Week 6 - Google Infused Bandroom

I was fortunate enough to attend a session at the Kentucky Music Educator's Association In-Service Conference last week titled The Google Infused Bandroom" presented by Stephen Keys from Frankfort, KY. This session was one of the most helpful sessions I have ever attended at an in-service conference because it gave me so many ideas on how to implement technology in my band classes.  To often we as music educators fall into the trap of teaching music the same way we were taught in high school and college.  The idea of a rehearsal setting hasn't really changed since the romantic period when Beethoven and Brahms were rehearsing their symphonies with professional orchestras.  The basic plan for the rehearsal is a dictatorship with the conductor being in charge and literally manipulating every action in the room.  We don't usually think we have time to implement technology into our plans, because quite frankly we are control freaks and think we have it all under control. 

Mr. Keys shared with us numerous way of using Google classroom to take attendance through students using their mobile devices, to ask questions of the students and allow them to respond using their mobile devices and an add-on for Google sheets that helps us grade student video performances that they post.  Other ideas that Mr. Keys shared with us was the ability to share recordings of pieces we are currently working on with our students via Google classroom. I have already loaded recordings of the pieces we are playing in my classes for my students to access and listen to as they practice.  Today in class I asked my students how many of them were utilizing Google classroom in their other classes and 98% of the class raised their hands. This tells I am WAY behind the ball on this and will continue to find ways to implement technology in my classes. My students are already accustomed to using it, so I need to meet them where they are and use my these tools to help me be a more effective teacher.