User group session helps educators navigate powerful music instruction platform

A dozen music teachers from the region gathered at the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center’s Harrison campus for a presentation on leveraging the MusicFirst platform to enrich students’ learning experiences.

The MusicFirst user group was led by Valhalla Music Teacher Anthony Maceli and Jason Panucci of MusicFirst.

“Today is all about problem-solving,” Maceli said. “I have had as many failures with technology as I’ve had successes. Whether it’s things being blocked or audio settings not working, today is all about navigating those issues.”

The teachers started at square one, taking on the role of students to get a ground-up understanding of how best to introduce MusicFirst’s powerful systems to their students. MusicFirst enables teachers to streamline assignment and submission processes, which allows them to spend more time teaching while students spend more time making and playing music.

“It’s like teaching a student to play clarinet when they haven’t ever even picked up their instrument before,” said Tuckahoe Music Teaching Consultant Marc Schneider. “You don’t ask them to start playing music right away. You start by taking the instrument apart. Then you put it back together again. It’s the same with the technology. You can’t just expect students to start using it.”

MusicFirst allows teachers to create and share assignments and compositions as well as manage and organize them for students to access. The platform can even automatically evaluate how well a student’s performance matches an assignment so that teachers can hone in on which students need additional help without combing through dozens of videos of performances.

“Every year the students are different,” Maceli said. “Even after years of teaching, you always get students who have different needs. Twenty years ago, that kid might have quit music. Now, this technology gives them more ways to engage with music and spend time playing their instrument.”

Instructional Technology Ambassador Program

Welcome!

It can be challenging navigating the wide range of technology services and opportunities available to you from the LHRIC. Once you learn about the services, you may question how best to use these services in your district. To address these challenges, we have assigned an instructional technology ambassador to each district to assist you in achieving your instructional technology goals.

Events

Feb 3 Feb 28

Virtual/ Online event

Differentiate Instruction with AI

Tailoring instruction to meet diverse learners in a classroom is challenging and time consuming but can yield results for students that are life altering and empowering. Finding the right mix of tools, strategies and resources will help teachers attain the goal of meeting the needs of all students in the classroom. Technology and Artificial Intelligence have done much to assist in this somewhat daunting task. In this course, participants will explore data-gathering tools to assess students' entry points to learning, explore instructional models and technology tools that foster differentiated instruction, and dive into AI tools that facilitate differentiation that help make the process much easier to accomplish.

NOTE: This course is 100% online and will take approximately 6 hours to complete. This course begins on February 3, 2025, and participants have until February 28, 2025 to complete all required assignments and activities to receive CTLE credit.
LHRIC Model Schools utilizes the Schoology Learning Management System. Upon registration, you will receive a welcome message from your instructor with information on how your course works, what you can expect, how to get help along the way, and steps you need to take to enroll.

Register Here

LHRIC Instructional Technology
Feb 24 04:00 PM 05:30 PM

Virtual/ Online event

Presented by Apple: Mac Skills 101 | Get to Know Your Mac
Bring your Mac and join us for a live 90-minute hands-on session in macOS 15 Sequoia.

This introductory session will help jumpstart those new to Mac.
We’ll help you customize your Mac as we learn terms, features and functions of the interface. We have some great pro tips to share as well, so we hope to see you soon!

What you'll learn and do in this session:
- macOS desktop terms and features
- Explore keyboard shortcuts and gestures
- Get hands-on with Spotlight search as a tool
- Uncover tips to navigate files and folders quickly
- Review System Settings to meet your needs
- Locate and leverage macOS Help resources
Register Here
LHRIC Instructional Technology
Feb 24 07:00 PM 08:15 PM

Virtual/ Online event

Presented by Apple: Mac Skills 102 | Leverage Workspaces
In this 60-minute session we’ll help you uncover the power of managing your workspaces on Mac. We’ll explore Mission Control, Stage Manager and App Exposé as we share tips and tricks to make quick window adjustments and maximize your screen real estate. Bring your Mac* to apply techniques right away.

What you'll learn:
- Expand your screen real estate with Mission Control
- Focus on tasks with Stage Manager
- Explore desktop Widgets and options
- Make quick window adjustments
- Discover the fastest ways to locate windows
- Uncover pro tips for window and workspace management
Register Here
LHRIC Instructional Technology
Feb 24 08:00 PM 08:30 PM

Virtual/ Online event

AI for the Interested

Dive into the world of artificial intelligence with our AI for the Interested sessions. This 30-minute open agenda session is designed for educators who are curious about AI and want to explore its potential in the classroom. Bring your questions and join us for an engaging discussion where you can learn about AI tools, get practical tips, and discover how AI can enhance your teaching practices. Whether you're new to AI or looking to deepen your understanding, this session is the perfect opportunity to satisfy your curiosity and gain valuable insights. These sessions will take place on Mondays at 3:30, January-June.

Connection Information:
https://lhric-org.zoom.us/j/94062927018?from=addon
Meeting ID: 940 6292 7018
Passcode: 771076

Register Here

LHRIC Instructional Technology
Feb 25 02:00 PM 03:00 PM

Virtual/ Online event

How do I expand my use of Gizmos?

Gizmos are online simulations for math and science topics, grades 3-12. When students engage with simulations, they use their spatial reasoning to learn fundamental concepts and are encouraged to explore and experiment and build conceptual understanding. Gizmos lend themselves to group work, independent work, and whole-class instruction. This session will provide a fresh look at the Gizmos library of content and correlations to textbooks and standards. We'll also brainstorm ways to effectively incorporate Gizmos into daily classroom routines. Registrants will receive a Zoom invite prior to the session.

Register Here

LHRIC Instructional Technology