In the General Music Classroom February 13, 2009

 What are Podcasts?  Uses in the Music Class  Benefits of Podcasting  Outcomes  Creating your own Podcasts  Hardware/Software required

 A Podcast is a free audio or video series – like a radio or TV show made for download from the internet  Podcasts can be listened to on a computer or on mp3 player.  Podcasts are generally free to download and use  Podcasts are available on a wide variety of topics

 Students get hands on experience creating, mixing, and editing audio files  Students can work on vocal production techniques (tone, intonation, speed, and expression)  Allows students to use technology without getting too bogged down in the features (e.g., transitions & animations in PowerPoint / video editing)  Has very few security issues (no photos of students, students can use first names only)  Encourages reluctant presenters to discover their voice  Engages students in meaningful classroom experiences

 Publish students compositions to the web  Way for students to present a variety of music projects Students create CD / Concert Reviews  Allows teachers to showcase students work  Teachers can use podcasts to create mini lessons / update parents about what’s going on in the class.

Podcasts can help you meet Outcomes in:  Music Creating, Making, and Presenting Understanding and Connecting Contexts and Time, Place and Community Perceiving and Responding to Music  ELA Speaking and Listening Writing and other ways of Representing  ICT  Basic Operations and Concepts  Social, Ethical, and Human Issues  Productivity  Communication

 Audio Editing Software Most school computers come pre-loaded with Audacity (a free, easy to use audio editor)  Microphone that can be connected to the computer  Internet Connection  Software capable of playing Podcasts iTunes, it the most common application but others also exist.

Podcasts consist of three sections  Intro Introduces the podcast / what it will be about Generally has a short clip of music in the introduction  Segments (Body) The number of segments depends on the topics being covered in the podcast  Outro (Conclusion) Ends the podcasts, tells people what’s in the next episode, and thanks them for listening Generally ends with a short clip of music

 Program Overview  Importing Audio  Recording Audio  Editing Audio Files  Mixing  Saving

 A variety of resources and guides are available on the web  A copy of this presentation and the handouts are available from my website