Groovy+Shapes

CITATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

 * Title: Groovy Music: [|Groovy Shapes]
 * Authors: Sandra Stauffer, Mary Elizabeth, Pauline Adams
 * Publisher: [|Sibelius Software Ltd.]
 * © 2008
 * Platform: Windows (98/2000/XP) or Mac (OS X 10.2 or later)
 * Peripherals: None
 * Age: 5 years old and up
 * Type of Class: General Music, Composition

TEACHER SUPPORT
Groovy Shapes comes with an excellent and detailed teacher's manual. The manual includes clear instructions on how to get started with the program as well as how to run each mode of the program. It includes highly detailed and engaging lesson plans for each level in which students can progress within the program, along with reproducible flashcards teachers can use in instructions. Each lesson comes with clear objectives, a list of [|National Standards] it meets, and extension activities for more advanced groups or independent student work. Pre-programmed songs that come with the lessons are downloaded when the program is installed. It also boasts detailed teacher-only features. Each step in the manual includes clear screen shots to make sure the teacher is on the right track.

The [|website] for the program includes free plug-ins which can be downloaded as well as an [|online demo movie] about the program series. Recently, a new and free Groovy Music Mark-up plug-in for Sibelius was also added to the website for music educators interested in the program. Groovy Shapes also comes with fun stickers that say "I <3 Groovy Music" and a catalog with which to purchase other Sibelius software. A pdf of [|Groovy Hints&Tips] is now listed on the website as well.

INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT
Groovy Shapes has two main modes: the "Create" mode and the "Explore" mode. The Explore mode teaches students twelve different concepts: tone color, loud and soft, music words, music symbols, long and short, beat, fast and slow, sounds and the beat, upward and downward, high and low, steps and leaps, and making melody. Each lesson in the Explore mode corresponds with a lesson in the Create mode, as outlined in the teacher manual. This program allows students to learn more intuitively and respond to various beginning musical elements through the exploration and compositional processes.

In addition to pre-planned lessons in the teacher manual, students can use the Create mode to make up their own compositions using graphical notation. Since the program is designed for 5 year-olds and up, it resists using musical notation or terminology so it will be more accessible to all students. Lesson plans allow teachers to fill in this terminology in their classrooms.

Apart from instructional content inherent in the program, Groovy Shapes will open any MIDI file imported into the program and rendered using music shapes in the Create mode of the program. Teachers can specially format the MIDI file in a sequencer so the different tracks can appropriate shapes in the program. This can allow students to follow along with songs they are learning in their classes.

Lesson plans included with Groovy Shapes address the following National Standards:
 * 1) Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
 * 2) Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
 * 3) Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
 * 4) Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
 * 5) Reading and notating music.
 * 6) Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
 * 7) Evaluating music and music performances.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND PEDAGOGICAL SOUNDNESS
I found the strategies and content of this program very appropriate for an Early Childhood audience. The screen is laid out in a fun and clean way which lets students see, graphically, many musical concepts. Students do not have to be able to read very well to use this program, since all instructions are given aurally to the students by a narrator (within the program) or their teacher (when using lesson plans). The main menu in "explore" may prove difficult for the youngest students (5 year olds) as the text is used to differentiate buttons, instead of the buttons looking different. Kindergarten students would be able to get past this issue by discovering through elimination, though they may be frustrated to not find the music element at first. The graphics are used to represent different musical concepts, and I believe that this helps students make a connection between sound and symbol. In this respect, students are gradually introduced to more complex music concepts before they learn to read music -addressing Pestalozzi's principal "sound before sight".

The Create mode, when being used as a composition tool, is completely self-paced by the student. They can listen to their work at any time and add new elements as they see fit. The explore mode is guided by the narrated instruction, but students can repeat narration and musical examples at each step as many times as they would like before moving on in the lessons. The Create mode is mostly in a discovery format. It allows students to experiment with composition through trial-and-error, and they can listen to their work to test their hypotheses. Teachers can turn the Create mode into a more tutorial-based structure through use of the lesson plans.

The Explore mode is follows a tutorial structure. It is highly interactive, as it allows students to play short games with concepts immediately after learning them. Users can move forward and backward in the tutorial steps, and the narration makes the sequence of instruction largely stand-alone (although supplemental teacher instruction may be helpful). Through the Explore mode, students are given opportunities to discover combinations of instruments and sounds, preparing them for the process of composition.

In preferences, teachers are able to control the type of musical material students will work with. This may be helpful in eliminating the "explore" menu text issue.


 * Sequence of materials: Excellent
 * Pace of instruction: Very Good
 * Quality of interaction: Excellent
 * Motivation for students: Excellent

RECORD KEEPING
Students create individual user accounts to track their progress in the Explore mode and to save their compositions in the Create mode. As students progress through the Explore mode, they gain "Bonus Shapes" which they can then use in the Create mode.

OVERALL EVALUATION
Overall, I thought this was an excellent resource for early childhood music educators. The instructor manual is complete and accessible, the program is fun for the students while introducing them to many musical concepts. It can be very useful for teaching students composition, and can also be a wonderful supplementary tool for teaching general music concepts or supplementing performance-based classes. To some, the graphics may seem a bit overwhelming, but overall, they help engage students in learning complex musical concepts through the exploration and composition processes. This program is applicable to student throughout the elementary level if used to the full extent of the program's capabilities.

Rating: * * * *

REVIEWED BY
Lindsay Carlson (04/01/2008) Vanessa Bond (10/23/2009)