Chromatik Review

This week I was able to explore both Chromatik and SmartMusic.  Both are useful tools for the in a variety of ways.  For clarity purposes (and so my post isn't extremely long), my first post will review Chromatik and my next blog post will review SmartMusic.

Chromatik is an online database of free sheet music for a wide variety of instruments including instruments for band, orchestra, voice, guitar, and ukulele.  Navigating the website is extremely intuitive user friendly.  First, you much choose an instrument by clicking the instrument menu at the top right hand corner of the screen, to the left of the “log out” option.  The icon looks like this:

When an instrument is selected, the music is transposed into the corresponding key.  There is a diverse selection of musical styles and genres to choose from, though the song choices within each category are not very extensive.  Below is a screenshot of the first two rows of categories for example:

You also have the option of searching a specific artist or song title by clicking the magnifying glass on the top left of the screen.  The icon looks like this:

Once you click on a song, the music appears.  In the bottom right hand corner, a Youtube video also appears with a recording of the song.  There are two menus that appear on the top of the screen and bottom of the screen when you scroll over with your mouse.  The menu along the bottom of the screen features the ability to play the recording, rewind, fast-forward, replay, adjust the volume, and make the music full screen.  You can also zoom in on the music further by using your browsers “zoom” feature in the main down menu.  When you are finished with a song, simply wave your mouse over the top of the screen and use the "back" button in the top left hand corner.  This brings you back to the main page where you can choose another genre and song. 

Another great feature is the ability to access Chromatik on your mobile device.  The icon looks like this:

When you click on this icon, a screen comes up that gives you the option of sending a link to your smartphone or accessing the app from the Apple store, Amazon, and Googleplay.  These options give you access to Chromatik on all your mobile devices and tablets:

On a tablet, there are a few more features such as the use of a metronome, annotating music, recording your own video or audio performance, and saving your work.  See below for a glimpse of the features on the tablet:

For more information, you can also visit the “Help” page by clicking on the bottom left of the main page or clicking on the following site: Chromatik Help

Overall, I feel that Chromatik is an extremely useful tool in the classroom.  The website version can easily be projected on a Smartboard for use in classroom activities.  If the class has access to tablets, students can access the app on their individual tablet for practicing music of their choice.  They can also access the app at home, record their practice sessions, and get feedback from teachers.  Their own personal recordings can also be shared on social media sites, giving the entire class access to a student's work.  In a general music setting, such as piano or guitar, I see this software as a great supplemental tool for students who have the ability to move beyond the curriculum or for use with an individual or collaborative project.  In an ensemble setting, through the use of tablets, I could see chamber groups of various instruments using the app to play pieces together.  Also, my inclination is that, once students have access to Chromatik, they will have fun with it outside the classroom on their own as well.  Through the use of this technology, there are a wide variety of exciting ways to implement this software into classroom curriculum-especially because it is free! 

Reference:
Chromatik-Explore Free Sheet Music Collections and Play More Music. (2011). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from https://www.chromatik.com