With the use of the software SmartMusic, band students have been able to transition from after school group rehearsals to at-home individual practice due to group sectionals becoming nearly impossible.

“Last spring when we made the switch to virtual learning, we utilized SmartMusic quite a bit to assist with practicing and various assignments,” assistant director of bands Cecily Yoakam said. “This is the first time we have used it so heavily in preparation for a concert. The best way for students to do well on these assignments is for the students to practice slowly and complete many repetitions of the assignment until they attain a 100 percent. The key is to be self-critical and try and get better every time.”

SmartMusic records what a students plays and tells them what they got wrong, allowing students to learn and improve

“Honestly I do not prefer sectionals or SmartMusic because both methods of practice work really well,” senior Chris Xiao said. “Some good things about SmartMusic is that you can listen to how your own part sounds like and how it blends in with the full band. It also gives good feedback on what you need to work on or which sections in particular need more work. SmartMusic is a great tool to learn music. The resources and the options provide musicians with a better practice experience.”

Students have weekly assignments over different parts of their selected music that helps them learn and practice their part.

“I prefer smart music because it gives you a more in-depth analysis of your playing,” senior Jack Milleson said. “It has definitely helped me learn and prepare my music. The pros are that it’s easy to use and it’s really helpful. The cons are that every once in a while, with all technology, there are bugs and technical issues here and there.”

The goal of these assignments is to prepare students for their virtual UIL performance on April 16.

“I think SmartMusic would be better if the count offs were based on the tempo of the measure it starts on, not the preceding measure,” Xiao said. “Sometimes in my assignments, there was a tempo change on when I started playing but the count off had a fermata or slow down from the measure before it. That messes with my sense of time. Also, SmartMusic can be wrong in their note detection because there were instances that people would play the right note but the program counted it wrong. It can be a bit annoying that it happens, but a rerecording or commenting about it solves the issue.”

When practicing their part the students have the option to include recordings of other instruments playing, to hear what the music will sound like with the whole band performing.

“The benefits of students practicing on SmartMusic, virtual students have a chance to follow along synchronously during band class,” Yoakam said. “It also is used as a practice tool for all students to learn their music since we are unable to have before and after school sectionals. This way, students are able to be held accountable for learning notes and rhythms. Using SmartMusic, the students are able to learn their part and be held accountable for it in a quantifiable way.”