iShed

iShed
1. CITATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION • Title: iShed • Author: Marc Jacoby • Publisher: Roxmedia • Copyright Date:2007 • Platform (Macintosh, Wintel) • Peripherals: Midi • Grade/Age: Junior HS/Middle School, High School, Adult) • Type of Class: Band or private improvisational instruction

2. TEACHER SUPPORT • On Internet • Objectives • Sample screens • Resource information • Interactive patterns for improvisation

3. INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT • Students build melodic patterns in the jazz style to practice in all keys. • Cycle of fifths • Students choose their own Midi accompaniment to perform with in various jazz styles

4. INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND PEDAGOGICAL SOUNDNESS

• Teaching strategies are appropriate for students who are interested in improvisation. • Presentation on the screen is relatively easy to understand and work through. • Readability and difficulty is student directed and is therefore suitable for students of various levels. • Graphics are moderately attractive. • User normally has control of movement within the program. • Patterns can be created at various levels

o Drill and Practice
 * High degree of control over presentation rate.
 * Feedback is more reinforcing for correct than for incorrect responses
 * Students practice to program created accompaniment.
 * High degree of interactivity
 * High degree of user control
 * Comprehensive teaching sequence
 * Students can choose their own level of performance based on individual improvisational abilities.

o Simulation > o Discovery
 * Students are actually simulating jazz performance by performing and practicing to created accompaniment.
 * Students discover ways of improvising in simulated experience.

• Sequence of Materials is good. • Pace of Instruction is good • Quality of Interaction good. • Motivation for Students is good.

5. RECORD KEEPING • No

6. OVERALL EVALUATION • This is a good program for students and professionals to practice improvisation with. The program allows you to set up an accompaniment pattern and you can choose the style, tempo, and key. It requires MIDI and Audio set up. It has preset rhythm accompaniment and with Midi allows the student to set up chord changes to improvise over or even complete tunes. I was not able to access the entire program and am writing this review from what I observed in the demo. This seems to be a program that would benefit the student improviser as a practice tool.

• Rating -- 3 stars good

Reviewer: Norman Davis 6-15-2011