Crescendo Music Education

I am super excited by my newest addition to Youtube. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJdnNTX8yl8


I am fully aware that all of you techie types out there will probably stifle a giggle when you see what took me literally hours to do. 

I made this (and many more on the way) for a couple of reasons. One of the problems I see in music teaching is the difficulty in becoming truly literate. But this I mean that the symbols and sounds are linked on all levels and in any context. This clip will put notation and sound in front of the kids, and they will be engaged!



And...this is the first one in this slightly different series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3DjMiz7oVs


And the latest....it is fast - the crotchets at the beginning are tricky - but I like it - hope you do too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAkYAQsGqIw

OK - ready to giggle - this is how I made them...

I created the picture first – the rhythms. I made them in Sibelius, exported the graphic, saved it is a Word Doc, then making the rhythm as big as I can on the screen (his makes a difference to the quality of the picture you get at the end), I use the Snipping Tool (free download) to create the PNG file.

Then, deciding the order I want the rhythms, I get my sons head phones and open Audacity. I create a click track at the tempo I want. I then listen to the click track while I record – using a tone block near the mic – and listening to the click track so that the click track doesn't come out on the recording but I keep in perfect time. I quickly open the word doc where I have all the clips in order and play them leaving 8 beats rest in between. (after doing my intro)

(after a couple of goes – I get it right) I then mute the click track and export the audio from Audacity as an MP3.

Then, I open Windows Movies Maker (I have a good program I have bought but have never had the time to learn) and add the pictures, making sure they are in order. Oh – I also make a title picture (I just made it in word and again using the snipping tool to create a PNG) – that goes first.

I then play with the length of time the first pictures shows, trying to get first rhythm and the playing of the first rhythm happening at the same time. I then fiddle with the timing of all the rest of the slides – all together – so that the timing works. It was something like 7.25 seconds.

When finished – I export it as a WMV file – which is the movie file that this program makes.

Does that make sense? There must be a simpler way - but hopefully I have made you laugh!!!!!