Talking to Administrators about SmartMusic

If you need to gain administrative support beforeimplementing SmartMusic in your program…

If you need to gain administrative support beforeimplementing SmartMusic in your program…

... you may need to articulate what SmartMusic offers.

Here are some highlights of what SmartMusic can provide to students, parents, and teachers…

Here are some highlights of what SmartMusic can provide to students, parents, and teachers…

...plus tips to help educators in discussions with administrators.

How SmartMusic Helps Students:

Students can:

Practice with accompaniment,

Students can:

Practice with accompaniment, understanding how their part fits with the whole group;

Students can:

Hear recordings of their performances for self-analysis; and

Receive and submit assignments, and receive educator feedback on them.

Students can:

Hear recordings of their performances for self-analysis; and

Students can:

Hear recordings of their performances for self-analysis; and

Receive and submit assignments, and receive educator feedback on them.

As a result, they practice more and progress faster.

You can highlight these benefits by sharing experiencesof nearby teachers. You may know educators with success stories like Jonathan Grimsby:

You can highlight these benefits by sharing experiencesof nearby teachers. You may know educators with success stories like Jonathan Grimsby:

“During parent teacher conferences...we can pull up Susie’s profile. Boom - it’s all there. We can listen to how she was playing at the beginning of the year and all the way through...”

- Jonathan Grimsby, Band Director, Fridley High School, MN

Administrators may be more willing to consider SmartMusic if they know that other area districts are having success with it.

SmartMusic Helps Parents, Too:

Even parents with no musical background can have a better understanding of how their students are preparing and progressing.

Listen to student recordings,

Parents can:

Listen to student recordings,

View the assessment feedback students receive, and

Parents can:

Listen to student recordings,

View the assessment feedback students receive, and

See student scores and teacher comments.

Parents can:

How SmartMusic Helps Educators:

Teachers can:

Create and send differentiated assignments that students can complete at home or in a practice room;

Teachers can:

Track, collect audio recordings, grade and learn more about each student’s progress;

Teachers can:

Track, collect audio recordings, grade and learn more about each student’s progress;

Create a portfolio of each student’s work, tracking student achievement and growth; and

Teachers can:

Track, collect audio recordings, grade and learn more about each student’s progress;

Create a portfolio of each student’s work, tracking student achievement and growth; and

Assign practice reports. SmartMusic tracks the time students spend practicing.

How Educators Can Measure if SmartMusicis Successful:

SmartMusic helps make it possible to objectively document student progress.

Kevin Crawford analyzed the student scores and sharedSmartMusic objective data with his administration:

Kevin Crawford analyzed the student scores and sharedSmartMusic objective data with his administration:

“Students that were using SmartMusic at home generally knew at least three to four scales more than the students that were either not using SmartMusic at all (or were only using it at school) and were generally 10 to 20 beats a minute faster on those scales.”

- Kevin Crawford, Band Director, Hopewell Middle School, Round Rock, TX

How SmartMusic Helps Administrators:

%Many administrators are now asking their teachers to provide data on student growth in their schools.

%Many administrators are now asking their teachers to provide data on student growth in their schools.

This is a challenge for music teachers because they teach large numbers of music students with limited instruction time.

This means that some school administrators are:

This means that some school administrators are:

• Leaving music students out of the schoolreporting plan

• Using test scores from other departmentsto represent music students

This means that some school administrators are:

• Leaving music students out of the schoolreporting plan

This means that some school administrators are:

• Requiring music teachers to give written“standardized” tests that don’t reflect theirlocal music department curriculum

This means that some school administrators are:

• Requiring music teachers to give written “standardized” tests that don’t reflect their local music department curriculum

• Rating teacher performance reviews on flawed process and data

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Pre-test and post-test scores

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Pre-test and post-test scores

• Formative and summativeprogress reports

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Pre-test and post-test scores

• Formative and summativeprogress reports

• SmartMusic scores for notesand rhythms

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Recordings (and teacher scores) ofsubmitted assignments

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Recordings (and teacher scores) ofsubmitted assignments

• Comments given by teacherson every assignment

Many teachers have been able to work with their administration to use SmartMusic to provide meaningful student data, including:

• Recordings (and teacher scores) ofsubmitted assignments

• Comments given by teacherson every assignment

• State standards documentedfor each assignment

If your administrator is required by law or policy to give you and your students a “score,” SmartMusic can be an incredible tool:

SmartMusic allows you to help your students learn as you document student progress.

If your administrator is required by law or policy to give you and your students a “score,” SmartMusic can be an incredible tool:

SmartMusic Costs:

SmartMusic is affordable. All that is required from the school or district is:

SmartMusic is affordable. All that is required from the school or district is:

• Internet access for music department computers

SmartMusic is affordable. All that is required from the school or district is:

• Internet access for music department computers

• A SmartMusic Educator Subscription ($140/year)

Either the school or parents provide students with home subscriptions ($40 per year, each).

Many funding options are available.

The Ultimate Benefit:

The ultimate benefit SmartMusic offers is better student achievement.

Again, sharing stories of other educators’ successes may be most compelling, like this example from Peter Osroff:

Again, sharing stories of other educators’ successes may be most compelling, like this example from Peter Osroff:

“[SmartMusic] provides teachers with an opportunity to di�erentiate music instruction. It provides parents with realtime feedback and assessment of how well their children are doing.”

“There are no surprises with grades.

“There are no surprises with grades.

The students are performing better than they have before, and ultimately I’d say they are enjoying using the software and they are enjoying performing better.

- Peter Osro�, Ed. D., Principal at Garden City Middle School, NY

“There are no surprises with grades.

The students are performing better than they have before, and ultimately I’d say they are enjoying using the software and they are enjoying performing better.

I certainly would recommend SmartMusic as a school principal and as a parent.”

Administrators, teachers, students and parents – across the country – are seeing the value of using SmartMusic.

Administrators, teachers, students and parents – across the country – are seeing the value of using SmartMusic.

Sharing these successes with your administration may help you enjoy these benefits as well.

Contact SmartMusic salesfor more information.