Vision Mission Statement

Technology as a Train

Technology in music education is undoubtedly linked the technological environment we, as a society, inhabit. Therefore, lets take just a moment to consider how the technological journey we are all on is very much like taking a train ride. The ‘steam powered’ IBM 1500s of the 1960s that required entire university labs to own and operate have gradually given way to the ‘maglev’ iPhones and tablet devices of today that any child can easily operate. As we are carried along down the track the price of our travel costs us time, money, and the mental energy necessary to stay current with what is and what’s just around the bend. As children we effortlessly adapt and ride with ease but as we grow older we worry at the pace of our journey, who’s driving, and that the ultimate destination could be disastrous.

“I mean you no harm!”

The temptation is to abandon our technological journey. To get off the train and search for a ‘better,’ ‘simpler’ time when things just worked. The problem with this notion is that the train can and will leave without us. Those left behind seldom ride again and are easily spotted by those still on their journey.

Why is my remote ringing?

Technology in Education.

Despite the way technology works in society the inherent analytical nature of education gives us pause and examine the journey we’ve travelled and the principles that guide us while tempering our fear of being left behind. After all, just because we aren’t at the front of the train doesn’t mean we cannot be useful or effective as educators. In fact, Roblyer outlines some surprisingly practical principles gleaned from four eras of technology in the classroom. These principles include:

• No technology is a panacea for education
• Teachers do not develop technology materials or curriculum
• Technologies change faster than teachers can keep up
• technically possible does not equal desirable, feasible, or inevitable
• Older technologies can be useful
• Teachers always will be more important than technology (Roblyer p9)

The website edutopia echoes these sentiments, helpfully pointing out that technology in the class room should be “routine and transparent, accessible and readily available for the task at hand, and [supportive of] curricular goals [while] help students to achieve their goals.”

Clearly, despite all of our hardware and software advancements the fundamentals of what technology could and should do for the learning environment has remained the same.

“To provide these fish and this child with a teachable moment.”

Technology in Music and Learning Theory Support

Music is a subject that many believe to be insulated from the technological train. After all, some musical styles require strict adherence to tradition and music as an educational subject has been a part of learning environments since antiquity. Despite its long and storied past, music has always taken advantage of technology and the latest teaching methods in order to address challenges unique to its practice. Note reading is hundreds of years old and is a constant struggle for students that’s been made easier through explanatory videos on Youtube and interactive websites like Musictheory.net. Collaboration amongst musicians is facilitated by Skype and FaceTime, while the exchange of musical examples and sheet music is made easy through Google Drive. Even the odious task of chord analysis has been streamlined by sites like Hooktheory.

Yet, for all our innovations, the core of what good tech supported music instruction is driven by solid learning theory.

Music as a subject lends itself to an inquiry-based approach supported by a foundation in direct instruction. Music teachers need to help students grasp the necessary tools (such as note reading or playing technique) before they can elaborate and explore on their own. In this way the music education environment begins with what Bloom and Skinner referred to as Mastery Learning (Roblyer p425). However, since music is an art that must be practiced and explored it lends itself to the type of hands on experience and student driven inquiry advocated by people like John Dewy.

For example, a student who spends time drilling the basics behind note reading and writing on musictheory.net can use that knowledge to explore and construct their own simple melodies.

While learning about the differences between objectivists and constructivists its no surprise that music found a way to bridge these two theories. As the technological train moves forward we may very well see this synthesis play out in other subjects as tech innovations make the application of abstract concepts more manageable. Inevitably, the tech train our society is on will continue along and we educators need to stay on track.

“KEEP RIDING”