MusicTeacherBlog

Note Pad
My third graders are beginning to read notes on the staff. We begin with just a two line staff instead of a five line staff. I came up with several different patterns of using the three notes B, A and G. This was a handy way for me to have several different patterns of notes ready to go, as the students were able to read them. The students also made up their own patterns of notes using B, A and G. I had them write them out on paper. If we all had hand helds then they could have beamed them to each other so they could practice the patterns.

This also worked with reading rhythms in first and second grades. We worked on quarter notes, half notes and eighth notes. The students could draw the rhythm patterns on Note pad and them beam them to each other and me as well as to a printer so they could be printed out.

Address Book
This could be used to keep track of each student’s progress and would be handy at Conference time.
Examples would include such things as behavior notes, pitch matching skills, recorder skills, note reading ability. I think there should be a way to customize the fields in the address book to have certain categories ready to go.

Memo Pad
For our upcoming musical this is handy to keep track of who plays what instrument on what song. I could also put the narrators lines into a document to go and them beam them the script, which would save on paper.

I’m not sure where to find the To Do list but when I do find it I will use it all the time. Right now I am using the memo pad as my to do list just to keep track of the things I have to do!

I have found so many uses for my Hand Held and I don’t know how I ever got along without it. One of the programs, which I downloaded, is called Quick Tip. This is so handy in restaurants when you want to tip your server. You just put in the amount of the check and it automatically figures what the tip is according to whatever percentage you want to use. There is an area to add a new percentage but after you put in the percent you want to use there doesn’t seem to be a way to get the program to figure the tip using the new percentage.

I am still looking for a calculator to add to my hand held but I haven’t found one yet. Hopefully this week!