Two of the most popular posts here on Music Matters Blog are the ones that discuss how to set up a recording “studio” using the free Audacity audio recording software (you can read these here and here). I’ve used Audacity for numerous projects, but I know I still haven’t even come close to tapping into all of its capabilities. I know there are other teachers who would love to get some step-by-step instruction on how to use Audacity effectively in their studios. Well, guess what I just found? Yep, step-by-step instruction on how to use Audacity!
Music Creation World has put together a fabulous collection of activities that will walk you and/or interested students through the process of completing various projects using Audacity. Just download the file titled PDF Activities at the bottom of their page. There are six separate activity files that clearly explain and illustrate (using lots of screen shots!) the assignments. I could even see using this as a core lesson plan for a summer camp with a group of students who are interested in learning more about music technology. Everyone could bring their own laptop and work on several fun projects throughout the week. Wouldn’t that be fun?!
I created this worksheet in MS Word, using Finale for the scale and key signature snippets, and then importing them into MS Word. This was actually my first time using the export feature in Finale, but I had a visual in mind of how I wanted the worksheet to look, so I was determined to learn how to do it! And it was incredibly easy. In fact, I’m so excited about learning how to do this that I’ll outline the steps here in case you want to give it a try. (Also, if you’re interested in getting the Finale notation software, the best place I’ve found on-line to order it is AABACA/MusicBarn.com.)
I’m using Finale 2005, but hopefully the steps will be the same for whatever version you have:
1. In the setup wizard, select Chorus>Voice [No Staff Name].
2. Select the time signature 8/1. (You’ll have to click the ?? option and manually set the number of beats and note value.)
3. Notate the desired scale on the staff.
4. Make the time signature invisible by right clicking the measure, selecting Edit Measure Attributes, and changing the Time Signature setting to Always Hide. I also changed the width of the measure to 3.0.
5. Click on Tools>Advanced Tools>Graphics. Then double-click your right mouse button and drag a box around the area you want to import (the first measure).
6. Click on Graphics>Export Selection. Choose file type and save to the desired location on your computer. Voila! Now you’ve got a nice little image that can be inserted into MS Word or any other program in which you want to create a worksheet. Follow the same steps for each scale.
Isn’t that easy and fun?! I’m sure there are so many other little tricks and tips for using Finale more effectively, but this one will provide me enough fun for a while, I’m sure.
I just gave a workshop last weekend to our local music teachers association on setting up your own website. Regardless of whether you are designing your own site from scratch or are using a pre-designed website from another provider (like Music Teacher’s Helper), you will definitely want to set up your own domain name so that people can easily access your studio website. Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to register your own domain name and then redirect it to any other website:
1. Go to 1and1.com (I selected 1and1.com because a friend of mine has used them with good success for domain registrations and their price is only $6.99/yr.)
2. Click on the Domains menu option.
3. Type in your domain name of choice.
4. Follow the on-line instructions to complete the registration process. Be sure to write down your password so that you can use it later!
5. Wait for approximately 24 hours to let the registration process take effect.
6. Go to 1and1.com
7. Click the Customer Login link at top of page and enter your domain name and password.
8. Click on the Manage Domains link.
9. Check the box beside your domain name and then click on Destination.
10. Select Forward Your Domain from the drop down menu.
11. Enter the URL for your studio website (i.e.teacherspianostudio.musicteachershelper.com)
12. Select the HTTP Redirect option.
After that you should be good to go! Try typing in your studio name to make sure that it redirects you to the appropriate website.
As I’ve given workshops for our local associations on how to use the computer to develop customized materials for the studio, one common desire many teachers have is to be able to make their own well-designed recital programs. In light of this, I am making available the following cover design, and corresponding files, for purchase and use in your studio:
If you have the Print Shop software (either the Deluxe or the Pro Publisher Version), you will be able to open and edit the cover file yourself. I highly recommend this software! It is user-friendly and can be used for designing any kind of material you can imagine! However, for those who do not have the Print Shop software, I am offering the option for you to purchase the same files, but I will customize the cover file with information specific to your studio: your name, recital date and a personal note on the back.
The download includes the following files (and includes the right to print, or have printed by a commercial printer, as many copies of the program as you need at no additional cost):
1. Recital Program Sample (pdf) – the inside of the program so that you can see how the layout is designed
2. Recital Program Cover 1 (pdf) – the full cover (front and back)
3. Recital Program Sample (doc) – the inside of the program in Microsoft Word format so that you can edit it and add all your own program information
4-6. Fonts (in case you don’t have them on your computer and want to use the same ones I used for the cover design. For instructions on how to install new fonts on your computer, read this post.)
7. Cover (Print Shop file) – for those who have the Print Shop software and can open and edit the cover design themselves.
Please note: the files come in a zip format. If you don’t have an unzip program, download a free trial version of WinZip here.
Christmas Recital Program Files | $10
Custom Design for Recital Program Cover and Back | $10
Once you complete your order, if you are ordering custom design services, please click here to send me an e-mail with the following information:
1. Your full name (to be listed as “students of…” on the cover)
2. Your recital date
3. A personal note for the back (100-150 words is best)
4. Verse or quote for the bottom of the back cover (optional)
Once I receive the above information, I will e-mail you a customized PDF file and you will be able to print, or have printed by a commercial printer, as many copies as you need at no additional charge. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!
Now that you’ve learned how to do audio recording right in your studio and present your students with their own CDs, you probably want to be able to create attractive custom CD jackets to insert into the case. Look no further! I’ve created a template that can be used in MS Word to do this very thing.
If you have a Yamaha Clavinova in your studio, you can practically set up your own recording studio! (If you don’t have a Clavinova, check out this post for instructions on how to set up recording with your acoustic instrument.) I just recently found out how to connect the Clavinova into my computer so that I can record directly from the Clavinova into my computer as an audio file – not just a midi file! I’ve been recording in my studio for the past couple of weeks this way and it works incredibly well! The sound quality is wonderful, since it’s recording directly through a cable and there is no interference. And it’s so much easier than recording a midi file and then converting it to a wav file.
Here’s what you need:
1. Clavinova (I’m sure this would work with other brands as well, but the only one I currently have in my studio is a Clavinova – a CVP-301 – thanks to our wonderful music store, who is loaning me one so that my students can prepare for the upcoming Clavinova Festival!)
2. Audio Cables (this is the one I purchased from Radio Shack and it works great!)
3. Computer (within 6 feet of the Clavinova because of the cable length…a laptop is ideal, because it can be placed right on the Clavinova.)
4. Free Audacity Recording Software
That’s it! It may seem like a lot, but don’t be overwhelmed, because it’s incredibly easy to use once you get everything set up. And it is well worth it!
Follow these easy steps:
1. Plug the phono end of the cable (one white, one red plug) into the corresponding color input jacks on the underside of the Clavinova.
2. Plug the 1/8″ stereo plug into the mic input jack on your computer.
3. Open the Audacity recording software.
4. Click the record button and begin playing. (You can also pre-record onto the Clavinova, especially if you want to do some sequencing first, and then start the recording in Audacity and hit the playback button on the Clavinova.)
It will record directly through the cable (no feedback!) as an audio file. Once it’s in Audacity, you can export it as either a wav file or an mp3. The files can then either be burned to a CD or downloaded to an mp3 player – or shared on-line for that matter! In fact, if you want to hear a sample of a recording, click here to hear an mp3 of a piano accompaniment part I just recorded a couple days ago. It will give you a pretty good idea of the sound quality you can get when recording this way.
Have fun recording professional-sounding CDs right in your own studio!
The great thing about the Bach Musicological Font is that it is inserted right in line with the other text fonts you are using. Some of the other musical fonts I use, like Notes or Maestro, take up a lot of additional space and mess up the formatting of the document.
I highly recommend this helpful tool! I already tried it out and it works great! Just download and install it by following the detailed instructions from this previous post.
This is a fun principle! Contrast. Contrast will add interest to your design and will grab the attention of the reader. This can be achieved through the use of contrasting fonts, colors, sizes, and more. Keep in mind that items on a page should either be the same or contrasting. They should not be similar. For example, if you’re using two different font styles, choose two that are completely contrasting, not two that look similar to each other.
Here’s a quick overview of different font styles:
serif – with “feet†– best for large bodies of text
sans serif – without “feet†– good for headlines or small bodies of text
script – should not be used for all caps
decorative – very fun and attention getting! Be sure that if you use a decorative font it supports the text and doesn’t distract from it.
As an aside, one of the best sites I’ve found for downloading fonts is Abstract Fonts.
Here are some quick step-by-step instructions for downloading and installing new fonts onto your computer:
I created a folder in My Documents called “Downloads.” Within this folder, I have separate folders for “Graphics” and “Fonts.” Any fonts I download from the Internet go into the “Fonts” folder.
1. Once you have located a font that you would like to download, click on the appropriate download button.
2. When given the option, navigate to and save the file in your â€Fonts†folder.
3. Once you have finished the download, open the folder to ensure that the font has downloaded properly.
4. Close the folder.
5. Go to your start menu and select CONTROL PANEL.
6. Double-click on the icon labeled FONTS.
7. Go to File and select INSTALL NEW FONTS.
8. In the folders window, select the folder to which you have downloaded your new fonts. All the downloaded fonts should appear in the list in the above window.
9. Select the fonts you want to install, or click “Select All” and click OK.
The new fonts will be installed and ready to use in all of your programs!
This is a very key principle in creating a cohesive design! Using repetition will create unity throughout your project. For example, notice on front page of the newsletter below how the same fonts are repeated for similar purposes. The font for each article title is the same as the font for the newsletter title. The text font is all the same. The layout utilizes the same look for each article heading – title, author, the line below.
Click here to view a sample of the assignment pages I made my students this year. I kept this principle in mind when designing these as well.
Design Principle #2 is Alignment. Basically, what I remember most about this is the necessity of thinking “outside the box.” Don’t just center-align something on the page because it’s easy. Experiment with a variety of text alignments. Don’t just randomly place text on a page. Be purposeful. Think through what should go where to achieve the best effect.
Check out the alignment on this Assignment Book cover:
The main text is centered to draw attention, but the text below is right-aligned to give a sense of movement, and to draw the reader to turn the page. Keep in mind that you need to be careful when using multiple alignments on a page. If it assists the reader in following the flow of the text, then go for it, but if it is distracting, then opt for the same alignment.
For example, if the lower text area was left aligned like this the flow/movement of the text would be unnatural:
Start looking at the alignment on other design products. I notice things from food boxes, to concert programs, to book jackets, etc. Find ones that you really like and then experiment with similar styles in your own designs. Stay tuned for Part 3 of Design Principles!
Two of the most popular posts here on Music Matters Blog are the ones that discuss how to set up a recording “studio” using the free Audacity audio recording software (you can read these here and here). I’ve used Audacity for numerous projects, but I know I still haven’t even come close to tapping into all of its capabilities. I know there are other teachers who would love to get some step-by-step instruction on how to use Audacity effectively in their studios. Well, guess what I just found? Yep, step-by-step instruction on how to use Audacity!
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