Before the Christmas break, my alternative music class was working on their projects- “covering” their favorite song, learning the tabs (or notation) and preparing a performance for recording. In the past I have always used itunes to download the songs they were working on so that I had a “frame of reference” but even at $.99 it can get a bit pricey ($30 or so for the class). Since I need to have an idea of what the songs they are working on sound like AND I don’t particularly want to add their music to my itunes library (although some of it is pretty good!) I needed to find a site that I could listen without actually downloading (and do it legally!)
Playlist and Lala are social music sites that allow anyone to upload and share music. It’s a great way for you to “get hip” to what your kids are listening to. Not that we get out of touch as we get older 
Try it out by asking your kids to do a journal of what they listen to in a week (journal exercise). Type the titles into Playlist or Lala and you will get a window into their world- and realize why they swing like a rusty gate in jazz band…
Now- direct them to the “Jazz” category in Lala and do some listening assignments!
Posted by obradley48 
