Using Computer Technology in Elementary
Music Classes
by Cindy Brown
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but a few years back the administrators in my
district decided that every single teacher should have a technology goal. They didn’t really care what
it was, just something to do with technology. Then, a few years later, they thought that perhaps the
technology goal should have something to do with getting kids more involved with using technology.
And so once again, every teacher had to have a technology goal – but this time, the goal had to in-
volve getting students some hands-on time at computers.
I got worried. How could I possibly use computers to teach music in any of the elementary
grades? And thus began my search for appropriate uses of computer technology to enrich the music
curriculum. I didn’t want to just use technology for technology’s sake, I wanted it to enhance what
was already happening in the classroom. I wanted the technology to be a better way to teach some-
thing I already taught.
I found a lot of great ideas for older students, and began to worry that I’d have real trouble
adapting things for my younger kids. I decided to try something concrete first – notation software. At
the time, Finale Notepad was a free download, so I had it installed on all the computers in our lab.
Then I adapted the lesson plans I already had for fourth grade composition, and took the fourth grad-
ers into the lab once a week for three weeks.
The kids loved it! They could write music and hear what they had written. They could add lyr-
ics. They could write more complex music than if they were using paper and pencil. When we printed
out their music, it looked like “real” music. They
were constantly pulling their friends over to listen
to some new musical idea.
Unfortunately, Finale Notepad is no longer a free
download. However, it is a cheap download – the
website is www.finalemusic.com/notepad/. It’s a
great way to let the creative energy of your stu-
dents take a new and exciting direction.
After my successful venture into notation software,
I began to look for websites that would enhance my
unit on orchestral instruments. There are loads of
places to go for this topic, but two of the best I’ve
found are http://www.sfskids.org and www.nyphilkids.org. These sites have lots of interactive games
which help kids in grades 3-6 learn more about musical instruments.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40