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Remember when music teachers carried a crate to hold all of the record albums they needed to play in their music classes each day? It was a relief when tapes came along and they could record certain songs from the record albums and not worry about scratching the vinyl. Ah, those were the days!
Once society moved into the digital age, away from the older analog records and tapes, the way people listen to music was forever changed. Music moved from CDs to hard drives seemingly overnight. People no longer carry CD players and CDs; they have iPods (Apple Computer, Inc. 2000-2005) or other digital music players entire collections of CDs which can be plugged in to any sound system, or broadcast using a transmitter on any radio through an unused station. Students carry them too, only they are perpetually one step ahead in the technolog- ical race. Many have one machine for multitasking. The new "phones" these days seem to do everything, includ- ing actually functioning as a phone!
Having said this, new musical formats do not eliminate the need to teach students how to listen to music. While students may have their entire collection of music on their phones, it does not mean they automatical- ly have in depth or even basic music listening skills. In addition, the music they choose most likely is not the music that has been in existence for hundreds of years, but rather what they see and hear in society. It is part of the music educator's job to help students understand how music is put together, or as Aaron Copland describes it in his book What to Listen for in Music (Copland, 1999), we must begin to listen to music in terms of its notes, rhythms, melodies, harmonies, tone colors, texture, struc- tures, forms, etc., in addition to non-musical qualities. One way to begin teaching students how to listen to music, or as Copland put it, what to listen for in music, is to use listening guides. There are many ways to do this, from drawing them by hand to purchasing pre-done draw- ings, transparencies, and/or computerized versions from textbook or other music companies. While it might be easier to simply purchase the pre-done versions of listen- ing guides, it can be more useful to create original guides, allowing individual teachers to make their own choices for listening guides for their classrooms.
One software program that can be used and is gen- erally available in many schools systems is Microsoft's PowerPoint (1987-2003). Its relatively clear format and versatility can allow even the beginning user to create a
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Listening to Music in the 21st Century: PowerPoint Can Help Jane Kuehne, Ph.D
fairly sophisticated listening guide. For that reason, the rest of this article will provide an overview of how to cre- ate a listening guide using Microsoft's PowerPoint (1987- 2003).
Using PowerPoint
There are a few things that must be decided prior to sitting down at the computer. First, the music must be chosen. Next the concept(s) in the music about which stu- dents will be learning more should be determined. Finally, determine if text or graphics or both will be used. After choosing the music, concept(s), and text/graphics for the listening guide, choose between existing design templates, or create an original back- ground colors and design elements. The quickest solution is to choose a pre-existing template.
The Insert Menu
To put text, graphics, and music, use Insert on the file menu (the file menu is the menu that exists at the top of each software program and usually includes File, Edit, View, etc.). For text, choose Insert > Text Box and then
Figure 1. Insert Menu in Powerpoint
draw the box on the slide and type the text. To add graph- ics, choose Insert > Picture > From File (or Clip Art) and choose the file to insert into the slide show (see Figure 1 for more detail). To draw on a slide, either use an external program to create a drawing, or use the PowerPoint draw- ing tool. First show the Drawing toolbar, then choose AutoShapes > Lines > Scribble and then draw on the slide.
ala breve February 2006
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