We live in the era of the “First Mobile Generation”. Today's children grow up surrounded by smartphones and tablets, and are naturally familiar with digital applications. So why not use all this potential to make learning even more fun?
Perché digital tools are great?
The advantages of digital tools are many. They can encourage student interaction and active participation. With the right software, kids feel engaged and motivated to actively contribute during lessons. It's like turning learning into an interactive adventure! But the really brilliant thing is that digital tools offer flexibility. Imagine being able to review lessons and do exercises whenever and wherever you want. Thanks to tablets and mobile devices, you have the opportunity to take the teaching materials with you wherever you go. Goodbye lost sheets of paper or notes flying away in the wind! With intelligent digital storage, you can always access documents and make sure they always get to your students.
And you know what's even more awesome? Documents can be archived in a secure cloud, so you can access them no matter what device you're using. It's like having a magical archive always at hand!
With digital tools, learning becomes child's play!
The virtual piano by doozzoo: Fun and musical collaboration!
One of the favorite aspects of doozzoo is the virtual piano. Whether you're teaching in the classroom or online, you can play along with your students on a virtual keyboard. This makes collaboration between teachers and students easier, even when learning remotely.
The virtual piano reaches its full potential when you and your students connect a MIDI keyboard or piano. This way, you can comfortably play the piano and use the doozzoo's built-in instruments at the same time. The keys and pedals are visible on the doozzoo virtual keyboard for both students and teachers.
The notes you play are also processed on the staff and in note analysis, offering two very useful tools. Students and teachers are assigned different colors so that it is always clear who is playing which notes, even in group lessons.
The advantages are obvious:
- during online lessons, an additional camera is not needed to show students what you are playing on the piano.
– in face-to-face lessons, especially in the classroom, all students can see what is being played at any moment. This is also possible if only the teacher has a laptop with a connected MIDI keyboard, which is displayed large on the digital board for everyone. The teacher can play alone or allow another student to take her place at the piano. The rest of the class can still clearly see what is being played thanks to the visualization on the blackboard or digital board. It is no longer necessary to crowd around the piano, thus avoiding confusion, especially in large groups.
Another interesting variant: Each student has their own computer or laptop, a doozzoo account and a MIDI keyboard. Each student can access the teacher's virtual keyboard on the smartboard and work together with other students and the teacher on a shared screen. With the different colors assigned to each, you can always distinguish your work from that of others.
doozzoo's virtual piano makes learning music a fun, engaging and collaborative experience for teachers e students. Enjoy the fun of playing along and discover new creative possibilities with this great resource!
Some exercises to do in class
Introducing a selection of fun exercises to try on the doozzoo virtual piano!
- Musical dictation:
Open the virtual piano on doozzoo and turn off the key display using the eye icon. Now you can dictate notes, intervals, chords or even entire melodies to your students by playing them on the piano! For precise control, turn the key display back on and open the staff to show students the exact octave to write. And for beginners who are still learning the staff and notes, you can leave the note name display on the piano turned on. Students will then be able to write notes on their virtual worksheet.
- Rhythm and coordination:
Use the virtual piano to create fun rhythm exercises. You could play a series of notes with different durations and ask students to repeat the rhythm with their hands or percussion instruments. You can also encourage hand-eye coordination by having students play a sequence of notes on the virtual piano while following the rhythm with their hands or bodies. It will be a fun way to improve your sense of rhythm and motor coordination.
- Intervals and Chords:
Open the virtual piano and turn off the key display. Now play an interval or mystery chord and have students guess which interval was played or which chord inversion was performed. To make it even cooler, open the music analysis and show interval or chord resolution. It will be a fun way to sharpen your ear and recognize the various sounds!
- Singing exercises:
If you have students who are dedicated to singing, this exercise is perfect for them! Play a note on the virtual piano and have your student sing a specific interval, such as a seventh. Check the correct note on the piano and also check the musical analysis. This exercise can be assigned as homework after class to continue improving intonation and interval recognition skills.
Note Ear training is a crucial aspect of learning music, and with doozzoo's virtual piano, you can make ear training even more fun and engaging. Test your interval, chord and pitch recognition skills and enjoy all-round music learning!
- Playing at first sight:
This exercise is perfect for beginners who are still learning to read the staff and clefs. Open a PDF with musical notes and show it to your students step by step, explaining to them which note corresponds to which key. Make sure you also have the staff open on doozzoo so your students have a visual reference to see if they hit the correct note.
Sight playing is a fundamental skill for any musician, and with the help of the virtual piano from doozzoo you can practice in a fun and effective way. Take your PDF, open the virtual staff and let yourself be guided by the notes. Strengthen your mastery of the staff and become more and more adept at deciphering music on the fly!
NB: You can also do this exercise with other instruments, as long as they have a MIDI output. This means that you will be able to use MIDI wind instruments such as the EWI, MIDI guitars and other instruments compatible with the MIDI protocol. This will give you the opportunity to explore sight playing not only on the piano, but also on other instruments, expanding your musical skills.
- Note analysis:
Thanks to the note analysis function, the virtual piano recognizes what is being played. This not only affects individual tones and intervals, but also chords. Play the chords of the song you want to learn one after another and analyze the harmonic structure with your students. Use analysis to visualize different interpretations of chords and explain to students how various interpretations can be obtained based on the musical context.
- Music theory:
Deepen your knowledge of music theory with the help of doozzoo's virtual piano and staff! Here's how you can explore intervals and keys in a practical and engaging way:
– Explore ranges:
Play any note on the virtual piano with the view turned on. Now, have students identify a specific interval and complete the correct note on the piano. You can challenge them with ranges of varying difficulty to test their knowledge. Continue to dig deeper, asking them to name the key based on the notes played. This exercise will stimulate their ability to recognize intervals and to understand how notes relate to each other.
Useful Information
website: https://doozzoo.com/it/
