This page contains resources and
instructional videos to help you
become familiar with the new
software program called
SmartMusic®.
The RMS Band will be using
SmartMusic® to help
students practice and perfect their musical skills this
year. For more detailed information regarding the
program, click on the links below. (You need
Adobe Acrobat Reader®
and/or
Adobe
Flash
Player®
to
view many of these files.)
What is SmartMusic®?
SmartMusic®
is
a software-based computer program that helps students
practice and submit their at home practice assignments.
Students can practice exercises, solos, and lessons out
of their method book as well as some of the music they
are preparing for a performance.
What is SmartMusic®?
*Adobe® Reader® is required.
Download a free
update.
**Adobe®
Flash
Player® is required
Download a free update.
For more information,
visit the
SmartMusic®
website directly by clicking on the links below:
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The Benefits of SmartMusic®
Practicing alone is often boring because the music has
been taken out of its intended group setting.
SmartMusic®
makes
practicing fun. With
SmartMusic®,
students are able to practice with professional
accompaniment. (Meaning you will be able to hear other
instruments playing along with you.) This makes
practicing time more productive, all while helping the
student develop better listening skills and a better
understanding of the music.
SmartMusic®
records and even grades student progress from a home or
school computer and includes a metronome, tuner and
digital recorder. Most assignments offer assessment,
where green notes indicate what students have performed
correctly and red notes indicate where improvement is
needed.
A
SmartMusic®
subscription also provides you immediate access to the
world’s largest musical library, allowing you to explore
other pieces that we might not be using in class. This
is particularly useful for students who are looking for
that added challenge in band!
For more information,
visit the
SmartMusic®
website directly by clicking on the links below:
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Purchasing & Subscribing to
SmartMusic®
SmartMusic® is a very
efficient and enjoyable way to practice at home.
Since all practice
assignments and playing exams will be given via
SmartMusic®, Ms. Murphy
is recommending an at home subscription of the software.
Rather than completing
assignments at school and losing valued instruction
time, students who have this at home can complete their
assignments and take their playing tests from the
comforts of home and email me their scores and
recordings. Using this method, a student could play
an assignment/test 20 times to get a score of 100 if so
desired. What a great encouragement for all students
to become better players and musicians at RMS!
A
SmartMusic®
student subscription
is just $30 per year. This gives you considerable savings
over the normal home subscription of $11.95 per month!
To subscribe to SmartMusic®,
go to
www.smartmusic.com,
click on the "order now" button for students and follow the simple onscreen instructions.
Other helpful links:
Requires
Adobe® Reader®.
Download a free
update.
Student Quick-Start Guide
Enrolling in the
SmartMusic Gradebook
Still confused? Contact
Ms. Murphy
for help. Have fun practicing!
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"How to"
Links
Some files require
Adobe® Reader®.
Download a free
update.
Getting Started:
Student
Quick-Start Guide
– a comprehensive step-by-step guide for
students that guides them through
purchasing a subscription, activating a
subscription, and enrolling in a
Gradebook class.
Enrolling in the
SmartMusic®
Gradebook – a
quick guide for students enrolling in a
Gradebook class. Use this guide if you
already have access to an activated
subscription.
Practice Tools:
Practice
Effectively and Avoid Frustration
Technical Support:
Still confused? Contact
Ms. Murphy
for help. Have fun practicing!
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Instructional Videos**
The following
instructional videos** will assist you in purchasing
SmartMusic for your home computer.
**Adobe®
Flash
Player® is required
to see the instructional
videos.
Download a free update.
SmartMusic
Subscriptions:
Getting Started:
Assignments:
Practice Tools:
Repertoire (Music):
Support:
Still confused? Contact
Ms. Murphy
for help. Have fun practicing!
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Microphone Tips
Most of the problems that students
encounter when using
SmartMusic® can be solved by simply
knowing where to place the microphone.
Pictured below are suggested positions
for the
SmartMusic® microphone as well as recommendations
for speaker placement. After properly placing the
microphone, be sure to adjust the settings of the
microphone when starting
SmartMusic®. You can also adjust
the microphone settings inside of the
SmartMusic® program
by sliding the dial up or down. The microphone dial is
located in the top right-hand corner.
Percussion -
microphone option 2: Recommended for bell players.
With bell kits, you can improve the
success rate by clipping the microphone below the bars
aiming downward, about 4-6" below the bars themselves.
The ideal spot for the microphone is just below the
lowest C# key on the far
left-hand side of the bells.
Also, using rubber mallets (while not a
great choice for concerts) will improve the assessment
by reducing the "strike" at the beginning of notes and
cutting out the overtones.
Lastly, make sure the “Instrument Range Checking”
feature located in the OPTIONS menu is off. (See picture
below.)
Unfortunately, the assessment feature (red/green notes)
is not available on most exercises of the method books
for percussion students. Until that feature is made
available to percussionists, the student will need to
submit a recording to his/her teacher so that the
teacher may grade the assignment.
More help with Microphones
Requires
Adobe® Reader®.
Download a free
update.
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Troubleshooting
SmartMusic® is an
extremely innovative and well-designed software program
that provides a very efficient and enjoyable way to
practice at home. However, like anything, it is not
perfect, and sometimes problems arise that our beyond
our control.
In an effort to help
students and parents make the most out of
SmartMusic®, Ms. Murphy
has created several links to help keep problems to a
minimum.
Below is a list of steps
to take should you have a question or encounter a
problem with the program.
-
Click on the HELP button on the
SmartMusic menu screen.
(See picture below.)
-
Go to the
Customer Support
page on the
SmartMusic® website where you can browse
answers to frequently asked product, pricing,
activation, or technical questions. You can also
submit a question to the customer service
department.
-
Call
SmartMusic® Technical Support.
This is a FREE service to all current subscribers.
Click on
this link for the
Technical Support phone number.
-
Click on one of the files below.
You need
Adobe®
Acrobat®
Reader to
view many of these files.
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SmartMusic Phone Numbers
-
Technical Support
-
1.866.240.4041
(M-F, 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM CST)
-
Customer Service - 1.888.874.2144
(M-F, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM CST)
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| Copyright © 2009
MakeMusic, Inc. All
rights reserved. |
| 7615 Golden Triangle Drive, Suite M | Eden Prairie,
MN 55344-3848
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|
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
Sept. 2010
