| A great way to inspire children to practice is to get | | | | listens to the first student's track while playing his or |
| them involved with a CD project. If you teach many | | | | her part. |
| students, each student could contribute a single track. | | | | Try this by yourself, recording multiple tracks, so you |
| With fewer students, each student could make his or | | | | can help students learn the skill of keeping up. When |
| her own CD. Sound hard? It's not. | | | | students get the immediate feedback of hearing what |
| One of the best music teacher resources is the free | | | | they just recorded, they often work really hard to |
| recording software, Audacity. With this software, an | | | | make it better. |
| inexpensive microphone, some headphones, a digital | | | | CD Insert |
| camera, and an inkjet printer, you are ready to make | | | | Measure the plastic CD case so you know how big to |
| CDs your students will want to give their family | | | | make your insert. In publishing software or a word |
| members for Christmas. | | | | processor, you can set up a page with these |
| Overview | | | | dimensions. Use the margins on the word processor to |
| Record the student playing one or more pieces (or | | | | create the size of paper you need for the insert. You |
| one piece from each of a group of students) in | | | | can have students write a sentence about themselves |
| Audacity. Convert each recording to an mp3 file in | | | | as musicians, which is good psychologically because |
| Audacity and create a CD that can be played in a CD | | | | they start to think of themselves as having a musical |
| player. Take a picture of each contributor. Create the | | | | identity. |
| insert for the CD with the pictures, a track list, and | | | | CD Label |
| something about each performer. Duplicate these and | | | | You can even get printable CD labels that you can |
| share them with your students. | | | | stick onto standard CDs, so you can put a track list on |
| Recording | | | | the actual CD. |
| With track recording software, you do not have to | | | | Progress |
| have two people in the same room at the same time | | | | It is nice over the years for families to have an actual |
| in order to create a duet. Have one student record his | | | | record of their child's musical progress. Children also |
| or her part and give the other student a copy of that | | | | respond to hearing themselves play and to considering |
| recording for practicing with. It takes time to learn how | | | | a year later what they have improved and even to |
| to play well with a recording. | | | | think about what they would like to do next. The CD |
| To do have the second student record, open up the | | | | project is a lot like what professional musicians do, and |
| original student's recording and have the second | | | | that type of authenticity is highly motivating to children. |
| student put on the headphones. The second student | | | | |