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Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

Wynn Literature is a site I found a few years ago as I was looking for music for my high school Intermediate Band to play for the Georgia Music Educators Association's Large Group Performance Evaluation (concert festival). The band I had one year was unprepared to play most Grade 4 Literature and I needed help choosing Grade 2 or 3 pieces. Wynn created this list of compositions that are on the GMEA LGPE required list. It is important to double check the most current LGPE list as the list is updated yearly. The compositions are written by composers whose works have been deemed to be "Contemporary Concert Band Standards" as they have the best mix of challenging the students as well as entertaining. Some of the composers include James Swearingen, Quincy Hilliard Robert W. Smith, David R. Holsinger, and James Curnow just to name a few. The site has changed a lot since I originally found it. You were able to click on the individual compositions to get more information about the piece such as key signature, meter, performance ranges for most of the instruments, technical issues that may occur (difficult rhythms or harmonies), background on the composer and historical perspective of the composition. Since the site's links do not work anymore, WynnLiterature is a great starting point to search for literature to play at the middle school level as well as the lower/developmental bands in high school.

You can create a "stomp-like" composition with various sound clips from a kitchen. You can also create a composition using instrument sounds and "surreal objects." This could be an easy introduction to composition for the younger students. I also think this would work better for a SMARTboard.

You can create a "stomp-like" composition with various sound clips from a kitchen. You can also create a composition using instrument sounds and "surreal objects." This could be an easy introduction to composition for the younger students. I also think this would work better for a SMARTboard. 

This book is a music education wiki focusing on music education with digital technology. Information in this book unfolds how teachers use technology in music classrooms, the pros and cons of technology, and how to effectively use technology in the classroom. One fascinating information I picked from this book is the use of classroom mobile phones. Almost every student in high school has access to a mobile phone. These mobile phones have a new software called "blue tooth" which enables one to share a file from a phone to a computer or to another person's phone. This tool can be utilised in class during composition, for students to share their compositions and get feedback from each other. These compositions can then be sent to a computer and students edit their compositions using soft wares like Audacity.

MuseScore3 is full-featured, open-source music notation software. This software is installed directly on a computer, and has compatible versions for PC, Mac, and Linux operating systems. There is no online or "cloud" version of this software. Although MuseScore is free, it is a professional music notation alternative to Finale and Sibelius and is capable of producing high-quality musical scores in a variety of formats. MuseScore also has full capability to produce audio playback, export to audio, and generate MIDI files.

MuseScore is a free music notation program that is easy to use and can produce easy to read, high quality sheet music for your ensembles. The interface is similar to other notation programs that you need to pay for. I have been using MuseScore to create etudes and warmups for my ensemble classes.

MuseScore is a music composition and notation software used to write/notate music. It requires the user to download and install the application on their system. This application is easily accessible and is free of charge. It is a software that is updated almost every month to make the features better. Muse Score has an easy to use interface and is a good tool to use in class for children to write down their simple compositions. Students are able to play back their compositions to their classmates, print them out, and/or even share them online. While using MuseScore, students learn many different musical concepts like dynamics, timbre, form, texture, structure, melody, repetition, phrasing, rhythm, tone, to mention but a few. MuseScore enhances the musicianship of students.

"Cloud-Based Pop Music Compositions Open Doors for Students and Teachers," found on National Association for Music Education provides insight into using the cloud as an option to aid in teaching composition in the classroom.

This is a great website for teaching beginning composition!

This composition site through Classics for Kids gives two levels of composing- beginner and advanced. A great variety of notes to be used (there are dotted rhythms in the advanced level), and students can drag the notes/rests easily to where they'd like to on the staff. This site is great for teaching composition, beats, time signature, treble clef staff and notes.

A fun and interactive source or beat mixing and music making. No account needed. Free options. Allows students to create, record, and download their compositions.

Incredibox is an online and free music technology resource that has the user drag and drop icons to create different arrangements using various loops. The website also creates a game where the user must find the right combination of loops to make creative decisions that the program has pre-determined. This resource is a great tool to introduce students to the world of music technology while also teaching about form, the recording process, sharing of music, and how/why musicians makes creative decisions.

This composition website allows the composer to experiment with form, texture, harmony, and other elements of music without having to read standard notation. Instead of music notes, the music is represented by a cartoon boy in different outfits.

A cloud-based DAW, free and easy to use. It is very similar to GarageBand, and users with little music knowledge can easily create quality compositions by dragging and dropping loops. Users can compose music, record live instruments and voice tracks, use MIDI controllers, and export projects to many known file types.

Soundtrap is a browser-based DAW that allows users to create and collaborate compositions or podcasts. Soundtrap offers a paid subscription allowing teachers to setup a private classroom and monitor/grade/comment on their students work. This DAW can be used for a plethora of creative tasks in music. It's primary affordance is that it is browser-based and compositions are saved via cloud storage.

Soundtrap is a free, cloud-based DAW, with a library of looped sounds and the ability to enter new audio. Users can also easily collaborate with others, and the program can be accessed via computer, tablet, or cell phone. It provides a user-friendly experience that music students can work with to express creativity through composition.

IMSLP is on online library of music that is now held in the public domain. It is a resource that can be freely used to print copies of music for use in your classroom for free! This resource is especially useful for string orchestras, as entire catalogs of music from such great composers as Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven can be found in the archive.

Over 119,000 compositions in the public domain can be found here for free. This is a great resource for musicians and can be used for research, performing, and arranging. Some pieces include recordings.

An online resource for downloading pdf and mp3's of music scores and audio that is within the public domain for legal print and download.

An interesting article about the pros and cons to using music technology to teach composition, including interesting angle the article covers that I hadn't considered is the importance of manuscript hand-writing.

This site gives students the ability to create satisfying compositions that explore texture using loops that are designed to fit in with each other. Perfectly suited for differentiation, students can create works that are simple or complex.

Music Improvisation Arranging Music

Incredibox is a web-based mixing tool, and its purpose is to create mixes with pre-set loops including, beats, effects, voices, and melodies. In each "dude", the user needs to select a "clothing piece" that contains a specific loops. The user begins creating their mixes, and can add and delete them as needed. Musically speaking, it is a teaching tool because the user learns how to mix loops ate certain points. It enhance several concepts such as rhtyhm and meter. It can be used by elementary and secondary-level students.

This is an excellent Podcast series explaining what is Music Composition, how to compose, and tricks of the trade. Jon Brantingham covers the theory of composing/orchestration and talks about the creative aspects of it as well as interviews notable author/composers.

Music by Kids for Kids, is a website dedicated to the incorporation of composition and notation software into music classrooms. The "Education" tab on this site will suggest software programs and resources to use in any music education setting.

This free downloadable version of Finale NotePad is great for basic composition projects. The software boasts its "Human Playback" feature which is designed to demonstrate expressive musical nuances, giving it a more realistic sound rather than being merely computer generated. NotePad has excellent sound quality and includes over 128 built-in instrument voices. 

This free downloadable version of Finale NotePad is great for basic composition projects. The software boasts its "Human Playback" feature which is designed to demonstrate expressive musical nuances, giving it a more realistic sound rather than being merely computer generated. NotePad has excellent sound quality and includes over 128 built-in instrument voices. 

A free download for basic music notation. You have the ability to make simple scores and compose exercises or any music really for several different instruments. A great introduction into the full Finale product and an easy tool for students to use on simple composition projects.  

This website is a game designed to introduce instruments to students (K-5) in a fun and interactive way.  Benjamin Britten's composition "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" is used as the basis for this adventure.

This is a fun, interactive website that helps students get to know the instruments, the set up of a professional ensemble, different genres, and musical roles.

This website is a game developed by Carnegie Hall that helps younger students learn the instruments of the orchestra. The game uses Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. This interactive game helps students understand the layout of an orchestra, the ranges of the individual instruments, and how they sound individually and together in an ensemble. This is an excellent tool for elementary music!

Noteflight provides music notation software from the ease of a web browser. The program is free to use, and although there is a premium version, the free version has all the tools needed for learning and creating notated music. All works are saved in the cloud and can be accessed at anytime from any device that can access the website, making music composition easier than ever.

Noteflight is a free browser-based music notation tool. The software has cloud storage allowing you to work on creative musical products from any computer with an internet connection. It also connects to MIDI instruments. Noteflight has a paid subscription which allows you to store unlimited compositions, full access to all sounds, transposition, and the ability to print individual parts. Student accounts can be purchased which you to create "closed" classrooms allowing for creative musical products and collaboration amongst peers.

This website is a great resource for K-5 music.  There are jokes, games, and information regarding famous composers, including recordings of famous pieces of music.  This can be used by a classroom of kids in a computer lab, or by a teacher for lesson planning.

Classics for Kids is a resources for teachers, parents, and children. It provides lesson plans, music games and interactive links, a podcast, tips for parents, and information about composers, instruments, and music history. The lesson plans (written by my former music education professor, Dr. Kay Edwards) are standards-based and incorporate elements of Orff, Kodaly, and Dalcroze.

This website is for elementary/general music education. It is a resources for lesson plans on composers, music theory, and music listening.

Several Resources and Ideas for use in schools especially for Alternative Music Programs. Informational for both traditional and non-traditional instruction classes including band, orchestra, alternative programs, and composition sites. In addition, there are publications provided from research to support the need for the variety of programs in school.

Several Resources and Ideas for use in schools especially for Alternative Music Programs. Informational for both traditional and non-traditional instruction classes including band, orchestra, alternative programs, and composition sites. In addition, there are publications provided from research to support the need for the variety of programs in school.

GarageBand for Mac has everything you need to learn, play, record, mix, and share great-sounding music, even if you've never played a note. Garageband is a program for apple products. It allows users to compose their own music using loops and recorded segments.

GarageBand for Mac has everything you need to learn, play, record, mix, and share great-sounding music, even if you've never played a note. Garageband is a program for apple products. It allows users to compose their own music using loops and recorded segments.

GarageBand is freeware that can be used to create original compositions using pre-recorded loops, and using a microphhone to create your own sounds.

Noteflight is a free, online software for music composition using standard notation. Teachers can use it to input quick warm-ups or other music for practicing, then they can print it or send a link to their students, all for free!

This program allows students to create musical compositions and practice their theory skills learned. Great resource for allowing the students to be creative.

Free online based notation application