I started using video technology in my music classroom about three years ago when I introduced ukulele to my young students. When it came time to read from a song sheet it was clear that they needed me to track the beat for them. However, I also needed to assist them with their playing positions. Hmmm, what to do?
I absolutely needed to clone myself so I could do both things at the same time. And so, my "video twin" was born! I created a series of play along videos that made all the difference. The students follow the video "me" on the screen which frees up the real me to wander around the classroom providing assistance to those in need. Nowadays, we use video in nearly every session, and students are able to access those same videos at home for practice purposes. The benefits are immeasurable.
In March of 2018, I wrote a blog post on the benefits of using video technology in the classroom. If you have avoided using video in the past, perhaps that post will inspire you to give it a try. In today's post, we're going to explore four different types of videos that could be highly useful in your classroom. I plan to create some tutorial videos to show you HOW to shoot and edit videos for your classroom but, for now, let's explore some different types of videos that may be useful for you.
These videos are SO helpful! I almost always use the first 20 or 30 seconds to provide some helpful tips or instructions, and then invite students to play along with me as I perform the song. For ukulele videos, I recruit someone else to track the beat on screen while I sing and play. I use these videos in my classes all the time. Students also access them at home which has significantly increased home practice and has made concert preparations so much easier! I've even had some parents report that they've begun to play as a result of my videos. This, of course, is music to my ears!
This is a typical ukulele play along tutorial:
I recently composed and released a new song for Earth Day. It's a lengthy song with lots of words, so I prepared this video to assist students in learning the lyrics. Of course, the images help reinforce the important message of the song:
Full Disclosure: This video was much more labour intensive than most of my videos as I had to choose the images, synchronize them with the recording and add lyric captions. However, it was well worth the effort because I now have a video presentation that is perfect for any Earth Day assembly. I would simply switch the recording with vocals for the accompaniment track for performance purposes.
Having said all that, sing along videos rarely require so much prep time. The next section presents a sing along video that took me only minutes to shoot and just a few extra to edit and post!
These videos are super-helpful at concert time! I always prepare short videos of our concert songs and share the links with the parents of my students. The students practice words and actions at home which makes it so much easier to fine tune the performance during class time.
Teacher Tip: Don't worry if you are shy and don't want your image out there for all the world to see! Simply make your video private, or unlisted, so only those who have the link are able to view it. You can always remove the video from your channel when the performance is over.
This is a sample of a video I prepared for my new kindergarten graduation song:
It demonstrates the actions (mirrored, of course!) and provides all the lyrics for the benefit of teachers and parents.
Teacher Tip: If you'd prefer not to be the one on camera, invite a trusted student to perform the song while you shoot the video.
Sometimes I create videos for the sole purpose of teaching a particular concept. In my case, that is usually to introduce a new ukulele chord or strumming technique. I created this next video to discuss the tricky left hand playing position for ukulele. I'm aware of a number of different ways to hold the ukulele with the left (chording) hand, but this is how I instruct my students on the topic:
As you can undoubtedly see, most of my videos require minimal prep time, and they are a snap to shoot and edit now that I have so much experience.
These videos are particularly helpful for teachers with large groups of students. My friend teaches guitar classes at a local junior high school. She has created a series of strumming and chord changing warm-up videos that she plays at the beginning of each class. When instruments have been distributed, she simply presses play on the video and they turn their attention to the screen. She doesn't even need to say anything...they see the video and immediately begin to play along! This is an example of great classroom management.
While students are playing along with the screen version of her, she's taking care of last-minute lesson preparations and helping students who need assistance. The video has a calming effect and sets everyone up for success in the class.
Occasionally I create warm-up exercises for my students when they need extra help with a difficult strumming pattern. This is one I posted to assist my students in learning the strumming pattern for "This Land Is Your Land":
Of course, I also prepared a play along video to assist them in learning the entire song.
So...I hope I've inspired you to create some videos for your students! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a new post on shooting, editing and posting videos just like the ones you've seen above.
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Thanks for reading and watching,
Lisa
