How often have you wished that you could have a way for your students to practice with an accompanist more often? Smart Music is a fantastic program that allows them to do just that and more. It also makes it easier for teachers to give assignments and track the students progress and their grades.
Lets face it, sometimes sitting in a room by yourself practicing is not as much fun as playing in an ensemble or with someone else. Smart music makes it more fun to practice a song because students can practice with a “live” accompanist. An inexpensive subscription to Smart Music includes access to an ever expanding library that includes the top books and songs used in many private music studios and schools. There is also a library of 50,000 plus exercises that students can use to practice specific skills that they are having trouble with.They can view their music on the screen and create practice loops that allow them to work on one area. Tempos can be locked in so that they can’t slow down or speed up. With the accompaniment settings, students can set the tempo of the piece and also set the accompaniment to follow them (instead of maintaining one set tempo) Once they have a piece really polished, they can record it and send it to their teachers, friends or family members. Students can check their progress in between lessons with the assessment area. It marks notes that are played correctly in green and all incorrect pitches or rhythms in red. The software also includes a metronome and tuner. 
With the new Impact web based grade book, Teachers can create their own assignments and exercises, grade students and track their practice time all in one place. The teacher can listen to audio recordings made and turned in by the student. The software automatically keeps an average for the marking period for each student. It even tells you if assignments were turned in late or on time!
About the Author
Singer and Voice Teacher, Amy Gould has performed for numerous audiences around the western Michigan area. She is a vocalist and flutist with the 126 Army Band from Wyoming, Michigan and has performed as a guest artist with the Grand Rapids Symphonic Band. She has also performed with the Grand Rapids Opera Chorus and as a substitute for The Musekgon Camarata Singers. Throughout her teaching career of more than ten years, Amy has helped hundreds of students to improve their voices and reach their singing goals. She holds a B.A. in Vocal Music Performance from Michigan State University and has studied at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She has also attended master classes in vocal pedagogy by Richard Miller and acting by Mark Taslitt. Currently, she teaches private voice lessons and directs the VSA Adult Choir for adults with special needs. She also writes and produces her own podcast and blog to help singers (of all styles and ability levels) improve their singing.
by Craig Tompkins — Sat Dec 22, 2007 @ 12:24 am