composition & improvisation
Technology is Here to Stay Maud Hickey, WMEA State Chair, Composition & Improvisation
While subbing in a middle school study period the other day, I had a few girls ask me if they could play around on the gigantic touch-screen smart board at the front of the room. While
I didn’t really have a clue how it worked, I replied, “Sure, if you know how! Maybe you can teach me.” After turning on the board, the four girls, quickly and with ease began drawing some colorful freehand pic- tures (flowers, animals, etc.), giggling with delight as they drew and erased and drew and erased. Then I saw they would import (not sure how) cartoonish images and real photos. They would copy over them with their whiteboard markers, and then delete the image to reveal their sketch. From that they colored in and enhanced, etc. This was fun and creative for the students to do and kept them busy for almost the entire period.
It dawned on me that we have these equiva- lent possibilities in music technology. There are wonderful (and free) software tools out there for students to access on their Chromebooks (such as web based MuseScore, Noteflight,
Flat.io, Soundtrap, BandLab) or iPads (such as GarageBand
and the other web based tools). And now of course, these are all accessible via the ubiquitous large smart boards in almost all classrooms.
I’m writing this column on the benefits of music technology for teachers who are ei- ther unsure it’s a good thing, or don’t know how they would use it in their educational setting. I’ve heard the following reasons for not using it: it’s too easy; it’s instant gratification like all the other tech products they have; and, students should write notes on staff paper first and foremost, as “real musicians” do. I’d like to offer some ideas here as to WHY music technology should be embraced and used as often and as soon as possible in all of our music teaching.
Perhaps the most obvious reason to em- brace technology in all its facets is “because it is here.” Technology has taken over the lives of our students’ generation and it is not going away – perhaps this came about faster than expected because of the COVID pandemic when everybody was forced to use technology to communicate. Students know how to use it, and, post-pandemic, most schools are equipped now with the big smart boards I referenced in the first paragraph.
As to the “instant gratification” worry, I Learn about the New
National Association for Music Education Strategic Plan
Learn about the New
National Association for Music Education Strategic Plan
MISSION
NAfME is a collaborative community that supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to music education.
MISSION
NAfME is a collaborative community that supports music educators and advocates for equitable access to music education.
VISION VISION
NAfME is an association where all people are heard, seen, and feel they belong throughout their lifelong experiences in music.
Read the full Strategic Plan at
bit.ly/StrategicPlanNAfME 18 Read the full Strategic Plan at
bit.ly/StrategicPlanNAfME April 2024
NAfME is an association where all people are heard, seen, and feel they belong throughout their lifelong experiences in music.
say, YES, this can actually be good! Now, for the first time since before technology, when a student outs notation on a staff they can actually HEAR it! They get immedi- ate feedback as to what notes and rhythms sound like when they see them visually. And YES, the software will not allow a student to put six beats in a four-beat measure! These possibilities offer valuable immediate feedback (instant gratification) to connect sound to symbol. The ability to actually hear in real time what one is writing provides great assistance to young composers. This instant aural feedback con- nects eyes to ears in a way that was simply not possible before this software (unless one was a skilled piano player).
Technology also provides a space in our schools for the creative “non-traditional” musicians (by non-traditional I mean those not trained in a Western European classical instrument or tradition). Music production/ beat making software like GarageBand (free on Mac OS) Soundtrap, Hyperscore and Bandlab (all free and web based) provide easels for students to create their own beats and hip hop style music. They also provide a window for engagement and learning for more students in our schools.
I was subbing for a middle school fifth grade recorder class in which the teacher
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 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62
