Noteflight is a notation program that will help us turn our original songs into beautiful, professional-looking scores AND hear the computer play them back to us! Notating music is a great way to solidify tricky rhythm and dynamic concepts we've been learning about in lessons. Plus, we will be able to share our songs and feedback with other students in our studio.[/toggle]
The program is cloud-based: You can access Noteflight from a tablet, phone, Mac, or PC. All you need is a web browser. The interface is a little different on a tablet vs. a computer. If you have both, you might experiment to see which you prefer.
Each year, we will enter and share our S.S.S.H. compositions into Noteflight, but you may use it all year long to create compositions of your own. I have students who are creating entire libraries of compositions! Play around with it. It's your tool. Have fun!
Anyone can sign up for a free Noteflight account, but there is a fee for the full-featured version. I have purchased a studio license for Noteflight which means all of my students will have access to the advanced features for no additional fee.
A little tip: add a Noteflight shortcut to your iPad screen. The shortcut icon will sit alongside all your regular iPad app icons and it makes it easy to access. To do that, open Safari and visit Noteflight. Tap the Share button and then tap Add To Home Screen.
Choose View then choose Switch to HTML5 Editor. That should allow you to click on the keyboard on the bottom of your screen and voila! A keyboard interface should appear.
Here are some common problems (I'll add to this list as questions come up):
Staccato vs. Rhythm dots: Are you trying to use staccato, but the song doesn't sound right at all? Check to see if you are using staccato dots (on top or below the note) or rhythm dots (on the side of the note). Rhythm dots will make the note hold longer. You can find rhythm dots in the DURATION tab. You can find staccato dots in the ARTICULATION tab.
Legato vs. Ties: A tie (useful for making notes hold from one measure to the next) can be found in the DURATION tab. Legato slurs (useful for making notes sounds smooth and connected) can be found in the ARTICULATION tab.
Switching between Treble & Bass clef notes: Don't forget to click on the bass clef when entering notes below middle C and the treble clef when entering notes above middle C. If your right hand is not playing at the same time as the left, be sure that you have enough rests entered into the clef that is not playing.
I used a ritardando and now the rest of my song is in SLOW motion. Click on the measure where the song should return to normal speed (after the ritardando). Choose the FORTE "f" in the TEXT tool bar. That will place a blinking cursor in the middle of your staff. Type the words "a tempo." This means that the song should return to the original tempo (speed) from that point forward.
Once complete, our S.S.S.H. songs will be shared with all the students in my studio. Anyone logged in to the Songwriting for Kids Noteflight site (open to students only) will be able to view/hear your song.
If you have other songs saved in your site, it is up to you who may view them. Simply choose the "sharing" option and choose who may see the song: A) Just you, B) Selected people (type in their username, see list below), or C) entire site (this only includes students on our private Songwriting for Kids site). You'll also have the option to decide whether those people can make changes, print, export, or comment on your song. If you would like to share the song with people outside our studio, you may print or export the file.
Choose Scores then choose Browse. You should be able to see, listen to, comment on, and favorite each song that has been completed and posted.