블로그 아카이브 - SARAH M . MINETTE 
 Playing with Noteflight 
 This past week in guitar we played with Noteflight , an online , cloud - based notation software program ( I LOVE cloud based programs ) . We have been exploring rhythms , and how they are often represented on paper . ( I say * often * because rhythmic notation is NOT universal and is just ONE way to visualize beat and sound ) . Of course , we practiced creating our own rhythms by jamming out in class . I would lay down a pattern and students would fill in the blanks . I actually got this idea years ago when I taught a world drumming class . This is a great way for students to create a pattern , listen to each other , and figure out how their pattern can fit into the greater groove . 
 Anyway , part two of learning about rhythms was to create a melody using tabs . What we have learned in guitar is that tabs often only give us part of the information . So , if you don ’ t know how the song goes , or don ’ t have access to a way to listen to the song , you might be out of luck . That being said , sometimes , and more often now , tabs are accompanied by rhythms , but they aren ’ t always clear as the notehead is not always shown and the difference between quarter notes and half notes can be confusing . Exhibit A : ​ 
 You will notice in the second and fourth measures there are only three notes , so by process of elimination , there is a half note in there . And , we see that there is a space after the third note , so that would indicate that it is likely a half note , or a rest . But if you are just starting out , it is a little unclear , so I have the students add a rhythm line so they can see the actual rhythm . Exhibit B : 
 Much more clear and makes sense to the students as well . It IS a bit cluttered , but for the sake of the visualization , these has helped students visualize and internalize the pulse a bit more . 
 I should note that while technology can be a great tool , we cannot assume that the students that we work with are digital natives . Yes , they are on their phones and they know how to take amazing selfies , and their texting skills are top notch , but this does not mean they know how to send an email , sign - up for a program , create a log - in name and password . Those are skills that have to be taught . Understanding this , I created a tutorial that students referenced as I went through the sign - up process on my projector . Additionally , when I had students share their creations with me , I showed them step by step how to share and how to send an email . Indeed , I teach high school students , but their backgrounds are so varied that it is not safe to assume they even understand the need for email . In this time I also taught basic email etiquette . 
 Back to Noteflight and why I use it in class . I think it is an excellent opportunity for students to explore creating their own music . After we get settled in the first day , I just let them explore the program to get familiar with how it works . Like any computer program there are some really great aspects to it , and some clunky aspects to it . For example , in this day of good drive and automatic saving , I have to remind students about ever 10 minutes to hit the save button , otherwise their work wont ’ be saved . Additionally , the presence of an “ undo ” button doesn ’ t exist , so that provides some frustration as well . But , overall , it is a lovely program . 
 As you will see in this video , Noteflight is a great way to double check students understanding of note values as well . I had this conversation with Kowsar during class as she was working with trying to align her Tab rhythms with the rhythmic notation . She is a very quiet young lady so I tried my best to repeat what she said . 
 The other thing to consider when encouraging students to create is that notation can limit what they create . Students brains have the ability to create incredibly complex ideas , but their understanding of what is going on is very limiting with relationship to putting it on paper . Some students may get frustrated with this , but I do my best to try to help them figure out whatever it is they have in their mind . Some students have great ideas that include septuplets or dotted rhythms . Rather than say , “ No , we haven ’ t learned that ” I work with them and say , “ Wow ! ! Look at what you created ! That is incredible ! ” And it is incredible . 
 Additionally , I don ’ t tell students what sounds good or what doesn ’ t . That isn ’ t my job . This is their creation . If they are struggling with finding the next “ right note ” I first encourage them to noodle around and see if they can come up with something . Then if that isn ’ t working for them , I might noodle around until they tell me I played something they enjoyed . 
 The final part of this whole project is that the students will receive a hard copy of their song and practice it and play it for me . While they are working on their creations , I encourage them to play what they have written , to make sure they can play it . I show them the tempo feature which increases or decreases the playback so they can practice along . Noteflight can be a great practice tool as well . 
 Creating is the bedrock of what we do in all the classes that I facilitate . It is so important to me that students walk away feeling some ownership of what they have done in class . This project elicits these feelings ( along with frustration , which goes along with creating ) and encourages the students to continue exploring creating on their own .