Inside Music Now Included with the MusicFirst Classroom
Inside Music is the first notation-based composition curriculum that combines video instruction with Flat® and Noteflight® to create a flexible, accessible, and highly engaging learning experience. Created originally by the incredible team behind the Vermont MIDI Project (now Music-COMP), Inside Music may be used to fulfill state and national composition standards as part of a composition-based course. The Inside Music curriculum is based on fifteen years of classroom research and implementation. We recently acquired this incredible curriculum so that it can be made freely available to ALL MusicFirst Classroom users. We are absolutely THRILLED to offer this one-of-a-kind collection of ready-made lesson plans integrated with your choice of online notation programs.
Now, EVERY student can compose music with notation software, and every teacher can teach composition. Inside Music’s values reflect this simple philosophy. We believe that every student and teacher has the capacity to learn, teach, create, and compose. Additional beliefs behind Inside Music’s development include: •
Composition is a creative process that anyone can learn by exploring fundamental music concepts and techniques in part and as a whole. The combination of a carefully designed curriculum and easy to use and access web tools enhances instruction and learning.
Composition refines auditory skills and develops music literacy. The deeper understanding gained from composing enhances students’ overall musicality and performance.
Composition requires students to think creatively and critically. Students develop useful cognitive skills such as experimentation, problem solving, reflection, decision-making, and self-evaluation, as well as social skills like giving feedback and collaboration.After logging in to the site, teachers and students have separate home pages that include all lessons, task templates, transcripts, and a glossary. After completing the tasks in Noteflight, students can submit their work and comments or upload additional documents.
This Teacher’s Guide provides useful information on the development and use of the program. Choose a topic from the list below to learn more about the curriculum, features, and best practices included with the program.
We have created 6 units - 3 that are focused on using Flat with the content, and 3 that are focused on Noteflight. The unit are divided into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels to suit the experience level of your students. They can be introduced to students as young as third grade, and include pre-made composition templates and tasks in both software programs, making this a truly plug-and-play experience. Each task has a detailed scoring rubric, taking away the complexity of “grading” student creativity.
On a personal note, I have wanted to make this happen for YEARS. I absolutely LOVE this content and really think that it can open up the world of HOW to compose to every student. Special thanks to Davis Art for granting us the license to share it with ALL of our MusicFirst Classroom users. To find this content, click on Content>MusicFirst Library>Music Theory. There you will see the 6 units labeled for both use with Flat and Noteflight. A HUGE thank you to Marjorie LoPresti and her team for making this incredible content available to all!
If you would like to take this content on a test drive, just sign up for our FREE 30-day trial by clicking HERE. Happy composing!