student is performing and choose the best members for these opportunities, as well as allow the students to move up to the next level when they are ready.

All Pennsylvania teachers are required to complete a Student Learning Objective (SLO) as part of our Teacher Effectiveness Profile. SmartMusic makes that very easy, as we can document and track student growth over time, which is the main goal of the SLO.

ALL DAMS Band students are expected to have a working SmartMusic profile.  SmartMusic grades will be transferred to Skyward a few times every term and will be a part of the student's 9 weeks grade for band.  Most assessments take only about 30-45 seconds to complete. 

Students can visit http://gradebook.smartmusic.com at any time to set up a profile, enroll in classes, and to check grades and progress. YOU CANNOT PLAY ASSIGNMENTS FROM THAT PAGE!

STUDENTS CAN USE SMARTMUSIC AT HOME!

Without a subscription added to your account, you will get an error ("This account does not have a subscription" when trying to log on or open any assignments from home or when using a device at school that is not "pinned" with a practice room subscription!  

See my previous post relating to some free trial codes that may work for your SmartMusic account. 

PLATFORMS SUPPORTED

Make sure you either have a computer/ PC with a microphone (most laptops have built in microphones)  or an iPad.  SmartMusic does not have an iPod, iPhone or Android version at this time.  Inexpensive microphones can be found in stores or online.  I have had good success with cheap PC mics from amazon.com, I get them for around $4 each.  

FOR COMPUTERS- DOWNLOAD SmartMusic (www.smartmusic.com, click "download" link) 
FOR IPAD- go to the App Store and look for the SMARTMUSIC App. Make sure not to download the INBOX app, that is for teachers to use for grading assignments.

IF YOU NEED TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT....

1. log into SmartMusic program or http://gradebook.smartmusic.com 
2. Make sure you have the proper school selected (it's based on the zip code, so hopefully that has been entered correctly!)
3. look for the orange "enroll in classes" button...  it should be in the lower right
4. enroll in the appropriate classes and look for assignments... DAMS Band Students should have assignments to complete as well as a practice time goal for the 9 weeks.

TO CHECK ASSIGNMENTS, GRADES, UPDATE PROFILE INFO VISIT THE GRADEBOOK WEBSITE:  www.gradebook.smartmusic.com will let you enroll in classes, check grades and assignments.  YOU CANNOT PLAY ANY MUSIC OR ASSIGNMENTS THERE.  


TUTORIAL VIDEOS AND TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED:
STUDENT/ PARENT HELP VIDEOS:

IMPLEMENT SMARTMUSIC IN YOUR CLASSROOM (excellent page with step-by-step tips)
TEACHER TRAINING VIDEOS
SHORT TUTORIAL VIDEOS

STUDENT/ PARENT HELP VIDEOS:

ENROLL IN A CLASS 
COMPLETING ASSIGNMENTS