Genius Hour Progress - Update #2

Hey y'all!

I hope your week has been spectacular! This week I practiced the ukulele three times but I have come to realize that I need to actually create a certain time or day that I practice to make sure that I am doing it.  It's weird to be doing this on top on regular school work because the main issue I am facing is that I am having trouble thinking of it as a priority and not just a random hobby.  Probably because before starting this project I only ever practiced sporadically when I felt like it (which was not very much).   I have included a video of myself playing as kind of a reference point of my skill level as of this moment.  I'm playing along to the song "Whisky in the Jar" on Yousician.  In the video I'm playing at around 70% speed of the actual song. The app is awesome in that it allows you to adjust the speed in order to practice at your skill level and get faster as you get more comfortable.  I'll try to post another video when I manage to play at full speed.  In addition to this issue, another that I am having trouble with is my main practicing outlet.  As I have mentioned, I found the app,  Yousician, which has been really helpful as a starting point for learning but I'm not certain it's the best way to maximize my practice time.  Since I have not updated to premium, because let's be honest...I'm broke, I am constantly being interrupted by adds. They pop up what feels like every minute and when I'm only getting half an hour free practice time, it feels like it is taking a big chunk out of my time.  Additionally, they are so distracting.  They really break the flow of my playing and it is making me want to smash my precious, blue ukulele.  As a result of this I am trying to find different resources on top of the app that allow me practice more.  I don't want to give up the app altogether because it is super cool but I need more.  There are a ton of YouTube tutorials for different songs but I am not sure I have reached a skill level to test that many of them out.  Plus it gives me no feed back if I am doing something wrong.  I wish that I had some ukulele genie in my life to grant me my wishes and just make me a ukulele god.  I'm going to start rubbing lamps.  Although, low-key I hope if I find a genie I'm not limited to strictly ukulele related wishes...

Screen Shot of my Yousician home page

To move away from the my musical pitfalls, we used a tool in class today that I'm kind of in love with.  It was called "Google Drawing" and it is basically what you would expect it to be.  I just never knew it existed and therefore I adore it now.  It's kind of like Paint but better because you can share what you are doing with other people and add it to any Google document you might be working on.  We listed to a story called "Not a Box" and then each created our own slide to add.  I think this is a great resource for teachers because it is a different medium for students to to visual art and share it with their peers!  Plus, it has the option for lots of people to be working on different slides so it can be super collaborative.  Check out the slideshow that we made!  I'm sure there are a ton of different ways to use it.  I may even just doodle in class... I mean whaaaat I am always 100% tuned in.  You guys (or likely just the teacher reading this and my mom) should totally try it out.  Mom you'd love it.  Until next time MLL!  Stay fresh.

Genius Hour Progress - Update #1

Hello my friends!

How's it going?  I'll take your silence to mean it was excellent.  How was mine you ask? Well, let me tell you!  This was the first official week with my genius hour project and I've come to realize I might need to practice more than twice a week to accomplish my goal of playing a song from memory on the ukulele.  I did follow my time line though which I am pretty proud of.  Actually, I went home this weekend to visit my parents and played a little bit for them.  For someone who grew up playing in music concerts and learning new songs, this was the ultimate throw back.  I have not performed for my family members since I was in grade.  I am aware that I am using the word "perform" very loosely here but it was still kind of satisfying having them sit and listen to me mess up playing "Eliza Jane" 4 times.  My mother did put in a song request of "Mandolin Wind" by Rod Stewart, which has a ukulele in it but I think I am a ways off from accompanying him on stage (but dream big MLLs!).  Anyway I have decided to tentatively follow my timeline and actually try to aim for at least 3 practices a week instead.  One of the downfalls of the resource that I mentioned last time, Yousician, is that it interrupts you with adds and only gives you 30 minutes of feedback for free unless you want to update.  That being said, one of the coolest parts of the app is that it can actually hear you playing and lets you know when you are off-key or playing to early/late.  It's a really good tool since that means you aren't drilling the song into your head when you're actually playing it wrong.  I'm going to attempt to video tape my next practice session and uploaded it so you guys can see the skill level that I'm at now and hopefully what I progress to!  I'm aiming for stardom here.  That little girl just won America's Got Talent singing and playing the ukulele so maybe I'll be next.  Always nice to have a solid backup in case teaching falls through am I right?  Anyway, until next time my little learners!

Genius Hour Project

Music Express (2016). Mahalo Dark
Blue Soprano Ukulele MR1.
Retrieved from
http://www.musicexpress.com.au/
mexpress/U30blue.html

Hello my little learners!!

Guess what?! I am going to be learning the ukulele! That's right, this week I begin my passion project a.k.a. my genius hour project!  For our technology class we are going to be exploring a passion and reflecting on our experience during the project.  Truth be told, I am cheating a little bit during this process.  I actually already own a ukulele and have spent a little time attempting to learn BUT I definitely still qualify as a beginner.  Because of this status I am going to be  documenting my progress over a matter of 8 weeks to see how well I can progress.  My goal is to be able to play an entire song from memory.  Recently, my father told me about an app that he found called Yousician that takes you through different steps in helping you develop your skills.  I am hoping that playing a minimum of two times per week, half an hour each will help me accomplish my goal.  On top of using this app, I am going to find more resources to help me learn sheet music for ukulele as well.  I grew up playing piano so I am hoping that this will give me an edge in my task. Interesting fact, the ukulele in the picture to the left is actually the exact one I own.  That lovely shade of blue is definitely going to add some flare.  I'll keep you updated on my progress!  Bye for now MLLs!

Copyright Licensing

Prior to this class the idea of copyrighting only seemed like a distant concept that only really applied to people in the music industry.  But boy, was I wrong.  I have learned, especially now that I am a Teacher Candidate, that we are not necessarily allowed to throw any old video up on the screen to show my students.  It in fact, needs to have this magical thing called "Creative Commons".  Basically this means that the creator has allowed distribution rights for their work.  It is split into six different licenses that dictate exactly what the author gives permission for such as sharing, non-commercial uses, or attribution.  I need to be aware of the distinction as well as help my students practice appropriate internet usage.  Resources such as the wiki page Copyright Friendly or Creative Commons Chaos can help students learn to navigate what is allowed to be shared or not.  Further, it is important to understand "Fair Dealing" as it dictates further what we as teachers are allowed to share with our students as educational resources.  As long as the purpose is for research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, satire, or parody we are allowed to present copyrighted material.  This is very important in order to ensure that our resources for students are legal and usable!  It has definitely helped me think twice about the materials I am sharing!  Just check out these images.  

Slaughter, M. (1983).Children like Kim Hampton; 9; (left); and David Demers; 11; are plugging into computer camps with eletronic speed. Photograph.  Retrieved from http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-TSPA_0005893F&R=DC-TSPA_0005893F.

Brown, V. (December 28, 2011). Child's Play.  Photograph.  Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/vintuitive/6585812185/