I have added a plugin that gives users the option to receive email from the groups that they are members of. Students, teachers and musicians can opt to be sent updates of group activity via email, and have several options of how to receive it:

• No email
• Weekly digest
• Daily Digest
• All activity

These options can be selected from within the groups, or from the Discussion group listing page.

Best to get onto your school tech support person to get then set up with an edumail address BEFORE trying to sign them all up to Ping.

Also – once students have filled in the ”Sign up” form and it is successfully submitted, they need to check their email, and click on the link that was sent to them from the ping website. Remember to check the spam folder. Add pingmusic.com.au to the NOT SPAM list, otherwise they will not receive any notifications.

Term three 2010 is upon us and Ping is ready for students to begin signing up, and start to create music with Ping.

The process is:

1. Teachers read through of the How does Ping work? section.
2. Students start with the  Getting started section
3. Once students have created their Ping account, they do the entrance survey
4. They can read through/watch the videos on blogging, and the social media aspects of Ping

Help throughout this process is available in the Tech-support Discussion Group

Session One
Date: 4 June 2010
Location: Ultima Primary School
Address: Cameron St, Ultima
Time: 10am to 3pm

Session Two
Date: 10 June 2010
Location: Hawkesdale Primary School
Address: Spring St, Hawkesdale
Time: 10am to 3pm

Session Three
Date: 15 June 2010
Location: Devenish
Address: Dookie Devenish Road, Devenish
Time: 10am to 3pm

Session Four
Date: 15 July 2010
Location: Seaspray
Address: 15 Prospect Road, Seaspray
Time: 10am to 3pm

These workshops will include:

• familiarisation with the Ping learning environment
• discussion of the goals of the project
• opportunity for teacher input into the direction of the project
• support options for teacher, students and teaching artists

Please bring a laptop. See you there!

Starting in semester 2, 2010 we are looking to have your school participate in the 4 different learning programs. Each one comes with it’s own video tutorials that the student can watch, and work through at their own pace.

Ping Sing

This program looks at getting the students to use their voice to start participating in music.

• We provide 5 songs that the students can learn. The subject of all the songs are to do with elements of music
• Students can work together in a workshop environment to learn the song. They then can sing along with the backing track – karaoke style
• There will be videos and written dot points on how to complete a Ping Sing workshop
• Students will be able to view the notation to the Ping songs and get an insight at how music is written

Ping Bash

This program looks at creating junk percussion for drumming workshops.

• We provide 3 songs that the students can learn to drum along to
• Students are asked to create their own percussion out of everyday junk (can’s, gallon drums, coke bottles)
• There will be videos and written dot points on how to complete a group Ping Bash workshop

Ping Notate

This program looks at getting the students composing with Noteflight notation software. This is all done in a web browser. Students will work through a number of tutorials to get them using:

• Different time signatures
• Different scales
• Learning about staffs, clefs
• Flats and sharps
• Notes on the staff
• Introduction to reading

Ping Edit

This program uses the Audacity audio editing program. This will focus on:

• Creating sound stories and compositions
• Having fun with sounds by using effects like delay and reverb
• Learn about the visual representation of sound
• Learn about mixing and panning
• Get to mash up different beats and melodies from any sound source they choose
• Get to change the Ping Sing and Ping Bash songs to make them your own
• Learn about telling a story or emotion through sound

With any and all sounds/compositions that the students create, they then can upload the final product to the Ping website. Other students, teachers, professional musicians and Ping supporters can comment on the work. All Ping members can participate in the group forums and create their own blogs to document their musical journey. If you haven’t used any of these things before, that’s ok. We give you tutorials on how to get set up and become an active member in the site.

Anything else?

Yes! We will also have Orchestra Victoria doing master classes online, there will opportunities to attend a Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performance in the flesh, plus other musicians from a wide range of genres logging on as guests to chat with the students. Some schools will receive a Teaching Artist who will attend your Ping sessions once a week to help facilitate students learning and compositions. You will also recieve a one year free membership to The Song Room membership website which offers a wide range of resources for music and creative arts programs.

So how do you get involved?

Just complete your School Agreement with Ping if you haven’t done so already. The School Agreement outlines the commitments required by your school to participate in this project. And that’s it!

After viewing the web stream could teachers please fill in this brief survey. And please leave comments about the web cast. (You will need to have an account on Ping and be logged in to comment)

About the concert

GRADES 3 TO 6 – MEET THE ORCHESTRA
THE COMPOSER IS DEAD

Written by Lemony Snicket, Composed by Nathaniel Stookey

This intriguing concert follows the investigation of a murdered composer. Someone is guilty of killing the composer, but who is it? All the musicians appear to have a motive and all seem to have an alibi. Could it be the violins? Did anyone see the harpist? Are the trumpets protesting too much? But the composer is still dead.

In the meantime, more information about the concert is on the MSO’s education page and test your reception of the web stream.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the pre-concert online classroom last Friday (16 April 2010).

Three hundred students took part in the Elluminate sessions, asking insightful questions, and learning much about the orchestra and the featured music”The Composer is Dead”.

The MSO will stream their education concert on Thursday 22 April 2010 at 11:30am AEST. The link will be posted on this site an hour prior to the concert.

If students or teachers would like to review the event you can access the recording. Please note that the two sessions are joined in this recording. So if you want to watch the second one , please jump to the middle of the recording.

Could teachers who were involved in the online classroom please fill out a survey so that we can improve the experience.

MSO conductor Ben Northey, violinist Sarah Curro and percussionist John Arcaro leading the online classroom

Friday’s online classroom will be a discussion with Conductor Benjamin Northey about the concert “The Composer is Dead”.

There’s a great video on YouTube where composer Nathanial Stookey, and writer Lemony Snicket discuss the work and why it was created.

The MSO will be performing the work on Thursday 22 April 2010. This concert will be streamed live on Ping at 11:30am.

The link to join the online classroom will be posted on Ping first thing Friday morning (16 April 2010).