Notation+machine

1. CITATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION • Title: Notation Machine • Author: Kevin Meixner • Publisher: http://www.notationmachine.com/how_to_read_sheetmusic/readingmusic.htm • Copyright Date: 1999-2008 • Platform : Internet based • Peripherals : None • Grade/Age: Junior HS/Middle School, High School, Adult • Type of Class: General Music, Band, Orchestra, Choir, Theory, History

2. TEACHER SUPPORT • Documentation: On Internet • Objectives: Basics of reading music, includes a chord reader and jokes. Also includes a "members only" sheet music down loader as part of the bigger program. • Lesson plans: none • Sample screens: none • Resource information: none listed • Reproducible student pages: none • Student booklets: none • Other

3. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT • Specific Musical Content: basic rhythm and note naming • National Music Standards: 7: reading music

4. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND PEDAGOGICAL SOUNDNESS

• Teaching strategy appropriate for student level and is based on best-known methods? Yes • Presentation on screen contains nothing that misleads or confuses students? This page is straight forward. There are other links and options that can become confusing. Some tabs bring the user to "pay" sites. • Readability and difficulty at an appropriate level for students who will use it? Yes • Graphics fulfill important purpose (motivation, information) and not distracting to learners? Yes • User normally has some control of movement within the program (can go from screen to screen at desired rate; can read text at desired rate; can exit program when desired)? Yes • Program Structure? tutorial o Tutorial o Discovery: students are able to hear how examples are used with MIDI files. No other discovery is used. o Problem Solving; None • Sequence of Materials is good • Pace of Instruction is good • Quality of Interaction is fair. • Motivation for Students is fair, but would be a good introduction for a group.
 * Some interactivity, listening to examples
 * user control is easy
 * Instruction is self-contained and standalone
 * No answer judging capabilities

5. RECORD KEEPING There is no record keeping in this tutorial software.

6. OVERALL EVALUATION • This software would be useful as a "day one" introduction to reading music for a class or individual. The chord reader is useful to advance students using the keyboard to find chords. This software is not useful for drilling or anything besides an intro to music notation. The chord reader and music joke sections would be an exception. • Rating : ** (only for the music jokes)

7. Reviewed by M.D. Skladan, June 2010