Gigajam News 

Mike Woods explains how the School Improvement Service for Music and ICT worked together with Music Services at Bucks County Council to create a simple model for every child in the county to have access to musical instrument tuition.

Schools across Buckinghamshire are now able to offer all students the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, thanks to a project involving ICT, classroom teachers and music specialists across the county. This has been the first project of its kind in terms of creating dissemination centres and collaboration on such a large scale; utilising broadband technology as the delivery mechanism.

As Buckinghamshire County Council ICT adviser, it is one of my priorities to look for ways to develop the creative use of ICT across the curriculum. When I came across Gigajam’s Essential Skills Course, I could see the potential for rolling this innovative software out across the county via BucksGfL, the Buckinghamshire Grid for Learning Broadband Network, as a cost-effective way of linking ICT with music. Also, I envisaged that students would be able to develop their ICT skills using a practical application linked to our VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), either as part of their music lessons, or as an extra curricular activity.

We are a very rural authority with many small schools spread across a wide geographic area and the project also had to involve primary, secondary and special schools, so the solution I chose had to tick as many boxes as possible for all the schools.

Gigajam’s software-based curriculum for the guitar, bass, keyboards and drums provides high quality educational pathways that teach musical theory as students learn how to play a modern musical instrument. To make best use of the software, students progress through the lessons using a computer and a Yamaha MIDI-enabled musical instrument. The suite of instruments chosen for the schools provides students with access to keyboards, drums, guitars and bass guitars, and consist of PSR E403s, DD-55s and two EZ-AGs, to complement the software.

The user-friendly lesson instructions include ‘how to’ videos with professional musicians, audio files, backing tracks and an electronic performance assessment facility for immediate feedback. Students can select multimedia to suit their individual learning styles and the analysis software allows them to evaluate their own progress. The interactive courses are carefully structured so that students learning different instruments develop complementary skills, enabling them to play as a band from the very first lesson.

Thirty schools have been given access to the full Gigajam Essential Skills Course for all four instruments together with the Yamaha musical instruments to carry out the lessons. The schools were chosen in consultation with the advisers responsible for the Buckinghamshire Music Service, not only because of their enthusiasm for the development of music within the curriculum but also because of their interest in the use of ICT. Over an initial two year period we are providing training for them and working with them to develop sustainable curriculum models suitable for each school’s needs.

Five of the thirty schools were selected to take a lead role as mentor schools to become ‘music education hubs’ due to their geographic location across the county and their high level of expertise in music and ICT. Each of these mentor schools was nominated to be the hub for support and best practice guidance for five protégé schools, creating a web of support between all thirty schools. They were also tasked to provide further musical instrument opportunities for curriculum development, as well as after school and out-of-hours community projects.

Access for schools to Gigajam content is through BucksGfL, the County Broadband VLE (www.bucksgfl.org.uk). Gigajam created a website specifically for the project, which was then integrated into the VLE by Atomwide, providers of technical support for BucksGfL. This means that we now have an interactive music school sitting on our Virtual Learning Environment, and our ‘single sign-on’ user authentication system makes the software available to all Bucks students who can log on to the VLE at any time and from anywhere, whether it’s from school or from home.

Via the Bucks Grid for Learning, mentor and protégé schools also have access to a wide range of support resources, including the opportunity to use our Adobe ‘Connect’ video conference system to communicate with each other, as well as with Gigajam’s head office. We are also planning to provide Video Conference Master Classes, demonstrating both musical developments and the effective use of ICT. Schools within the project are already discussing joint rock band performances over the video conferencing link!

All of the other schools in the county who use the VLE have been provided with access to the first five Gigajam lessons for the guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The Buckinghamshire Teaching and Learning Centre and Music Services Centre in Aylesbury also have full access to Gigajam content and software to enable them to support schools, and a set of loan instruments is also available to any school who would like to join in and ‘have a go’.

This is a huge project in terms of its collaborative elements, and as I write we are only just over a term into the project, but we can already see benefits for pupils and schools beyond those originally envisaged. Schools across all phases and of all types are working together in imaginative ways, delivering true personalised learning to pupils. A whole year of planning has produced a sophisticated, yet simple model of delivery that gives every single child within Buckinghamshire access to music lessons in a new and exciting way.

Feedback from pupils and teachers has been incredibly positive:

Staff have commented that:

“Gigajam has brought my music department into the 21^st Century.”

“The project has provided me with the chance to learn to play an instrument in an interactive way and at my own pace.”

“The software has enabled a different group of children to access music in a totally practical way - another pathway to learning has been opened to them.”

Pupils say that:

"It’s fun and easy to use." Hannah yr8

"The software gives a good insight into new instruments and is great to use at home." Nathan yr11

"I didn't know that a PC could be used to teach an instrument, and my Dad's a computer technician!" Maryam yr8

"It rocks!" Darius - yr8

We are redeveloping our Windows version of Xtractor to address a number of legacy issues, most of which are related to the use of Macromedia Director and the SequenceXtra plugin.

Here's a sneak preview of what the new version of Xtractor "may" end up looking like.

 

You may notice a new feature or two in this screen shot, such as the ability to upload directly to your e-portfolio.

Please give us your thoughts.

We have recently cut the production costs of our Level 1 books by a considerable amount. We have decided to pass these savings onto our customers. So a Level 1 book now only costs £13.99 instead of £19.99.

The Level 1 books are a great accompaniment to your computer based lesson notes, allowing you to study away from the computer, laying in bed, sitting on the train, wherever you wish.

Visit our online store to buy them now.

Merlin John writes on Futurelab about the use of technology in teaching music.

http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/.../Web_Article930 

The search for an effective solution led Ian to the online music service Gigajam, which became the digital ‘glue’ to hold together the learning and teaching and to make the resources – PCs and instruments and rooms – go further. “I looked at Gigajam for all sorts of reasons but particularly the personalisation,” says Ian. “In reality this is the first time children in our music lessons have genuinely had the opportunity to work at their own pace, at their own level.

Being part of a broad music offering for students, and playing a part in providing more music making opportunities is everything Gigajam was ever created for. Thank you to Ian and his team at Tiverton.

Tiverton High School is one of the 400 schools in the UK using Gigajam regularly.

Gigajam's early content (first five lessons) is freely available to the 4 million UK school students in 6 of the 11 UK Regional Broadband Consortia (RBC).

1. London Grid for Learning
2. West Midlands NET
3. South West Grid for Learning
4. Northern Grid for Learning
5. Scottish Schools Digital Network - Glow
6. East of England Broadband Network

as well as across the following Local Authorities;

1. City of Salford
2. City of Sunderland
3. Buckinghamshire CC
4. Cheshire CC
5. Leicester City
6. Argyll & Bute

Please contact your RBC if you would like to try a few lessons out. Please also contact your RBC or LA if they don't have it yet, they will consider purchasing content and services if they know their schools want it.  

--
Brian Greene

In the last couple of years I have been saddened by the response of many music educators and tutors to proposals to use ICT to widen participation rates in the learning of musical instruments. The response has been essentially to reject the use of ICT because it will, "put us out of a job." This complaint is reminiscent of the past and just as inaccurate now as it was then. Let me explore the issues.

Our musical instrument partner, One Man Band of Banbury (OMB), has secured a supply of EZ-AG guitars for UK schools.

OMB's David Cooper said "We are really pleased to continue to support Gigajam by supplying the hugely popular Yamaha EZ-AG guitars for Gigajam's school users. We have made arrangements to supplement our existing stock with a further 100 guitars arriving in March '08. More guitars can be sourced to meet demand and any school interested in the EZ-AG for their music department just needs to get  in touch with the Gigajam team."

Gigajam's Brian Greene said "We are into our third year now with David and his team at One Man Band. It is great news for our customers for us to have such a great partner - we started with the supply of 150 Yamaha instruments to the 30 participating schools in the Buckinghamshire VLE project and OMB have now become our preferred supplier. We created an online musical instrument store together for our Independent Newspaper 'Learn to play the keyboard' promotion in April '07,  and have continued to supply instruments online through Gigajam's Online Store (www.gigajam.com) and TV Station (www.gigajam.tv).

Instruments are available for purchase by retail customers at www.gigajam.com and by schools at http://schools.gigajam.com. We like to support our customers in their development of learning spaces in music classrooms, so please feel free to call 0800 055 6797, or email schools@gigajam.com  to discuss your requirements.

We often recommend the Yamaha EZ-AG as a way for a beginning guitarist to get the most from their Gigajam lessons and software. Here's a quick rundown on the pros and cons.

All 45 episodes of Gigajam’s educational TV series for Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, and Drums are now available online in time for Christmas, free, at www.gigajam.tv.

Gigajam previously broadest theses TV series’ across Europe on the Sky TV network. Each episode focuses on one of the lessons from Level 1 of Gigajam’s award winning Essential Skills Courses. The courses teach the fundamentals of music theory whilst learning to play an instrument.

The skills learned in Level 1 equate to music grades Debut, 1, 2 and 3.

Gigajam felt that many websites, with both professional and user generated content, provided only small snippets of learning, such as how to play a specific song. Gigajam’s TV series, and the Essential Skills Courses they are based on, demonstrate a more structured and progressive pathway of study. Students do not learn to play one song, rather they develop the skills required to play many more.

Open College Network Credit4Learning, one of the UK’s national accreditation services for learning and skills, has announced that Gigajam’s Essential Skills Courses for the guitar, bass, keyboards and drums can now be studied to earn credits to gain entry into further and higher education courses.

Schools across London have become the first in England to receive a Gigajam upgrade via their local broadband network. London Grid for Learning hosts the first five lessons of Gigajam’s Essential Skills Courses for guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, which are freely available to schools.

The new-look lessons have been adapted in response to feedback from schools and were developed to meet with the technical standards of Learning Platforms and anytime, anywhere learning.

The five significant changes are:
• lessons now load much quicker, as they are presented through a web browser instead of PDF files
• the ‘how to’ videos of professional musicians are embedded in the web pages, which speeds up streaming
• all lessons are narrated, so that students can listen and read the instructions
• there are four lesson approaches to suit different learning styles;
o fully narrated lessons
o video and exercises only
o printable PDF book format
o TV shows

If your school is within the London Grid for Learning you are invited to use the new lessons at www.lgfl.org.uk (http://cms.lgfl.net/lgfl/web/content/grid)

Teenagers around the country are dusting off their drums and buffing up their bass guitars in time to take part in a major music competition.
The massively popular Rock Idol - now re-named RockIT! - is underway again, giving school-based bands the chance to strut their stuff.
And, the winners will get to walk away with musical kit and lesson software for the guitar, base, keyboards and drums worth around £,2500.00 for their school, from main sponsors Roland and Gigajam.
Hosted by the West Midlands Grid for Learning (WMNET), the project involves all ten regional Grids for Learning in England, plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which provide broadband connection and a wealth of resources for use over broadband to schools and colleges.
In keeping with its aim of promoting the use of ICT in education, RockIT! is a showcase for technology, as the battle of the bands is conducted via video conference.
While an expert panel will give their judgement and both regional and national finals, friends and supporters of the bands will have the chance to vote over the Internet and to text and post comments to the judges.
As well as writing and performing an original piece of work, competitors are required to create a BandBlog, with the option of using text, voice, music and even video to chart their progress. This will be taken into account as part of the judging process.
Last year the band, Angel Fall, from Northern Ireland took the title after beating off competition from 117 others and impressing judges with their sound and style.
Registration for this year's bash opened on May 1st and bands can find out full details from the official RockIT! website at www.rockit2007.org.uk
The final will be staged in Birmingham early in December, from where performances will be relayed around the nation via video conference, as well as on BBC Big Screens in several city centres.
Ends
The regional Grids for Learning, also known as Regional Broadband Consortia (RBCs) were set up by the DfES five years ago. They were tasked with linking all schools to broadband by December 2006. Now that has broadly been achieved, the RBCs are concentrating upon providing good quality broadband enabled resources.
The RBCs now receive part funding from the DfES and part from their Local Authority members.
For more information contact Jean Maund jean.maund@wmnet.org.uk

Today Gigajam released their new Analyser 2.7 music assessment software.

Analyser is a unique tool that takes music files recorded by a student during a Gigajam lesson exercise and generates a graphical display of how well the student did, along with a percentage assessment rating.

It does this by comparing the student's recorded performance with the professionally written lesson content supplied as part of the the Gigajam Essential Skills courses.

The courses are geared around contemporary music for Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and Drums and are ideally suited to beginners and intermediate players alike.

A student first reads through the professionally written lesson notes, watches a video of the exercise in question and then hears the music played back in the Gigajam Xtractor software - which also allows the student to adjust the tempo and fade particular instruments in and out of the mix. They are also able to isolate parts of an exercise by setting loop points, so that they may focus on a particular number of bars.

If the student is using a MIDI enabled instrument, they can also record their own performance alongside the exercise, save it to disk and play it back to hear how they did. They may then push the "A" button to perform an analysis using Gigajam Analyser.

The student can also send the saved performance to their tutor or teacher via e-mail so that a remote assessment can be performed using another copy of Gigajam Analyser and Xtractor - without having to have any musical equipment hooked up whatsoever. The remote tutor is also able to play back the recorded file to hear the students performance using a PC whilst they visually assess the recording using Analyser.

Analyser forms part of a "closed loop" approach to education as part of Gigajam's policy to supply Key Stage 2 and 3 classrooms with an interactive music education platform - which is also available for purchase using e-learning credits through the Curriculum Online service.

It is also available on the Gigajam website to the general public as a single user licence.

At this years E2BN conference, held between the 7th and 9th July 2003, at the Wyboston Robinson College Centre, Gigajam exhibited its range of Xtractor Software and Lesson Content offering to be available for Schools during the course of the forthcoming academic year.

The Essential Drum Skills Course is currently scheduled to go live in September 2003, with the Essential Skills courses for Guitar, Bass Guitar and Keyboards following in January 2004.

The Gigajam Interactive Music School demonstrated the Drum Xtractor, together with its unique multimedia Essential Drum Skills Course Pathway for Schools.

'The Conference was tremendous, with an energetic 'can do' atmosphere' said Brian Greene, Education Director. 'It really confirmed our belief that Education in the UK is moving forward with great purpose and determination. Chris Kastel and his team at E2BN ran a great event with credit to BECTA and the DfES for supporting it so well. The delegates were keen and enthusiastic and the children from Harrold Priory Middle School were a credit to their parents and teachers and an encouraging glimpse at the future ahead'.

John Hillier, Gigajam's Sales and Marketing Director said of the event. 'It was amazing, the response and enthusiasm that met Gigajam was well beyond our expectations. We are really looking forward to developing the many relationships we have made here within the Education Community'.

Gigajam, also demonstrated their unique e-assessment software that captures music performances through MIDI instruments and provides a graphic comparison to the exercise set. They also demonstrated 'live' the Online Theory Assessment developed by Gigajam IT Director Rob Oldham. 'The online multi-choice format enables students to complete theory tasks at home or at school, crossing the boundary of the traditional educational environment. It also helps with student development reporting and reduces the time teachers spend marking - that's got to be good news!'

Adrian Carey, Education Consultant concluded, 'We had a great time and are looking forward to a bright and busy future. We made a lot of friends, especially among the children. They even made a video at the show of us working together'.

The Harrold Priory Middle School video is courtesy of Leslie and David - download it here

'Rock on Wyboston.you are the Rock and Roll Capital of the world'.

Useful links:

• Download Harrold Priory School Video
• Download Quicktime Player