I was recently in a meeting where someone was singing the praises of Microsoft Teams, saying that its AI monitors meetings and makes suggestions during the meeting based upon data it found in all of the participants’ files. Yikes!
I primarily work in the Google-verse and of course, whenever I search for something, I immediately start getting advertisements for that product. Stop it!
I have a friend who lives in Apple-land where her phone and iPad seem to anticipate her thoughts!
These all-knowing networks have several things in common. They are great time savers, they make our lives easier, but their real goal is to own (and often sell) all our data and enhance their revenue streams.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a somewhat similar suite of tools that could help you teach and perform music that didn’t sell your data, didn’t bombard you with ads, and had lots of free stuff?
Over the past two years, SBO+ magazine and our sister publication, Musical Merchandise Review have been completely reshaped to be much more than magazines – they have become an integrated source of music news from around the world.
At the same time, our parent entity, artistpromedia has been developing tools and resources to help you, the music educators and music retailers who are serving students. Many of those tools are free. I want to introduce you to some of them that are available now and all of them are undergoing constant improvement.
First, none of the resources require you to provide a credit card to explore. Second, no personal data is ever shared with anyone. Third, no passwords. They use only multi-factor authentication. Fourth, no ads are generated based on your activity. Fifth, everything is music oriented.
Here’s a few of the new tools available:
SBO+ Boost: Six completely free modules.
– Classroom without Student Data: Plan the teaching year, run each day, connect lessons to standards, prepare performances, and manage music and equipment without creating students or guardians. Your state’s SOLs are preloaded.
– Classroom with Student Data: FERPA compliant. Follow a synchronized K–5 teaching calendar into classes, rosters, attendance, forms, assignments, and individual instrument or music custody.
– Booster Office: All your booster club needs to get up and running.
– Booster + Educator: Gives the director oversight of Booster operations.
– Classroom + Booster Office: No student data but it facilitates fundraisers and other events.
– Administration & School Leadership: Review teaching plans, standards, submissions, comments, pacing, and shared curriculum—without entering the Booster Office or student records.
artistpro.Music: A suite of tools to help you teach and make music. Such as —
– apScore: You miss Finale? We did too.So we built apScore from the ground up for modern 64-bit Macs and Apple Silicon—to keep working with the native score files we already knew and loved. New code. Trusted workflows. A new life for your scores.
– apStudio: Your own Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Browser-based or MAC.
– Instruments/Plug-ins: Over 140 custom plug-ins to replicate iconic sounds.
– iosApps: artistproMusic for iPhone and iPad. Explore The Keystone: a complete guitar rig and iOS AUv3 plug-in.
– Learn: Resources, lesson plans, and complete curricula for all aspects of music production.
– Audio Production Education — From Studio to Live Stage: Teach recording, editing, mixing and live sound through practical work learners can explain, demonstrate and share. artistproMedia brings in-depth audio-production courses, professional studio tools, instructor preparation and practical assessment together for schools, colleges, continuing education and supervised workforce programs. Free SBO+ BOOST! supports eligible educators in planning lessons, performances and equipment.
Meanwhile, SBO+ will continue to bring you articles IRL (if you don’t know, ask a 12 year old) that deal with real classroom issues. My favorite one this month is “Where the Wild Things Are – Teaching Middle School Boys’ Choir.”
Last call to vote for the Teachers’ Choice Awards! Tell the music industry what you like!
