The MusicFirst Recorder is Here!

One of the many reasons that I am so proud to lead the MusicFirst team is that we listen very carefully to what our customers are asking us for, and then we deliver those features. We will be adding the MusicFirst Recorder to all current MusicFirst Classrooms subscriptions over the next few weeks, and we know that teachers and students will love using it for assignments and populating digital portfolios. The MusicFirst Recorder is a very simple online audio recorder with some great features that make it perfect for assigning students performance assessments - and you can add PDFs and audio backing tracks to make the experience more convenient and meaningful for the students. Here is how it works:

You can launch the MusicFirst Recorder from the Software tab of your MusicFirst Classroom by clicking on the MusicFirst Recorder icon. Once it launches, you will see a menu on the left side of the screen that allows you to click the plus sign to make a New Recording (see above). Once you’ve clicked the plus sign, you’ll see a simple menu with a red audio record button at the bottom of the screen (see below).

Once you have decided whether or not to use the metronome and/or the count in, as well as setting the tempo, you’re ready to record. Just press record! You may need to allow access to your microphone at this point. Make sure you click Allow. You will then see an audio wave form that reacts to your performance. You should see something that looks like this:

Once you’ve finished recording, just press the stop button at the bottom of the screen. At this point you can either preview the recording OR you can either Re-Record or Save your recording. If you choose to save your recording, you’ll be asked to name it before saving.

Once you’ve saved it, you download it for submission or sharing. Very simple - and very effective, and it works on ALL devices - including phones and Chromebooks.

If you are a Teacher and you’d like to use the MusicFirst Recorder for an assignment, you’ll simple select the MusicFirst Software option when you create your recording task, and then select the MusicFirst Recorder from the Software dropdown menu. Please note that the Audio Recording Task Type is still available, but the new MusicFirst Recorder has some terrific new options that will quickly make the old audio task type obsolete. This includes the option to upload a PDF of the music that you’d like your students to perform, as well as a backing track. THIS is what teachers have been asking us for for a looong time. Now your students will see the music and the record button in the same screen, making it MUCH easier for them to do the assignment. The addition of the audio backing track will make the recorder SO much more effective.

If you are an existing MusicFirst Classroom customer, you should be seeing the MusicFirst Recorder icon in your Software tab before the end of October. It is a manual process to add it, and our support team has THOUSANDS of sites to add it to. Please be patient while they work to make this incredible new feature available to you and your students. I LOVE it when a plan comes together!