Technology & Learning - November 2008 - (Page 50)

LEADEROFTHEYEAR Music to their ears By T&L Editors Carol Broos, music teacher at the Sunset Ridge School in Northfield, IL, plays the piano, flute, recorder, and guitar—and the computer? She is the driving—and fiercely passionate—force behind a remarkable music program that combines composition and performance with cutting-edge uses of technology. Her mission: to “create an environment for discovery, opportunity, and expression.” Four years ago, Broos lobbied her superintendent to purchase a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) lab, a high-tech studio environment where students use electronic instruments, computers, and music software to compose music, special effects, and more. The room contains 13 iMac computers with CD/DVD drives, sound cards, and MIDI interfaces; each computer is connected to a MIDI digital piano. Since being installed, the lab has become a focal point of the school. Broos offers a MIDI Lab class for seventh and eighth graders that is project driven. Examples of their creations include a day-in-the-life video with voiceovers and music; a Flash-based game with sound effects; and a CD of “mood music” composed on GarageBand. There’s also the Vermont MIDI project (www.vtmidi.org), in which gifted students get feedback on their work from professional composers via a password-protected Web site. Composition is not limited to school’s upper grades. The school’s fourth graders, for whom band is a requirement, use Sibelius music notation software to compose songs for whichever instrument they play. At the end of the year they perform the songs for the school. Fifth graders compose symphonic pieces, and Broos also teaches some of them how to design Web sites to house their compositions along with podcasts, blogs, and photos. Some of these compositions also are posted on Broos’ Web site, including “Flight of the Eagles,” a song composed by two fifth graders to be performed by the school’s sixth graders. Performance is as important to Broos as composition. “I believe that every child should have the opportunity et Leader: Carol Broos, Music Teacher, Suns ol, Northfield, IL Ridge Scho grades School Snapshot: 295-student school, north of 4-8, in suburban community 20 miles Chicago LAST BYTE:“BEING ATECHIE IS MUCH LIKE BEING A MUSICIAN— YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE A LOT!” to perform, whether it’s a presentation or a show,” says Broos, who incorporates a performance component into all of her classes, and also directs the all-school musical, holiday concert, and talent show (This fall she’s directing six shows of Wonka). Broos says one of her proudest moments when one of her fifth-grade students, a selective mute, participated in her class show. “She started talking and hasn’t stopped. This year she’s playing a lead part in the fall musical.” Technology plays an integral role throughout. For example, Broos puts students to work in the MIDI lab arranging the music and creating special effects for shows, and she also trains them to run the soundboard and lighting system during performances. Even iPods make an appearance: Broos has cast members record their lines as MP3 files so they can listen and practice on the go. Broos’ ingenuity has been widely praised. The local Apple Store uses her Web site, and its array of student compositions and musical resources, as a model teacher site. The Illinois Music Educators Association tapped her for its 2008 Mary Hoffman Award—the group’s equivalent of “music teacher of the year.” And the Golden Apple Foundation recognized Broos with a Golden Apple Award, which provides for a three-month sabbatical at Northwestern (she’s starting it in March) as well as a $3000 prize and laptop computer. After 21 years of teaching in her district, Broos shows no signs of slowing down. Colleagues describe her energy as contagious and her commitment to her students unwavering. Marti C. Bennett of the Sunset Ridge District 29 School Board, puts it another way: “The enthusiasm she brings to teaching with technology is electrifying.” Learn more at: www.carolbroos.com 50 | TECH & LEARNING http://www.vtmidi.org http://www.carolbroos.com

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Technology & Learning - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends Put to the Test WeeWorld Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection SAS Curriculum Pathways Rosetta Stone Classroom Version Pulse Smartpen Highlights from T&L Top Classrooms Kepping the VoIP from Being the Wrong Number Watch It Back Office Business What’s New Keeping Tabs Leader of the Year Profile: Music to Their Ears

Technology & Learning - November 2008

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