Spring 2023

create your digital program. The end result, however, needs to be
a non-editable file (like a PDF) that can be saved in the cloud (like
on Google Drive, iCloud, etc.). Applications like Microsoft Word,
Microsoft Publisher, Google Docs, Apple Pages, Adobe Elements,
and Affinity Publisher are all great.
You should use what you are most comfortable with. Learning
a new application while preparing a concert performance is not
the goal here. I use Canva. This is online and free. It requires
you to create an account, but the use of the app is free. I like that
Canva is an all-in-one tool that is user-friendly. It allows you to
create beautiful professional-grade programs (there are plenty of
templates) and saves them
on its cloud storage to be
accessed by your audience.
Canva has plenty of other
tools and templates that you
can use to create dynamic
social media posts publicizing
the concert or create and
print flyers and posters for
the concert.
Use QR Codes
Quick Response (QR)
codes have really taken off
as a contactless method
of accessing and sharing
information via smart phone or tablet. Most portable devices have
QR code readers built into them natively, and as QR code use has
increased, more people are comfortable using them. I have been
using QR codes for a while now.
Specifically, I would use them to give parents my contact
information and the music department website at back-to-school
night. It has taken a while, but parents are much more comfortable
and capable of using this method now. I have also always put
the QR code for our music department website on the physical
concert programs and posters.
As mentioned before, to use digital programs you need to
provide the program’s web address to the audience. Converting
the web address to a QR code is a great way of doing this. I project
the code on a screen via LCD projector throughout the concert as
well as hang posters with the codes around the venue. Audience
members just need to view the code with their device (typically
with their smartphone or tablet camera) in order to access the
program.
QR Code
QRCODE MONKEY Free Online QR Code Generator
Administratively, I also use QR codes for
signing students in and out the night of a
concert. I use this tool for both attendance
and as a grading measurement. I create a
Google Form that collects the student names,
ensembles, and student IDs. Each entry also
creates a timecode which further enhances
the record-keeping. This strategy is obviously one to use with
older students who have mobile devices and are capable of using
them this way. As with any class procedure, I find it is absolutely
necessary to teach the students the right way to do this, and it is a
process to finally get it totally right.
To create a QR code, simply place the web address into a QR
Code Generator. There are a many different ones online. Some
cost money, some require you to create an account, but many do
not. I like to use QR Code Monkey. Once the application generates
the QR code, it then coverts it to a graphics file (typically PDF or
PNG) you can download and use in your content material.
The strategies explained
here can streamline your
concert preparation as
well as enhance your
concertgoers’ experience. I
highly recommend trying
one or both of these for
your next concert. I do,
however, also recommend
that you do what is
comfortable.
Technology should
help our process not
hinder it. These strategies
incorporate some
pandemic teaching technology skills with the technology everyone
carries around with them. Together, this tool can hopefully make
your concert preparation less hectic and more productive.
I outline these tips as well as many other ways to
use technology in ensemble teaching on my website:
www.peterperrymusic.net and in my book Technology Tips for
Ensemble Teachers, published by Oxford University Press. Feel free
to check them out. I hope these suggestions help.
Have a great concert season!
Peter Perry is a lifelong Maryland resident
and has traveled the world teaching and
performing music. A NAfME member, he is
currently in his twenty-sixth consecutive year
as Instrumental Music Director at Richard
Montgomery High School in Rockville,
Maryland. Here he conducts the: Chamber
Orchestra, Concert Orchestra, Pit Orchestra,
Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Concert
Band, and Marching Band. These ensembles consistently receive critical
acclaim on local, state, and national levels.
Follow Dr. Perry on Twitter: @peterperry101 or at
www.peterperrymusic.net.
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