Is it just me or did 2019 completely fly by? It seems like we were just ringing in the new year for 2019 and in the blink of an eye – here we are!
At the end of the year, I love to do short reflections on my personal highs and lows from the year as well as highs for Midnight Music and what all of you loved this year.
So, in this blog post, we are doing a round up of all of your favorite FREE resources from 2019 from our blog, our podcast as well as the freebies that we put out every month!
And just for fun, I thought I’d do a little stat breakdown of a Year-End Review of Midnight Music.
This year, Midnight Music:
- Published 38 blog posts
- Released 25 podcast episodes
- Hosted 12 live music tech training sessions
- Welcomed 100+ amazing members into the Midnight Music Community
- Had over 1,000 people sign up for Freebie Fridays on our Facebook page
So all in all, it’s been an exciting year. I’m so grateful for all of you for following our free resources and a huge shoutout to our incredible team of writers and admin team that helps us with putting out all the content that we can!
And now, without further ado… here are our top resources from 2019 as chosen by all of you!
Top 10 Midnight Music Blog Posts of 2019
Here are your favorite blog posts from 2019.
1. How To Import Audio Files Into GarageBand on iOS 11 and Later
Let’s say you or your students have created an audio file in another app or software program – such as Groove Pizza, Incredibox, Beepbox or one of the many other music app options – and now you want to import that audio file into GarageBand so that you can record a vocal part over the top.
The steps are not too difficult and it opens up some useful opportunities for your students to develop their musical creations. Read it here.
2. 9 More Things You Didn’t Know About GarageBand for iPad
Back in the early days of the GarageBand iPad app, I wrote an article sharing some “hidden” tips – 9 of them to be exact. Surprisingly, they are all still relevant today!
This year, I was immersed in the GarageBand app once again, while preparing my new Music Teacher’s Guide To GarageBand For iPad course and lesson plans and have discovered some cool new “hidden” tricks.
Read it here.
3. 5 Note Naming Apps That Students Love!
There are lots of apps out there that will help students learn the notes of the staff, but I find myself coming back to the same ones over and over again. The best note reading apps have a range of options: you can choose levels, note ranges and the mode of answering.
Each of the apps in this blog post has strengths in different areas and you may find that you need a couple of different apps to meet the needs of your students.
Read it here.
4. 60+ of the Most Popular Graduation Songs for Schools
Towards the end of March (USA/Europe) and beginning of November (Australia/New Zealand) I start to see teachers ask for graduation song suggestions on Facebook and other social media channels. Although new fresh ones appear each year, some songs are perennial favourites.
Here’s a list of the most commonly suggested songs.
Read it here.
5. 15 Youtube Play-Along Channels & Playlists for Music Teachers
There are lots of play-along channels out there that are great for using in a classroom with students. Whether it’s playing a ukulele, recorder, boomwhackers, body percussion or even just for a bit of fun, we’ve got something for you in this list of Youtube play-along channels.
Read it here.
6. 5 Ready-Made Kahoot Quizzes You Can Use In Your Music Classes
One example of how to save time in our classrooms is to look for ready-made resources that can be used with our students with little to no prep. Although there are many options out there when utilizing technology for this purpose, one of the favorites in my classroom is Kahoot.
Read it here.
7. How to use Google Classroom to Submit Recorded Singing and Playing Assignments
This is a fun one for those of you that may be curious about Google Classroom and using it for student submissions of recorded singing and playing assignments!
Read it here.
8. 35 Free iPad Apps for Music Teachers
Anyone else get completely overwhelmed by the amount of iPad apps available in the App Store? It is just an endless list and it’s so hard to know where to even begin.
I’ve collected a number of free iPad apps for music teachers over the past few years and today I’m super excited to share this ultimate collection with you!
Read it here.
9. 10 Ways Google Slides Helps My Students Build Music Literacy
It is not always strictly musical technology that helps students learn effectively in music class! One of the most powerful technology tools I use in my classroom is the versatile Google Slides.
Google Slides is an online slide deck creation tool that is part of the Google Apps and Google Apps for Education suite.
Read it here.
10. GarageBand Chords: How Smart Instruments Helped My Kids Grasp Music Theory
GarageBand is a music making program by Apple. It is available for free, but must be run on an Apple operating system (OS). GarageBand can run on Mac computers with MacOS, and on iPads and iPhones with iOS.
This blog post focuses on the iOS version of GarageBand, including the powerful Smart Instruments feature that allows students to make music just by touching the screen.
Read it here.
Top 5 Midnight Music Podcast Episodes of 2019
Here are the most downloaded Midnight Music podcast episodes of 2019!
1. How to Do Quick Free Screen Recordings with Loom
There are many screencasting software applications available but in this episode of the Music Tech Teacher podcast, I talk about Loom and why it’s my favourite free option for music teachers.
Listen to the episode here.
2. 10+ Must-Read Music Tech Books for the Holidays
In this episode I share some of my must-read books for music technology in education.
Listen to the episode here.
3. 5+ Must-Have Music Accessories For Your iPad
In my new GarageBand for iPad course, I’ve put together a whole module on this topic of accessories and extras that you can use with your iPad.
In this episode, I share just a few of the things that I cover in that module.
Listen to the episode here.
4. 5 Ways to Collect Your Student GarageBand iPad Files For Assessment
One of the more complex aspects to using the app is how to access the student GarageBand projects so that you can assess them.
So in this episode, let’s talk through a few of the options!
Listen to the episode here.
5. Music Tech News and Updates
I wanted to catch everyone up on what’s been going on at Midnight Music recently, some special events that are coming along in the near future and I share a few tech-related things that I’ve been loving lately.
Listen to the episode here.
Top 5 Midnight Music Freebies of 2019
Here are your favorite freebies that we put out this year.
1. Ultimate Free Music Tech Resources Guide 2019/20
None of us are surprised by this one!
Each year I put together a list of free music tech resources – websites, software and more – that you can use in your music classroom.
This year’s edition comes with over 40 new resources!
Read it here.
2. Free Lesson Plan: GarageBand for iPad – What’s in a Name?
This lesson is a free sample from my new online course and collection of lesson plans designed especially for the iPad version of GarageBand. It’s a quick project which works well as a “getting to know you” activity at the beginning of the school year, but it could also work at any other time too.
Grab the freebie here.
3. Musical Me – An Easy Back-To-School Tech Lesson
Whether you’re starting a new school year, or would just like to get to know your students better, this Musical Me lesson is an effective and easy option with lots of flexibility.
In this lesson, students will tell you more about their musical background, interests, likes, dislikes, instrumental skills and more by choosing prompts to respond to. They will gather images, icons, write text, find videos or links to websites to illustrate their musical me facts and then present them in a digital format.
Grab the freebie here.
4. Free eBook: The Complete Guide to Digital Portfolios in Music Education
A few years ago, I wrote a series of blog posts about digital portfolios, and how best to use them in music education.
Since then, the available tools and technology have changed a bit, and digital portfolios are more accessible and useful in the classroom setting than they’ve ever been.
So this year, we put together a comprehensive ebook that includes everything!
Grab the freebie here.
5. Emoji Quiz: Holiday Songs [New Update!]
This year, I thought we’d make a different version of the worksheet that isn’t Christmas specific and can be suited for all kinds of general holiday songs.
I hope you like this new edition and find it useful for your music classroom, and I hope your students find this worksheet to be a fun activity!
Grab the freebie here.
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Looking for More Resources for Music Teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside the Midnight Music Community.