Jennifer Demski’s article on music and technology in the schools seems to put a very negative spin on what music teachers are teaching right now in schools. I think they just haven’t looked in the right places because I have met and looked in on some extremely relevant and successful music classes. Just because they don’t use technology, doesn’t make it wrong.
There are however some teacher that are integrating technology and creating an atmosphere or open communication and trust between teachers and students. Carol Broos, Bill Evans, and Barbara Freedman are such examples in Demski’s article. How Music Teachers Got Their Groove Back: Music Instruction Goes Digital has some great examples of programs implemented to get students to be creative in their own music process. Broos want to, “change music education from a performing art to a creating art.” This could include writing and recording their own music and having a say in what and how they perform their music.
Bill Evans treats the technology and music class as a history class in which they learn the background of both music and technology. In order to learn how music works, you need to know where it came from, how it came to be, and what happened where in order to create different genres and such.
The integration of music and technology gets more creative every day. We find new ways to incorporate different aspects of each with each other and we have a better connection with our students.
Resources for Music instructors
Technology Institute for Music Educators (ti-me.org): A non-profit organization that provides professional development and technology certification to music educators. Members have access to more than 1,000 lesson plans designed to aid in the application of music technology, grant writing advice, an online discussion group, and more.
Music Educators Professional Learning Network (musicpln.org): A free online social networking environment that offers peer support and information on integrating technology into music education.
National Association for Music Education (menc.org): A professional organization that provides support in all areas of music education, including the integration of technology in the music classroom.
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