There is no substitute for a live teacher interacting with a student — but wouldn't it be great to have an assistant telling your students which notes were right and helping them play in tune while making sure they hold their notes for the proper duration? You can’t be with your students every time they practice, but with our iPAS software you can be sure their practice will be more productive.
Before interactive software, unless your student had a parent or older sibling that was an instrumentalist, there was no way to provide immediate feedback for a student practicing at home. The iPAS Practice and Assessment Software fills this void by evaluating a student's performance using the follwing set of criteria — note correctness, rhythmic and pitch accuracy and note duration. In Figure 1, you can see a close-up of how the software breaks this rubric into a double-graph system. The top graph shows the musical staff and will indicate correct pitch and proper duration. The bottom graph shows the quality of a student's intonation.
Figure 1
Another benefit of using iPAS is its ability to inspire students. Early in the development phase of the software we gave a copy to Michael, a San Diego middle-school clarinet player who had recently dropped out of band. We gave him a copy of Standard of Excellence ENHANCED (accompaniment recordings and the iPAS Practice and Assessment Software included). We didn't tell him how to load or use the software. We didn't tell him to get back to us with feedback. We simply gave him a copy and waited to see what would happen.
He took the book on a Friday and by the following Monday he had emailed us an iPAS test he had recorded over the weekend. With the iPAS software, you can email test lines that contain your percentage correct (see Figure 2 for a screenshot of an assessment) and a sound file (containing a recording of the scored assessment). He had practiced the line and performed several tests until his score reached 98% (100% notes, 96% rhythm). His emailed recording of this performance ended with him exclaiming triumphantly “That was awesome!”(click here to hear Michael's performance).
Figure 2
We talked with his mother who told us that her son took the book into the den on Friday, loaded the software, plugged in a microphone and started practicing. She said that Michael locked himself in the den all weekend. Sunday afternoon he proudly emerged and asked his parents to come listen to his recording. Micheal's mother put it best — “We used to complain he never practiced, now we couldn't make him stop.”
What sets the iPAS software apart? Since each recording is graded, working with the iPAS software is like playing a video game. Students strive to get the high score. Since they can perform achievement lines at various tempos and receive a score as many times as they like, students are encouraged to practice the passage over and over again. They begin to learn that the only way to raise the score is to play their notes at the right time, for the right duration and on the right pitch. Once their best recording and its score are saved, it can be sent via email to anyone. Since you don't need the software to receive the email — students can send their performance to a teacher or a grandparent or even to us at Kjos to have it posted on our website. The biggest surprise for us was how effectively the point score was at inspiring practice. Simply telling a student what they did wrong was not enough, they also needed a goal to strive for.
A combination of constructive criticism and inspiration, the new iPAS software is the best music education software on the market. Call Kjos Music today for a free copy of Standard of Excellence ENHANCED and let one of your students try it and you'll see the iPAS difference.
On the right is a photo of a microphone sold through Neil A. Kjos Music Company. The microphone is attached to the instrument with a soft foam. Other microphones may also be used with your instrument. The iPAS assessment evaluates the student's performance best with a clear sound through a microphone near the instrument.
Request a demo and learn more at the official iPAS site:
http://www.pyware.com/ipas
Learn about the Teacher's Edition of iPAS too!
Screen shots from the student version of iPAS:
iPAS Teacher's Edition Software
by Bruce Pearson
Are you looking for a unique and innovative way to organize your busy band room?
The iPAS Teacher's Edition will help you keep student records, design lessons and keep in close contact with your entire band. Specially designed to create and disseminate information through the student version of the iPAS software, the Teacher's Edition is a must for all directors who have seen first hand the transforming effect the software can have on a band program.
Order Number: PW21IPTE / Price: $399.95
Screen shot from the teacher's edition of iPAS:
