Vivace!

Where do I get Smart Music for my home computer?
Please download the software and purchase a Smart Music specific microphone (if you do not already have one - they should be available for purchase at Band Night) at www.smartmusic.com  You should receive the microphone in about 10 days. This external microphone is required for laptop and desktop computers because the internal microphone will not provide accurate results.

How Do I Get Smart Music On My iPad?
Click on the "App Store" icon on your iPad. Type "Smart Music" in the search box. It should be the first result to come up on the list. Make sure it is Smart Music from Make Music, Inc. Click on "Free" then "Download" to download the app on your iPad. Make sure you do not download "Smart Music Inbox" That app is for music educators only. You do not need an external microphone for an iPad. The internal microphone is sufficient for accurate assessment results.

How do I create an account?
Enter an email address that will be used as a user name. Create a  password that your child will remember. If your child is under 13 years old, you can simply create an account in your name that your child will use. You are creating a "student" profile account and not a "teacher" account, so please select "student."   Also, later in the creating an account steps, make sure you type in zip code 30022 and scroll down to select Vivace Bands as your school. Also make sure your child actually gets enrolled in the correct class in order to receive the assignments/assessments:
VBAHR Beginners – VBAHR Beginner Band
VBAHR Intermediate/Advanced – VBAHR Intermediate/Advanced Band
Private Student – Your Name is your class

Here is the video found on www.smartmusic.com on how to create an account and enroll in a class:

I have more than one child at home wanting Smart Music. Can we have only one subscription? No, not anymore. The good news is that the subscription follows the student so you can download Smart Music to any computer and ipad you want. However, you can only log on to one device at a time with the same login. You can have one child on one device with his/her own login and another child on another device with his/her own login at the same time.

Do we need to purchase a subscription to Smart Music?

If you are a Holy Redeemer band member – Yes.  Please purchase a one-year subscription for $40.

If you are a private studio or web cam student – Yes.  Please purchase a one-year subscription for $40. (Note to private students - if you have a subscription through your school, you do not need to purchase another one. You can enroll in more than one class with a single subsctiption).

Can you explain the Smart Music User Name and Password need?

The user name is an email address - that's the "user name". The password is NOT YOUR email password, but just a password you create for Smart Music logins. You can use your child's or your email address as the user name - any notifications from Smart Music will use that user name/email to email information to. The password is simply a Smart Music password. I need the user name (email address) and password (to Smart Music, not your personal email password!) so that I can access it with your child at school when necessary and for your child to know also at school when necessary.

Tips and pointers for taking assessments "takes" on Smart Music:

1. Be sure to tune with your tuner or with the tuner in the upper right corner of the music screen.
2. Always do a Mic Check before you do a Take. Press 'ctrl and E (or command and E for Mac computers) to bring up the mic check window. The microphone chekc is not necessary on the iPad.
3. Be sure that the instrument part selected is correct.
4. Be sure that the scale key is correct.  Most of the time, Smart Music prompts you to do this automatically.
5. Make sure the computer volume is turned down, but not too soft. If it is turned up too loud, the software will assess the computer playing and not the student.
6. The settings (Tempo, My part, Accompaniment) are determined by the teacher. If you change a setting that is not allowed, there will be an "Alert" orange bar across the top of the screen. You will not be able to submit that assessment until the settings are re-set.
7. You can move the tempo down to practice, but you can't submit the assessment until it is on the minimum tempo allowed. (The minimum tempo is shown on the first screen where the Mic Check is located). 
8. You can record as many takes as you want. Just choose your highest scoring one and submit that one. Be sure it is the minimum percentage (98%) allowed for assessments.
9. Please practice without Smart Music accompaniment playing also to get the notes and rhythms understood!
10. If you left click on a note, it will show how that note is supposed to be fingered correctly!!!