Are you looking for an app to both assess students and communicate with parents? Seesaw is one of my favorite apps.

I heard about Seesaw a couple years ago and had it installed on my iPads, but it wasn’t until this past spring that I was finally able to check it out. Seesaw is known for being a great advocacy tool because parents can see what’s going on in the music room.

Whether you post a snapshot of a student’s completed worksheet, a video of him/her singing, or a video of the entire class performing, it can be a fabulous way to communicate with parents.

Last year, as I was sitting in a technology workshop, I had the realization that I can assess students through the app, too. I tried this out last year and will detail below how I did it. Please note that I have not yet connected parents to the app, but instead used it for my own assessment purposes.

I decided to try out composition with my second-graders last year. Although they had learned tika-tika, or sixteenth notes, at this point, I wanted to assess how well they could compose only with ta, ti-ti, and rest (quarter note, eighth notes, and quarter rest); and how well they could read their composition to a steady beat.

First, I inputted all the students’ names into the Seesaw app. I realized after I did this that Seesaw has a limit to how many classes you have before you pay, so keep that in mind. (You might input all of the students from one grade level into one class.) If you can copy their names from an Excel spreadsheet or csv file, it will make things go much quicker!

After you do this, each class will have their own unique QR code. I printed these out so students could easily scan.

To compose, students opened up Seesaw, then scanned their class QR code. Then, they clicked on new project, then clicked “camera roll.” Then, they opened up the composition worksheet I had put on the iPads.

Then, students chose the pencil tool and wrote a 16-beat rhythm with their finger! I asked that they had variety in their composition…so not all rests!

Once they are satisfied with their composition, they clicked “record,” and read their composition. You could also have them play on a non-pitched percussion instrument! After this, they clicked the green checkmark.

After they had listened to their composition and were happy with what they’d done, they chose their name from the list and submitted it to me (they each have their own cute animal icon).

After they submitted it, I was able to sit and watch each video. As I watched, I assessed whether they had variety in their composition, whether they wrote the rhythms correctly, and if they could read the rhythm correctly to a steady beat.

It was fun to hear what they had composed and how well they could read, and they loved it! Please note that if you do this with students working independently at their own iPads and/or during centers, there will be a little bit of noise in the background as they perform, but I was still able to hear all of the compositions.

Seesaw could also be used to have students test for belts, sing solos, and more…the possibilities really are endless! Happy teaching!