It is no doubt that a good Digital Storytelling cannot be
attractive without music, pictures, text, language, animation or sound.
I was a music teacher in middle school, when I saw this
topic, I was thinking of how to build a bridge between music and digital
storytelling could be seamless.
Sublimation digital storytelling is not so much music,
rather they both are closely combined and indivisible as a whole.
Try to think that when you were in a movie theater, a not so
good movie is telling a not so touching story, however, you were manipulated by
the music, even though you realized that it was a bad movie, you still been
effected by the music. That is the power of music. The most interesting thing
is that it is a universal language; a good music can bring people to the same
emotions. That’s the power of music.
I am planning to design a project for my 6th grade students, letting
them tell one of their own stories, which could be happy, anxious, excited,
nervous, sad, angry, or even sick. Then, choosing or scoring background music
that could demonstrate their feeling properly. Students are welcomed to use
visual aids, such as pictures, drawings, or video clips. They can use iMovie, Moviemaker, Powerpoint, Prezi, just depends on their preference. I will provide one example for them using Prezi. Once finished, their
work will be commented by his/her classmates, and each of them will be the
judge of others, and the purpose is to find out which one has correctly chosen
suitable music as well as the overall visual effects.
I think this project is a good opportunity to teach them about
how to integrate music into their story as well as a good way to learn how to
choose suitable music to their future Digital Storytelling works.
There are many online example resources for students for instance: online example resources, this is a Wikispace of Storykeepers. In this webpage students can find free music resources to use as well as develop their own music.
For this project I have already create my own Wikispace: My wikispace. I also created a Digital Storytelling example for it to help students better understand the aim of their project. For more examples I will recommend them some of the examples of students who published online for their references. Students examples.
There are many online example resources for students for instance: online example resources, this is a Wikispace of Storykeepers. In this webpage students can find free music resources to use as well as develop their own music.
For this project I have already create my own Wikispace: My wikispace. I also created a Digital Storytelling example for it to help students better understand the aim of their project. For more examples I will recommend them some of the examples of students who published online for their references. Students examples.
When I was a little girl, I remember many nights where I would hear my dad in the living room watching a television program. I could always tell what kind of show he was watching by the music that I heard playing in the background. My least favorite was definitely the "scary" tunes. :) So, when you say that music has a huge impact on the feeling of a story, I totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAudio, video, text, and content work so well together. Our students cannot go wrong with a project that enables them to integrate music into the lesson. I look forward to hearing about the successes of this assignment. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Cindy,
DeleteI have the same story with you and also not a big fun of the "scary" tunes. I am happy that you can share your feeling about background music here. I think everyone will have a unique story about that.
Thanks for your comment!
Yun
I just have to tell you that I am inspired by your topic. I personally have been impacted by music. My dream job as a kid was always to be the person who picked the songs for movie scenes. I have been to over 155 concerts, and I am only 25 years old. It is amazing to me how music music can affect a story. Have you ever really listened to the music in a show or movie and then imagined what the scene would be like without it? The emotion leave much less of an impact on viewers.
ReplyDeleteNot only does music add to story telling, but it is also a medium for self-expression. I know so many students who were unable to fully express themselves, and music almost always relates to them and provides them with a safe outlet for expression. I have an ASD student this year who was very difficult to reach at first, but we connected over music.
Music is a also a great motivator. Because students don't typically relate music to school work, it can excite them to be able to listen to it and use it in an educational context.
I am so glad that you wrote your post on this subject!
-Erin
Hi Erin,
DeleteI used to have a piano students when I was tutoring. He is a autism kid, but his parents thought music can help him some sort of ability development, then they contacted me. This tutoring experience for me was a challenge. However, when I saw a little improvement of him that feeling was amazing!
I am not an expert, but as my point of view, music could help at least a bit.
Thanks for your comment!
Yun
Dear Yunxh Yun,
ReplyDeleteYour post is great. I was looking for a way to incorporate music into the new technologies I am learning in this class, and have not been able to do it yet. With your guide and resource link, I think I will be successful in my next attempt.
Music can add so much more to a presentation, too. That is what was missing from my Prezi that I made last week.
Thanks for the much-needed tips.
--Meghan Starling
Hi Meghan,
DeleteI am glad these tips can help. Music can add to any presentations you want no matter background or narrative. It is indeed a emotion tool to each person's story, and also the way that help your story to become the unique one.
Thanks for your comment!
Yun
What a great topic! I would have guessed that a formal music student would want to have the most perfect soundtrack for their digital story! I think that your point is very valid. We live in a world of ADD students. We have to keep their attention focused on the right things... if the music is too stimulating they will not focus on the content...if the music is too drab, they will be bored and their minds will wander.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a technical balancing act. Think about this...sound is everything. What wakes you up in the morning? Sound. What puts people to sleep? Sound (white noise). So why wouldn't we want the perfect sounds in our presentations!
I have a question that I would like to ask...I am asking all of my classmates this question:
How much time should content area teachers spend teaching students how to use programs like Prezi or other digital storytelling platforms? I mean, in a time when we are given more content to cover and fewer hours/days to deliver it...can we afford to spend time showing students (those who do not understand) how to use the digital platforms? Or better yet, can we afford to NOT teach them?
Hi Mike,
DeleteI also have the same concern, and I am going to provide the tutorials and instructions in my curriculum page. I think for our digital students learning new programs like Prezi would not be a big issue, since most of the tutorials are providing instructions step by steps, that could be easy to follow.
In the mean time, they could learn how to operate these platform at home and bring up their difficulties to the teacher. I think ask and answer would not consume too much time for us.
Thanks for your comment!
Yun