The Concert
We have had our concerts. They went well!
Some SmartMusic realated items came to light.
Older students did a much "cleaner" job on the pieces that were SmartMusic assignments. I believe that having the wrong notes and bad timing put on the screen for you is really helping students raise their level of expectation of themselves. "Was he talking to me?" about the wrong note is quickly settled with SmartMusic. I think all concert pieces are about to become SmartMusic assignments!
The beginner band concert went very well. Some teachers who helped supervise the fifth grade concerts from year to year were noticing the difference between this group and several previous school years. They suspected the tool was helping. This group still has sectional time built into their week, so that observation is helpful in decision making. We will keep using SmartMusic.
Overall, I'm pleased with the help. Wish everyone still had sectionals so we could work on tone, articulation, style and teamwork issues in a smaller setting.