Project puts ears to the test at RMS

• RMS band

RMS seventh graders warm up for a Friday afternoon class with the SmartMusic program.

Talk about it

Seventh grade band students at Rosemount High School start each lesson with an activity that’s a little like the musical equivalent of Simon Says. A series of tones plays out over a speaker, and the corresponding notes are projected on a screen at the front of the room. As soon as the recording stops, the students play the notes back. From time to time, director Casey Clementson interrupts to ask students to identify the notes they’re playing.

The idea, Clementson said, is to assess whether students are playing the notes correctly.

Clementson and other RMS band directors have been using the system, a program called SmartMusic, for a couple of years now. Clementson likes the tool, but she’s never had any concrete evidence it makes a difference in students’ ability to learn music.

That could change soon.

This week Clementson is wrapping up a study that began in January to assess just how much a program like SmartMusic helps train students’ ears for music. Clementson’s study is funded by a grant from the Technology Institute for Music Education. Her proposal was one of eight chosen after a nationwide application and review process. She received $750 to fund her study and another $1,000 that paid for hanging microphones in the band room that will allow directors to easily record their students.

“I’m interested in SmartMusic as a program,” Clementson said. “I’m also interested in ... if these tools help students learn better.”

Clementson planned to wrap up exercises with the SmartMusic program this week and give students a test to see what impact it’s had on their music learning. She has to submit her final report by the end of May.

So far, she likes what she’s seen.

“I think what’s really neat is the kids, they’re starting to hear it and they’re starting to understand it,” Clementson said. “They’re trying to understand what the notes in the passage are. It’s been fun to see them work together and collaborate and talk while they’re learning their music.”

Tags: middle schools, school district 196, education, rosemount