New Garageband Killer uJam is the best web app of 2011

Ujam is without a doubt the best free app I have seen pop on the web in the last 12 - 18 months and it is a really fresh and unique piece of software that is going to blow your students minds.  Essentially uJam let's anyone create a professional piece of music in minutes by simply singing.  No instruments required. ( You must see the video below to believe it.)

Next, the user can edit the style of their music. There are many to choose from and each allows the user to produce something that sounds exactly the way they want it to. After polishing their personal music creation, the user can share it with others. It can be sent privately to a select group of friends or family members or shared with a larger group of fans.

It has some big names behind it including Han's Zimmer and Pharrell and is currently totally free but I get the feeling that may not last.  You really need to take a look at the videos below to get an idea of how this amazing app works but I can definitely see this up there with facebook and myspace as internet phenomoenons for teenagers and aspiring stars by the end of the year.

Just about everything Ujam can do is unique. The application guides musicians of all levels to building their own music. Style settings allow users to produce a piece they can be proud of and would want to listen to.

Check it out here.

I'd love to hear your songs and thoughts on uJam

Aviary all in one Educational Suite - Cool tools for school in the browser.

Aviary would have to be one of the most innovative software companies going around at them moment.  They have created free versions of Garageband, Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator that are rich in features and run straight from the browser.  Myna - Aviary's version of Garageband is still one the most impressive pieces of web programming I have ever seen and it really gives you an insight as to what can be achieved in the browser.

They have just released an educational suite including their image editor (Photoshop wannabe, vector editor (Illustrator wannabe), Audio Recorder (Garage band Equivalent) and music creator for students as part of a specific suite.  The benefit students gain from accessing this over the traditional net is that all images as are kid friendly and you can access work they are doing.

Sign up for it here. Might be just what the creative / artistic teacher is seeking.

The Ultimate Guide to Garageband for Educators

Garageband has been a huge success in revitalising Apple’s fortunes over the last few years for a number of reasons.  It is dead simple for complete beginners to utilise as a live music recorder, track looper or podcast creation tool.  It looks great and has enough depth and resources to keep enthusiasts and even the odd professional satisfied as in all in one audio studio.

As a dual platform user this is the one program windows users must concede defeat on as it just offers so much for so little.  Although I encourage everyone to take a look at Myna from Aviary. A real Garage Band contender that actually runs in a web browser. Pretty Amazing.

As a teacher Garageband offers students loads of options to be creative and enthusiastic towards learning as a literacy and mathematics tool and much more than simply creating some cool loops.  After trawling the net for my own Garageband resources of late I have compiled the ultimate guide to Garageband for Educators to help others get started with this great tool.  Hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your feedback.

PS:  If you missed the Ultimate Guide to Google Earth for Educators take a look at it here.

Starting From Scratch:

A word from the Fruit Company First:  It is only fair that your first stop with Garage band if you are a complete novice is Apple.  Apple have a mixed bag of resources that will familiarise you with the interface, features and resources contained within Garage band and get all of that confusion out of the way first.  They have video tutorials. Printable Guides and a massive amount of other support materials here.  This would also be a great start for a music teacher who wanted to introduce Garage band to their students with minimal fuss.

Another Great Starting Point:  Mac App Storm  Have an excellent getting started tutorial For Garage band that is a lot simpler and less in depth than Apple’s but many may actually find it more useful.  Check it out here.

I just want to make a Podcast in my classroom today:

Many teachers may not really be interested in Garageband as an Aspiring Reginald Dwight or Gordon Sumner but want to use it as a podcasting tool.  It does this so well and you will need to know how to record and edit a talk show add some stingers and music any other bells and whistles you see fit package up a podcast that will engage the audience.   

I have located a brilliant eBook you can download as a PDF for free here called Podcasting with Garageband.  What it doesn’t have about podcasting isn’t worth knowing and at 20 pages is just the right amount for someone like me who can’t read those boring biblical manuals. Just the facts and full of Pic’s, Hints and Diagrams.

If you are the Visual Learner I have included this simple video below that shows podcasting in 2 minutes.  Definitely share this with your students.

For the more experienced user here is a brilliant ten part series from schoolsyte.com on Podcasting. Video Tutorials that goes into great detail but you may have to hunt around a bit to find all 10 tutorials due to the fact they are not linked on the site. Definitely worth the effort.

For the Music Teacher

There is loads of great stuff here but I would recommend Susan Ferdon’s 7 Part tutorial on Garageband for Music Techies.  She has a great mix of video and text broken into lessons that musically minded people will appreciate.

Brad Johnston has some great resources here for Music teachers which goes well beyond just Garageband.

Integrating Garageband into all Curriculum Areas – Lesson Plans and Ideas.

Improving Reading Fluency with iPods and Garageband.  The goal of this lesson is to develop stronger reading fluency and comprehension, and increase language acquisition skills:

Lesson Planet has 28 dedicated Lesson Plans for integrating Garageband into your classroom either as a musical, literacy or maths tool.  It is a paid site, which we don’t generally promote but it does have a free 10 day trial to see if it is a good fit for you.  Here are there Garageband Lessons

Finally you have the Apple Learning interchange – Which has some lesson plans and ideas for Integrating both iPods and Garageband into your class activity.

If you have any further Garageband resources let me know and I’ll add them.

 

Myna Multitrack Audio Studio - Garageband Online for Free

What is it:  I have not really found a product that is even closely comparable to the quality and simplicity of Apple's Garageband for budding musicians and loopers and it would have to be a real selling point for Apple  to teenagers who want be creative and create something fresh and cool.  Well after about an hour of playtime I have to say that Aviary's multi track Audio Studio Myna is a close second and quite possibly the web cloud based applications I have yet seen. 

This multitrack (Maximumof ten) recording studio allows you to record and edit audio through your browser without destroying your original file add a range of audio effects such as pans, loops, fades and publish the final product to your desktop or publish it online via your Aviary account.

Better still Myna comes with a library of riffs from Quantum Tracks that can be used for educational purposes, and a few sound effects from other sources. You can upload your clips to the service as well, and record directly from your computer take your pick.

Finally it looks great and will be a sinch to kids and anyone who has ever used a linear based editing suite such as Garageband, Vegas or Audacity.

How can I use this in the classroom:  Make a podcast of a literacy task?- Make a Music track combine the two into a dramatical old style radio theatre piece or simply try and produce your first hip-hop track.  Really the sky is the limit with this one and I am sure you will be full of great ideas specific to your kids needs and wants.

My first impressions of this are that it is excellent and a must try for you and your students - Demo Video included below and Myna can be found here.

Your iLife begins here

What is it: Apple's iLife suite is a powerful and worthy set of tools for the creatively minded student and teacher, and I probably overlook Apple from time to time even though I own both Mac's and PC's and use them daily.  I stumbled upon the iLife tutorials today after some requests form staff on how to get started with Garageband and found a heap of up todate tutorials and guides for the entire iLife suite. that are woth a look.

How can ypu use it in the Classroom:  I woudl start with Garageband and get your kids to put together a Podcast with some stingers and intro music.  Maybe a simple iMovie next and you can really take it from there - the sky is the limit.

What level of expertise is required:  Once again this is aimed at the beginner and those that just want to dip their toe in the water a little deeper.  

Check it out here.