# data[].attributes.body
I do like the idea of using short videos for transitions to class. I think they can have the ability draw in students and bring their attention to a collective focal point. This is inspiring me to collect some short videos of my own to use on such occasion with a focus on creative approaches and performance techniques

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I tend to avoid showing full-length movies in my classes, even when I'm out with a sub. I just find my students watch TV and movies so many other places in their life that they truly aren't interested. But for a quick break, an example of a musical concept I'm teaching, a wind-down activity at the end of class, or just a funny momemt to share, I have found lots of great uses for short video clips from YouTube! Today I want to share some of my favorite music-related (and school-appropriate) videos to share with my students in class.

Over the last few years I've found some favorite videos that are

entertaining for my elementary and middle school students,

encourage students to think about music in a new way,

reflect a variety of backgrounds of musicians and musical genres,

are appropriate for even my youngest students,

and are short enough to take very little class time.

Of course the internet is an endless source of material- I could keep going and going for days and days with videos like this, but these are some representative favorites!

These little videos are frivolous is many ways but I've come to realize just how important they can be to my classroom. Often it's one of these videos that will inspire a student to go home and try something themselves (like beatboxing with their recorder), help students to see themselves as musicians regardless of their background, build relationships with students by showing a lighthearted side of music and connecting over a shared sense of humor, help them finally grasp a concept, or introduce them to a new genre or instrument.

What are some of your favorite videos you've shared with your students? I could probably do 5 more of these posts and still not run out of material.... Here are 15 more videos if you want more ideas! I'd love to see some of your best finds! Leave a link or title in the comments below so we can all find some new videos to love :)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I tend to avoid showing full-length movies in my classes, even when I'm out with a sub. I just find my students watch TV and movies so many other places in their life that they truly aren't interested.

# data[].attributes.body
https://autochords.com/
This is a great way of introducing chord progressions. Students can hear and describe the different moods and that changing the progressions can achieve.

# data[].attributes.body
During my action research project while completing my Master of Teaching, I had the opportunity to make qualitative observations of students using Chrome Music Lab. I noted that students were very engaged with its interactivity, and they were able to create effective melodies without needing prior knowledge of music notation. They were able to explain their melodies using musical terminology, and in reference to the musical elements. (eg. My melody's pitch moved up in steps, then moved down in skips). I believe this was a very efficient and engaging way to introduce these concepts, especially for students without a music background.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How were these built?

All our experiments are all built with freely accessible web technology such as Web Audio API, WebMIDI, Tone.js, and more. These tools make it easier for coders to build new interactive music experiences. You can get the open-source code to lots of these experiments here on Github.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Music is for everyone. Play with simple experiments that let anyone, of any age, explore how music works.

# data[].attributes.body
I have read Carol Dweck's (2017) book 'Mindset' recently, and have watched her presentations about growth mindset. I am convinced of the power of helping students develop a growth mindset, and love these higher order thinking questions presented by this Pinterest post (Logan, n.d.).

# data[].attributes.body
I stumbled across this great guide for introducing "meaningful reconciliation initiatives in the classroom" (Narragunnawali, 2022). There is some great information on here including higher level thinking questions specifically relating to Indigenous music, and busting myths about what we believe are 'traditional' Indigenous words or practices. For example, the word 'corroboree' was actually coined by Europeans, not Indigenous peoples.

# data[].attributes.body
As a music teacher, you sometimes just need a keyboard at short notice. This one has the computer keyboard names written on the notes too. Students can add the note names to the keys also while they're still learning them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Virtual Piano - Online Piano Keyboard | OnlinePianist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use a computer keyboard, mouse or touch screen to play a virtual piano keyboard. Our virtual piano simulates a real piano keyboard experience.

# data[].attributes.body
Canva has a very user-friendly tool for creating a Virtual Classroom. At first I wasn't convinced about going to the trouble of putting together. I thought it might be a bit 'gimicky', and tokenistic. However, as I have delved further into the idea, and created my own, I have realise there is great potential for its application. For junior secondary students, I think anything like this that builds interactivity, and gives students a 'game-like' space will be enticing. I have created mine with a main page that has links to online tools that they can use to create a jingle composition, which is their main assessment piece. They can add their comments to jingles that I have added as examples, and they can link to each other's work and give each other feedback on their developing compositions.

# data[].attributes.body
For students who are new to the auditioning process, it's great to have some good quality advice that is easily accessible. These videos are great for those occasions when your student has an audition - like, tomorrow!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Safety tips for online movement classes if you wish to participate

1. You have been given approval from your parent/caregiver prior.

2. You will clear a spot in your home big enough to give you space to move around. Be sure there are no coffee tables, plants or chairs in the way.

3. Be aware of any pets or small humans that may sneak into your dance space.

4. Check the height of ceiling fans and light fittings so the area is clear as you reach above your head.

5. You will wear comfortable clothing that allows a full range of movement.

This will include appropriate footwear:

Sneakers, socks, ballet slippers, jazz shoes or bare feet.

You may have to adjust based on the flooring you are dancing on.

Bare feet may be better than ballet slippers on a slippery floor. Socks may be better on carpet.

Be careful if you are on a rug on a slippery floor.

If you have an injury or a medical condition please follow the advice of your health professional. It is suggested you view the exercises beforehand and adjust according to your limitations.

Please stay safe, listen carefully to all the instructions.
If you study dance please think about your knowledge of safe dance practice as you execute the instructions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top tips for auditioning | @The Arts Unit - Art Bites Series

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You have been given approval from your parent/caregiver prior. You will clear a spot in your home big enough to give you space to move around. Be sure there are no coffee tables, plants or chairs in the way. Be aware of any pets or small humans that may sneak into your dance space.

# data[].attributes.body
I am passionate about embedding Indigenous perspectives in my lessons, and this language map is a great way to ensure students know what local languages exist, and get to virtually 'meet' some of the local elders who have connections to our local area.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mapping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.

# data[].attributes.body
I have seen first-hand how much Creative Generation enthuses students who have a passion in the performing arts. We are very lucky in Gladstone to have a vibrant amateur performing arts community which gives them opportunities to practice, but they also need performing goals that take them beyond what their local community can provide. Creative Generations has helped so many students grow in confidence and skill through the audition process, rehearsals and final performances and learn from industry experts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Creative Generation gives students, teachers and school communities the opportunity to be involved in a professionally produced, award-winning arena spectacular.

# data[].attributes.headline
Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts

# data[].attributes.subject
Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts

# data[].attributes.body
This course runs concurrently with the high school education certificate, and is fully funded.
Eligibility: "There are no essential entry requirements for this course. Learners are recommended to have completed Year 9, are currently participating in High School, and to have language, literacy and numeracy skills equivalent to Year 10 High School standard. LLN support is to be made available when required." (ACPA, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Help your students discover their performance potential

ACPA's 10919NAT Certificate II in Performing Arts course is designed for students ready to take their first step into the performing arts industry, improve their pathways into tertiary education, or prepare for future employment.

Delivered through nine compulsory core units of music, dance and acting, this foundation course teaches:

listening, music theory and vocal/instrumental skills

health and fitness, physical conditioning, nutrition, and health and safety, stage presence, vocal development, and common theatre conventions, public speaking and presentation skills

the historical, social and cultural significance of drama and theatre, traditional cultural dance, modern fusion, hip hop, contemporary and ballet

This is a nationally accredited professional qualification in which both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students are encouraged to participate.

For more information, please contact 07 3569 5869.
Total supervised hours: 265 hours Total unsupervised hours: 350 hours

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Complete a Certificate II in Performing Arts | ACPA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ACPA's 10919NAT Certificate II in Performing Arts course is designed for students ready to take their first step into the performing arts industry, improve their pathways into tertiary education, or prepare for future employment.

# data[].attributes.headline
Performing Arts Opportunities for Students

# data[].attributes.subject
Performing Arts Opportunities for Students

# data[].attributes.body
This page provides some links to some compositions that demonstrate Indigenous influences in Australian music. I was surprised to see that as early as 1802, Europeans had started to write down Indigenous songs in music notation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Indigenous influences in Australian composition

This short introduction discusses Indigenous influences in Australian compositions in the AMC's database. For an in-depth article about the role of music in Aboriginal culture, read for example Jo Dyer's article 'Living Songs: Music, Law and Culture in Aboriginal Australia'.

In tribal Aboriginal society, song is an intricate part of the ritual relationship of the people to the land; like any story, dance or totemic design, each song is 'owned' by individuals or groups and is therefore, in many cases, taboo to others. 'Open' songs, however, can be shared - given as a gift or used by permission of the owner(s).

Musicologists Alice Moyle, Alan Marett and Stephen Knopoff, to name a few, have made valuable contributions to a broader understanding of Aboriginal music, but as early as 1802, Europeans had begun to notate Aboriginal melodies. Australia's first professional composer, Isaac Nathan, made transcriptions with parlour-piano style accompaniments in the 1840s, and Henry Tate advocated the integration of Aboriginal melody, alongside native birdsong, as the basis for a new national music in the early twentieth century. Percy Grainger depicted 'the lonely desert man...' in one work. Clive Douglas came as close, as Roger Covell has noted, to being the musical equivalent of a Jindyworobak - one of those writers of the 1930s dedicated to creating an 'indigenous' modern Australian art independent of Europe - in part by evoking Aboriginal sounds, and Mirrie Hill included Aboriginal melodies in several works including film scores about tribal life.

When the inflected modal system of Aboriginal music met the procrustean bed of equal temperament the results were not always happy. But as Western avant-garde techniques - including the exploration of different methods of tuning - were taken up in Australia, the different musical cultures paradoxically had a greater chance of meeting on equal grounds, as they do in a number of works of Peter Sculthorpe. His use of Indigenous themes and material has provoked debate in recent years - and meanwhile, respectful collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous musicians have produced some striking new Australian works.

The 2000s has seen the emergence of strong Indigenous voices within Australian composition, including the Bangarra Dance Theatre music director David Page (1961-2016), didjeridu virtuoso and composer William Barton, and the Yorta Yorta composer Deborah Cheetham. Emerging Indigenous composers include participants in the Ngarra Burria - First Peoples Composers program, initiated in 2016 by Dharug composer Christopher Sainsbury and delivered by a partnership between Moogahlin Performing Arts, the AMC, ANU School of Music, performing ensembles, APRA AMCOS and EORA College. Artists in this program have so far included Eric Avery, Rhyan Clapham, Brenda Gifford, Tim Gray, James Henry, Troy Russell, Elizabeth Sheppard and Nardi Simpson.

Read also: 'Indigenous Composer Initiative: Towards a gentle correction' - article on Resonate by Christopher Sainsbury (27 September 2017). Sainsbury has also discussed Indigenous referencing (the inclusion of Indigenous music elements, or Indigenous culture and its themes or narratives) in his NGARRA-BURRIA: New music and the search for an Australian Sound ( Currency House Platform Paper no. 59, 2019).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Indigenous Australian Culture : Subject : Australian Music Centre

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This short introduction discusses Indigenous influences in Australian compositions in the AMC's database. For an in-depth article about the role of music in Aboriginal culture, read for example Jo Dyer's article 'Living Songs: Music, Law and Culture in Aboriginal Australia '.

# data[].attributes.body
Noteflight is a great tool for beginning composers. It can be used on any computer or device, and classrooms do not need to obtain licences as they do for Sibelius and other similar software. The basic version has plenty of tools for junior secondary music students, and is simple enough to navigate. I would recommend a lesson to support students using it for the first time, and possibly some instructional videos they can access outside of class time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Noteflight - Online Music Notation Software

# data[].attributes.headline
Strong Songs - analysis of popular music

# data[].attributes.subject
Strong Songs - analysis of popular music

# data[].attributes.body
I have listened to a lot of these episodes. I love the way Kirk pulls apart each song, and draws my attention to things that subtly add to the song's meaning and effectiveness. His clarity and likeable approach should make it easy for students to follow as well. He has built up quite a back catalogue, so I am sure there would be examples that could be applied to the classroom for classes drawing attention to the elements of music.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A podcast that picks songs apart to see what makes them work, hosted by multi-instrumentalist Kirk Hamilton.

# data[].attributes.body
This is one of my all time favourite podcasts. Interviewees are asked which 8 songs or music pieces they would take with them if they had to spend time alone on a desert island. I think the music that someone chooses reveals so much about them, and believe it is a way of getting students thinking about identity in music performance and composition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

# data[].attributes.headline
Beethoven's hearing loss - how he would have heard his 9th symphony

# data[].attributes.subject
Beethoven's hearing loss - how he would have heard his 9th symphony

# data[].attributes.body
It is well known that Beethoven was profoundly deaf by the time he was composing his 9th symphony. As far as I am aware, this is the first time someone has made a recording of his famous symphony as he would have heard it. I found this fascinating, and it really highlighted not only his talent, but the mathematical nature of classical music which made him so confident his composition would work, without having to hear it in its full intended glory. Start listening around 37:05.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Charles Mingus at 100 and Beethoven’s hearing loss

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Saturday 23 April: Bassist Jonathan Zwartz on musical innovator Charles Mingus, and an audiologist on Beethoven’s hearing loss and his Symphony No 9.

# data[].attributes.body
Stories have great power in education, and so I would like to keep adding to this collection of stories about music composers and performers, and their creative experiences.

# data[].attributes.headline
Smartcopying website - music copyright guide for schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Smartcopying website - music copyright guide for schools

# data[].attributes.body
This is a great tool for finding the rules on copying and performing music within a school environment. There is a search tool which is great if you have a specific question. Schools can access a license for using music for educational purposes, but there are of course restrictions, so this is great for outlining what those restrictions are.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What do we mean by music?

A sound recording might be a recording of the score only, or of both the score and lyrics. Examples of sound recordings are Apple or Spotify tracks, MP3 files, vinyl, CDs, audio cassettes, reel to reel tapes and any other method for recording and storing sounds.

When you use a sound recording, you need permission to use both the musical work and the sound recording of that musical work. Generally, the composer or music publisher owns copyright in the musical work, and the record label owns copyright in the sound recording. If you are only reproducing or performing the musical work (eg by playing the music with an instrument or singing the song yourself), you only need permission from the owner of copyright in the musical work.

How do schools use music?

Some of the ways schools may use music include:

How are schools permitted to use music?

Schools have entered into a Schools Music Licence, which allows schools to copy and share musical works and sound recordings in certain circumstances All government and most Catholic and independent schools, are covered by the Schools Music Licence. You can check whether you are covered by the music agreements by contacting your school authority.

Performing musical works live or playing sound recordings
In class

in the course of education and is not for profit

the people in the audience or class are giving or receiving instruction or are directly connected with the place where instruction is given (i.e if parents or guardians are in the audience, schools may not be able to rely on this exception - however see below for what can be done under the Schools Music Licence instead).

Teachers can upload sound recordings to a school intranet or DTE in order to play them in class, but they should remove them from the DTE, or disable student access to the sound recordings, as soon as the class is over.

Examples of what teachers and students can do in reliance on this exception include:

singing musical works and performing musical works using instruments in class

playing a sound recording in class in any format (eg digital music from Spotify or Apple music, Google Play Store, CD) using a DTE or interactive whiteboard)

playing a film (DVD or online film) in class which contains a musical work and or sound recording using a DVD player or DTE.

For further information schools should see Performance and Communication of Copyright Material in Class.

Schools can also rely on the Schools Music Licence, together with an exception under section 106(1)(b) of the Copyright Act and an interim agreement with PPCA to perform and play music in the classroom when parents, guardians or members of the school community are in attendance, or to invite a performer from outside the school to come into the classroom to perform for the students.
For non-teaching purposes
Schools often want to perform musical works live or play sound recordings outside the classroom context. The Schools Music Licence, together with an exception under section 106(1)(b) of the Copyright Act and an interim agreement with PPCA, allow schools to perform musical works live and play sound recordings for a range of purposes that a school undertakes as part of its usual activities (eg providing educational or religious services for staff, students and members of the school community as part of normal school activities, engaging with members of the school community, promoting students work and school events such as school concerts, dances or formals, sports days and fairs).

Schools can charge admission fees to performances of music as long as the proceeds from the fees mostly go to the school or a registered charity.

If a secondary school is performing music in a dramatic context (eg a performance where there is a storyline, characters or a ballet) it cannot charge admission and advertise the event outside the school community.

Copying sheet music

The Schools Music Licence allows schools to make multiple copies of sheet music for educational purposes, including delivering school music lessons and ensemble programs, provided they do not make more copies than reasonably required for the relevant school purpose. The licence tops up the rights that schools have to copy sheet music under the Statutory Text and Artistic Works Licence.

Under the Schools Music Licence, schools can:

photocopy hardcopy sheet music

make digital copies of print sheet music (ie scan to digital format)

print copies of digital sheet music

email PDF versions of digital sheet music

upload copies of sheet music to a password protected or restricted access DTE.

Schools should not undertake 'just in case' copying, such as digitising entire collections of print sheet music.

There are some other limits on the copies of sheet music that schools can make under the Schools Music Licence. For example, a school:

can only copy up to three songs from a Grand Right Work (eg words and music that has been written expressly for an opera, operetta, musical play, revue or pantomime), but it can make as many copies as it needs of the sheet music for each of those three songs. So, it could make copies of the sheet music for three songs from 'Matilda the Musical' for its students to sing. However, if a school wants to rehearse or perform an entire musical, it needs to obtain permission from the copyright owner of the musical

can only copy a choral work that is longer than 20 minutes where the public performance of the choral work is validly licensed (e.g. the school has a obtained a licence to perform the choral work)

cannot make copies of sheet music for students' private music tuition.

cannot make copies of sheet music where the lyrics have been changed or the music has been adapted.

Marking hardcopy and digital copies of sheet music

name of the school

date copied

the name of the owner of the original sheet music that was copied (e.g. if the school bought the original, the school or if it was a teacher, the teacher).

Schools can live stream their school event, where musical works are performed (eg a live performance of a song by a school band or orchestra) and/or a sound recording is played, in real time from the school website, a social media platform (eg Facebook Live, YouTube) or a video conferencing platform (eg Zoom). In the case of social media platforms, schools can rely on the licences that APRA AMCOS and record labels have with the social medial platforms to communicate (ie make available) the stream on the platform.

Making audio or video recordings of school events

Under the Schools Music Licence, schools are able to make audio visual or audio only recordings of school events at which musical works are performed or sound recordings are played.

All school event recordings which include music, made by the school should display the following notice:
'This recording has been made under a licence from AMCOS and ARIA for school purposes only'.
Schools can also authorise members of the school community (or a third party such as a commercial videographer), to make recordings of music performed at school events, provided this is either for the exclusive use of the school, or for private and domestic listening or viewing by members of the school community (eg parents, guardians and friends can make a video of a presentation night at which the school band played, or a videographer could make a recording for the school to use later in an end-of-year presentation).

Uploading recordings of school events, where a musical work or sound recording is being played, to social media

Schools can also upload videos and presentations, or audio only recordings, of someone performing a musical work (not a sound recording) to the school's official social media page on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube (e.g. a video of a student performing music or singing a song in class). If the video, presentation or audio only recording contains a sound recording, it must not be uploaded to social media (e.g. a video in which a recording downloaded from Spotify or YouTube is playing cannot be uploaded to social media).

Where schools upload recordings to social media the post may still be muted by the social media platform, or the school may be asked to take it down.

Blocking or muting of events on social media

Music recording companies (ie record labels) and some music publishers use software to identify potentially infringing content on social media platforms, such as Facebook. When a school live streams a performance where a musical work or sound recording is being played, or uploads a recording of a school event where a musical work or sound recording is played, this software may alert Facebook or other social media platforms to mute the recording or send a takedown notice to the school. If you are concerned about a live stream or recording being muted or your school being issued with a take-down notice, contact the National Copyright Unit. Alternatively, you may want to consider uploading the recording to your school website or password protected digital teaching environment or intranet.

What else can be done with audio or video recordings of school events

Schools can also do the following with their recordings of schools event(s):

upload the recording to the school website

upload the recordings to a password protected school server, intranet or DTE and make this available to parents, guardians and students. For example, if parents and guardians are unable to attend an assembly or graduation day, the school could send them a link to the recording on the school's password protected intranet and allow them to download a copy for their private use

upload the recording to an app that is being used by the school for internal school communications to members of the school community, such as Schoolbag, Seesaw, Compass and SZapp. This is limited to apps being used by the school for internal school communications, and would not include apps like Snapchat or TikTok

email/message a copy or make a physical copy of the recording (eg copy it on to a USB) and distribute it (for a no cost or on a cost-recovery basis) to members of the school community (eg students and parents or guardians)

provide a digital or physical copy of the recording to:

members of the school community (e.g. parents, guardians and staff)

other third parties, including other schools and administering bodies, to facilitate entry to events such as music competitions and festivals by students representing the school.

stream a live communication of the school event from the school's website.

Making audio or video recordings that are not of school events

As well as recording school events at which musical works are performed or sound recordings are played, schools are also able to make recordings that are not of school events as long as they are being made for school purposes. Schools can:

make videos or presentations (eg classroom PowerPoint slides, presentations for assemblies or functions or end of year videos) in which musical works or sound recordings are playing in the background

record someone playing a musical work (eg record a student playing the violin)

copy sound recordings (eg download tracks from a streaming service, such as Spotify, or format shift a CD to MP3):

for the educational purposes of the school (eg to play in class relevant to material being studied, whether face-to-face or virtual) - this doesn't extend to 'just-in-case' format shifting of whole CD collections

to use at a school event (eg to play at a school graduation); or

to include in another work, such as a video or presentation (e.g. to add as a soundtrack to a PowerPoint presentation or a commemorative video).

Schools should not undertake 'just-in-case' copying, such as format shifting entire CD collections.

All recordings and videos and presentations, which include music, made by the school should display the following notice:

' This recording has been made under a licence from AMCOS and ARIA for school purposes only'.

What can schools do with audio or video recordings that are not of school events

Schools can do the following with:

1. recordings of musical works (eg a recording of a student performing a musical work in class)

2. videos and presentations that include musical works (eg a PowerPoint presentation to which a recording of the school choir has been added)

that are not of school events, provided that what is being done is for a school purpose:

upload them to the school website, password protected intranet or password protected DTE

upload them to the school's official social media page on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube

email and/or message them to students and parents or guardians (the school community)

upload them to an educational app that is being used by the school to communicate with the school community (ie Schoolbag, Seesaw, Compass and SZapp, but excluding apps like Snapchat and TikTok).

Schools can only upload sound recordings (eg a track the school has downloaded from a streaming service or a CD that the school has digitised) to an intranet, DTE, educational App, video conferencing application or school website where it is password protected and only made available to members of the school community.

upload the recording to the school website, password protected intranet or password protected DTE

email and/or message the recording to students and parents or guardians (the school community)

upload the recording to an educational app that is being used by the school to communicate with the school community (ie Schoolbag, Seesaw, Compass and SZapp, but excluding apps like Snapchat and TikTok).

Sale of recordings made by schools

Schools may sell any of the recordings they make:

to another school, provided that the sale price is no more than needed to cover the costs of creating the recording.

to members of the school community for their private and domestic listening and/or viewing, provided the sale price is no more than what is needed to cover the costs of creating the recording, including, any costs staging a school event comprised in the recording (i.e. a school could sell recordings of a school event to recoup some of the costs in staging the school event but cannot sell the recordings in order to make a profit).

Summary of how schools can share recordings

This table summarises how schools are permitted to share live streams of school events, school event recordings, videos or presentations that include music and audio-only recordings under the Schools Music Licence.

Copyright exceptions

Teachers may also be able to rely on one of the copyright exceptions when copying musical works or sound recordings for specific purposes. There are a number of these exceptions which are listed below.
Playing sound recordings in public
Schools are able to play sound recordings in public. For independent and Catholic schools, this is under section 106 of the Copyright Act. For government schools, it is under an interim licence from PPCA which permits the use of sound recordings in connection with the activities of the school. Please note, however, that the public performance of any musical works embodied in the sound recordings must be done in accordance with the Schools Music Licence.
Fair dealing
Teachers and students may be able to copy and communicate some musical works and sound recordings under the fair dealing exception for research or study. Teachers will only be able to rely on the fair dealing exception in limited circumstances (ie it must be for their own research or study and not the research or study of their students), but students using musical works and sound recordings as part of their study will generally be able to rely on the fair dealing exception for research or study.

For more information see Copyright Exceptions.
Disability exceptions
For more information on the disability exceptions see Disability Access Exceptions.
Exam copying
For more information see Copying for Exams.
Flexible dealing
For example, a teacher may be able to:

prepare an arrangement of a musical work for students to perform in a music class when they cannot buy the arrangement they need

format shift sound recordings from vinyl, cassette or CD into digital format such as mp3.

For more information see Flexible Dealing.

Creative Commons Music

Creative Commons (CC) music is a great alternative to buying music online, or being limited to the uses of music under the schools music licences. A song licensed under CC does not carry the risk that it will be taken down or muted if shared on social media.

There are several websites that publish digital music that is licensed under CC. CC licensed material can be copied and shared for educational purposes because the copyright owner has already given permission to use their musical works and sound recordings.

SoundCloud - online sharing platform with option to filter search results for CC content

Vimeo - online community with option to search for CC content

CC Mixter - CC sound remix tool and archive

Magnatune - CC Record label

Jamendo - CC music distribution site

Freesound - collaborative data base of CC licensed sounds.

Note - if you are incorporating a musical work or sound recording into another work (eg you are synching music to video footage of your school sports day or other school event) you will not be able to use a musical work or sound recording that is licenced under a CC 'No Derivatives Works' Licence ( CC BY ND), which means that the musician does not want you to change, transform or make a derivative work using their musical work or sound recording. Under CC licences, synching the musical works and sound recordings to images amounts to transforming the musical works and sound recordings, so you won't be able to use any music available under this particular CC licence.

See ' Legal Music for Videos' on the CC website for more information.

Using Music in Religious Services

Schools often use music as part of their religious services. Examples include:

students and staff singing hymns during school assemblies

playing recorded music in a school chapel as part of a school service

students performing music at a school service held at a local church.

Schools that are covered by the Schools Music Licence can rely on them when using religious music if:

1. the music is covered by the Schools Music Licence

2. the service or event is for a school purpose

3. they are using music in a way that is covered by the Schools Music Licence.

The majority of musical works (including musical works used in religious services) are part of the APRA AMCOS repertoire, and therefore covered by the Schools Music Licence, however a small number of composers/publishers are not. You can check whether a particular composer and/or music publisher is covered by the Schools Music Licence by searching APRA AMCOS Works Search. We suggest contacting APRA AMCOS at schools@apra.com.au if the composer/music publisher does not show up in the search.

If the musical work is not part of the APRA AMCOS repertoire, you should contact CCLI or OneLicense. They represent a number of publishers and composers of Christian liturgical music, and also offer music licences for congregational use. Note that the CCLI and OneLicense licences provide schools with access to the original sheet music, from which schools can make copies, and this may be appealing to some schools.

Sometimes composers or music publishers will be represented by both APRA AMCOS and CCLI or OneLicense. If this is the case, you can use their music under the Schools Music Licence.

Using Music as a School Bell

All schools are able to do this.

Government schools can rely on the Schools Music Licence (this covers the actual musical work) and an interim PPCA licence (this covers playing the sound recording in public).

Non-government schools are covered by the Schools Music Licence and an exception in the Copyright Act (s106 - playing a sound recording in public).

Education departments and administrative bodies

The Schools Music Licence also extends to departments and administrative bodies making copies of sheet music in order to:

deliver music lessons to students on behalf of a school (provided such lessons do not constitute private tuition)

for use in ensemble programs that are organised by the administrative body or department and connected with the school.

The department or administrative body may only make copies of an original version of the sheet music (i.e. an original published copy of the sheet music owned by the administrative body on behalf of each school for which it is making copies).

Note, that departments/administrative bodies are not able to rely on the licences to publish resources that contain sheet music.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Music Copyright Guide for Schools - Smartcopying

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Updated 7 April 2022 Teachers regularly use music for educational or other purposes. They may want to copy sheet music for students or perform music live. Or, they may want to record a live performance of music by students or play a sound recording in class or at a school event.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a free digital audio workstation which enables collaboration among students, and works on PCs, Android AND Macs! Although I am a Garageband person, I would like to gradually migrate to Bandlab instead, as I can see the interactivity and breadth of application outweighs that of Garageband.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
BandLab for Education empowers teachers and students with everything they need for collaborative, engaging and meaningful learning in the classroom.

No installation needed - our cloud-based platform works seamlessly across Mac, Windows, Linux and Chromebooks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BandLab for Education | FREE Award-Winning Education Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our award-winning platform empowers schools, institutions, teachers and students with essential workflow, classroom and assignment features for music education. Works on Chromebooks, Macs, Windows or any device. Sign up for free today!

# data[].attributes.body
Music students should always acknowledge the intellectual property of composers and songwriters if they are performing others' work, or using samples for compositions. Sometimes, students (or their parents) may need to purchase sheet music. The only exception to this is this wonderful website which was created by a Canadian company to enable easy sharing of sheet music that was in the public domain. This means it is out of Copyright. With regard to Australia specifically, the website states that "any work published in the lifetime of an author who died in 1954 or earlier, is out of copyright. The term for authors who died in 1955 or later is 70 years" (IMSLP, 2022). Students should always check the copyright status of any music to ensure it can be shared or copied.

# data[].attributes.headline
CREATIVE COMMONS AND PUBLIC DOMAIN MATERIALS

# data[].attributes.subject
CREATIVE COMMONS AND PUBLIC DOMAIN MATERIALS

# data[].attributes.body
My supervising teacher uses this for students who have finished their work early and want to extend their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introductory and intermediate music theory lessons, exercises, ear trainers, and calculators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Create your own designs with Canvas. Express yourself with natural brushes and hand-picked colors. Never lose a masterpiece with automatic syncing to your Google account.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A word cloud (or tag cloud) is a word visualization that displays the most used words in a text from small to large, according to how often each appears.

They give a glance into the most important keywords in news articles, social media posts, and customer reviews, among other text. They can also provide interesting insights when comparing two texts against each other, like political speeches or product reviews.

Try MonkeyLearn's word visualization tool to create your own professional word clouds for free.

You can see that the largest words are the most used, and stopwords ( a, and, the, etc.) have been automatically removed. But MonkeyLearn's powerful natural language processing (NLP) goes beyond this. It's able to understand word combinations, like "easy sharing options" and "communications platform" that other word cloud tools may miss.

MonkeyLearn's word cloud tool also has the added benefit of scoring words for relevance. So, we can be sure that even the smaller words in the cloud are among the most important.

How to Generate Word Visualizations

1. Choose and "clean" the dataset you want to use

Find the text you'd like to use to create your word visualization. It can come from almost anywhere: tweets mentioning your company, online reviews, legal documents, books and stories, etc.

Most word cloud tools allow you to enter text directly or cut and paste, and some allow you to upload a CSV file. Depending on where your data comes from, you may have to clean the text to remove special characters, irrelevant words, URL links, etc.

2. Select the word visualization tool that best fits your needs

There are a number of great word cloud tools available. Here's an intro to five of the best.

Top 4 Word Visualization Tools

1. MonkeyLearn

The MonkeyLearn word cloud generator is fun, easy to use, and powerful all at once. Simply paste text into the text box or upload a CSV file to create your word visualization in a snap. You can edit your text from right inside the browser, if you need to delete irrelevant words or add more text.

Change the text color, font, and size; or tweak color themes and word groupings. The tool also lists words by number of appearances and relevancy, to understand more about the importance of each word. Download your word cloud as a hi-res image (SVG or PNG) and a CSV file of your word list, showing relevancy score and word frequency.

You can try MonkeyLearn's word cloud tool and more advanced text analysis tools, like the sentiment analyzer to sort your text into positive, negative, and neutral.

2. Wordclouds.com

WordClouds.com offers a clear and intuitive interface and a "Wizard" button that can walk you through all of the steps. The simple clipart-style shapes encourage users to create a piece of art to hang on the wall.

You can paste or enter text, enter a URL, or upload a file (even PDFs). Choose a shape, edit the word list, and change the size of the gap between words to get your visualization looking exactly like you want.

3. TagCrowd

Created by Daniel Steinbock, while a PhD student at Stanford, TagCrowd offers an interesting take on word visualization. You can paste text, upload a plain text file, or enter a URL.

The tool recommends use as "visual poetry," as much as analytical research. It can be used in 15 languages, and custom algorithms allow TagCrowd to group together similar words, offering added insight into how the top words are used together.

4. ABCya!

ABCya!'s word cloud generator was created to inspire kids to learn simply by having fun playing with words. It's so easy to use that even young kids can do it on their own: just click 'Start,' type or paste text, then hit 'Create.'

The playful shapes and colors help keep kids' attention, and you can randomize the cloud and watch it morph into new shapes. ABCya! offers dozens of other fun learn games for kids, too.

3. Tutorial: create your word cloud in a few simple steps

1. Upload your data

Go to the MonkeyLearn word cloud generator. Paste text, enter it directly, or upload a CSV file.

2. Click 'Generate Cloud'

Your cloud will be created immediately.

3. Customize your word cloud

Click 'Edit Text' to return to the text box and add or remove words. You can change the size of the words and color schemes, choose a theme, or refresh the page to change the word grouping.

The column on the right shows the number of times each word appears in the text and assigns a relevancy score to each word - you can switch to view by relevance or word frequencies. It also offers the option to click directly into other MonkeyLearn text analysis tools.

Slide the 'Words Quantity' bar in the upper right to change the total number of words that appear in your data visualization.

4. Download your word cloud

Click 'Download' in the upper right to download your word visualization as a super hi-res SVG or PNG image. Plus, download a CSV file for a list of the most used words in order of relevancy or number of appearances.

How to Improve Word Clouds with Text Analysis Tools

When it comes to performing serious text analysis, word visualization can only take you so far. Word clouds are a great introduction to the world of AI, but using more advanced, machine learning tools can get more from your text data. MonkeyLearn offers a suite of text analysis tools that can provide more accurate, comprehensive results and immediately actionable insights relevant to any business.

For an example of how to combine word clouds with other text analysis tools, we'll first organize our data with topic classification. Topic classification is the process of assigning categories or "tags" to text according to its content.

Using the same dataset of software reviews we used to create the word clouds above, we'll apply machine learning topic classification to categorize each review to fall under "Customer Support," "Usability," or "Features." This will give us the opportunity to separately analyze the reviews that fall into each category, then apply them to new word clouds.

A review like, " Mobile app needs a lot of improvement," for example would fall under Ease of Use. Take a look at the MonkeyLearn text classification tutorial to learn more.

Our new word visualizations by category:

Customer Support

Usability

Features

We can see that users tend to relate certain applications, "Wrike," "Kickserv," etc., with certain topics. Some of the same words or similar words are common within each of the categories. However, distributing all the reviews into three categories does point out that certain words that didn't appear in the original visualization, like "longer," "small," "glitches," etc. are clearly important to the individual classifications.

Wrap Up

Word clouds can be simple, fun, and insightful. Using word cloud tools, together with other text analysis tools, will both broaden and clarify your results.

If you'd like to try out more advanced tools, MonkeyLearn offers a number of AI machine learning tools that can prove to be useful for any business:

Sign up to MonkeyLearn for free and try out some of the most advanced text analysis tools in the industry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A word cloud (or tag cloud) is a word visualization that displays the most used words in a text from small to large, according to how often each appears. They give a glance into the most important keywords in news articles, social media posts, and customer reviews, among other text.

# data[].attributes.body
I have seen Kahoot in action a number of times in high school classrooms, and I am convinced in its ability to motivate students and engage them in topics relevant to the curriculum. They seem to love the interactivity, the competitive vibe, and the ability to create their own names to amuse their classmates. I will definitely be using this tool in the classroom when energy levels might be waning, or if there are vocabulary lists that I need them to learn quickly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Join a game of kahoot here. Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn – any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

# data[].attributes.headline
Vocaroo - for students to easily record a podcast

# data[].attributes.subject
Vocaroo - for students to easily record a podcast

# data[].attributes.body
I really like the simplicity of this audio recording tool. Music students can use it to record their performance rehearsal, or to ask a question, and easily send it to the teacher as a link.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Important — Popplet.com service is ending July 1, 2026. Please read the official announcement here,and visit our new site Superstructures.io.

# data[].attributes.body
Since hearing about this photo library, I have used it regularly as I know any photo I find in there can be shared legally.  Although it is a little restrictive in terms of the number of photos that are available, it is great to know I don't have to waste time having to look into specific copyright rules. The reference is right there with the photo when I download it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Search now to download properly attributed, Creative Commons photos for school!

Teachers have told us they need a place to access safe images that are available to be used in the classroom and for educational purposes. Plus, they want accurate image citations. We've heard you and created "Photos For Class" to meet your needs for images!

Age Appropriate Images - All images are appropriate for the school setting, thanks to Flickr and Pixabay SafeSearch and our proprietary filters - Read More

Automatic Citation - Downloaded images automatically cite the author and the image license terms - Read More

Creative Commons - All photos shown are, to the best of our (and Flickr's / Pixabay's) knowledge, licensed by Creative Commons for public use

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Photos For Class - The quick and safe way to find and cite images for class!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teachers have told us they need a place to access safe images that are available to be used in the classroom and for educational purposes. Plus, they want accurate image citations. We've heard you and created "Photos For Class" to meet your needs for images!

# data[].attributes.body
These visual thinking activities can be used to really invigorate higher level thinking. I love the idea of the jigsaw activity - I really like this for the junior secondary classroom. For senior students, the 'peel the fruit' idea would work really well, and I can see that Venn diagrams would be really useful for comparing and contrasting two pieces of music. I will be referring to this list A LOT in my lesson planning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Sara Bell, Tim Power and Sarah Rich · 27 March 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Teacher’s Guide to Visible Thinking Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching essentials and inspiration for classroom teachers and school leaders, distilled from world-leading research by Inquisitive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Graphic Organizers & Choice Boards

This collection of ready-to-use graphic organizers will help children classify ideas and communicate more effectively. All of our printable graphic organizers are designed to facilitate understanding of key concepts by allowing students to visually identify key points and ideas. By using graphic organizers across all subject areas, you will be empowering your students to master subject-matter faster and more efficiently. We have graphic organizers for reading, science, writing, math, and for general classroom use. You'll also find blank printable templates like graph paper, dot arrays, and other useful tools.

Popular Graphic Organizer Collections

Self-assessment Graphic Organizers

Growth Mindset Graphic Organizers

Graphic Organizers (PreK-2)

Help students, grades pre-K-2, with their reading comprehension, main idea organization, and more using our graphic organizers.

Graphic Organizers (Grades 3-5)

Help your grade 3-5 students with their organization by using our graphic organizers and reading webs.

Graphic Organizers (Grades 9-12)

These graphic organizers for grades 9-12 will aid students in reading comprehension, writing abilities, and sequencing.

Writing Graphic Organizers

Help students organize their writing with these sequence charts, reading organizers, outlines, webs, and more!

Research Graphic Organizers

Support students to practice and develop essential research skills.

Science Graphic Organizers

Use our venn diagrams, graphic organizer worksheets, and instructions to help your students organize their scientific thought.

Timelines and Sequence Charts

Sequence stories and picture orders with these timeline and sequence charts.

Reading Comprehension

Enhance your student's reading comprehension with these webs, main idea charts, plot summaries and more with our reading comprehension graphic organizers!

Concept Maps and Idea Webs

These concept maps and idea webs will help students organize their thoughts, whether they are history, science, or language arts related.

Math Graphic Organizers

Help your students enhance their math skills and stay on track with these homework checklists, KWL charts, column charts and more.

Galleries

These galleries provide you the best graphic organizers for every occasion. Whether it be writing, science, literature, or animal related, we have a slideshow for it all!

Customizable Graphic Organizers

Use our customizable graphic organizers to tailor each one to the specific lesson of the day.

KWL Charts

Help students organize what they know, what they want to know, and what they have learned with these KWL charts relating to all subjects.

Venn Diagrams

Venn Diagrams are a great way for students to compare and contrast two (or three) concepts. Use our venn diagrams to accompany your lesson for any subject.

Cause and Effect

Each effect has a cause. Help students identify the two in their readings, writing, and more with our cause and effect printable worksheets.

Main Idea and Supporting Details

It is important for students to distinguish main ideas and supporting details in order to comprehend their readings. We have provided printable graphic organizers, such as a stair step organizer, to help students organize the main idea from the supporting details.

Choice Boards

Choice Boards are similar to graphic organizers because they can be downloaded, printed, and given to students. What sets Choice Boards apart is that they provide students with the opportunity for choice. Rather than a graphic organizer that has one assignment, a choice board provides multiple ways that students can explore a topic or skill and demonstrate their learning. Choice boards also help you differentiate your instruction, as you can support students to make a choice that best aligns with their learning needs and learning preferences. Access our library of choice boards below.

Holiday Choice Boards

Math Choice Boards

English Language Arts Choice Boards

Social Studies Choice Boards

Science Choice Boards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Graphic organizers for teachers grades K-12.