Technology in Education

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deal of advancements in music that have helped classical, jazz music and musicians become so successful. “The word “technology” itself comes from Greek roots that relate to art/skill and discourse/communication. From the medieval days of the famous music teacher Guido of Arezzo, who used his hand to teach music intervals and modes, to the present day when a teacher may use an internet site with Flash technology to reinforce the very same thing.” (Webster, 2002 ) We have always celebrated the use of applied science to improve student understanding. That is why people who are agains't new technologies in music education are confused, because as educators, we should have an open mind to any and all possibilities that may help improve our students enjoyment and understanding.

Instruments have also been changing for hundreds of years as well, because of new advancements in technologies. The piano, is the instrument of choice for every composer starting from Johan Sebastien Bach to Hans Zimmer. The piano has had one of the largest impacts on music history. Most composers chose to write and play on the piano because of it's immense range and because of it's ability to be played with two hands which helped with writing multiple voice melodies all at once. However, the Piano only came to be through advancement in technologies relating to large scale production, engeneering advancements relating to the hammers hitting the string instead of plucking, that Bortolomeo Cristofori was able to reinvent the harpsichord to the pianoforte. (Neonanto, 2014) Still to this day, many great composers use the piano as their instrument of choice and it has been the centrepiece of most orchestras and jazz bands ever since.

Developments in music technology owe much to not only musicians, but to physicists and engineers who were inspired by music. (Webster, 2002) Their achievements have been mostly associated with the hardware related aspects of music. Such as the player piano, music boxes and calliopes. Another amazing technological advancement was the invention of the vacuum tube, invented by Thomas Edison, the vacuum tube was an electromagnetic relay device that led to some of the

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earliest computers The vacuum tube oscillator led to the invention of the amplifiers, new phonographs, tape recorders, jukeboxes and electric guitars. (Webster, 2002) These electronic machines have been the foundation of our music in society for decades. The ability to capture sound and replay it has inspired millions of people to want to listen or play music and electric guitar had it's hand in the creation of Rock and Roll music, which still to this day is one of the most popular music genres and has inspired millions of people to want to play the guitar or learn music. There has always been technology and advancements in music, it has helped inspire, create all the music that we love today, we just have to find a way to take these same principals and apply them to our new technologies, so that we can learn how to teach and better our students.

Integrating Technology in an Existing Classroom

Technology is increasingly improving the effects of education with students and will hopefully continue to further the progressing of knowledge for the children of the future. Technology has also made it easier for anyone to make music, not to just perform or listen to but create new pieces of music: to conceive new ideas and realize them in polished performances, recordings and scores. (Hein, In Press) One of the difficulties associated with technology is trying to find the most “effective” ways to integrate technology into educational learning. Technology can be very complicated and difficult at times, especially when one lacks the proper knowledge. Firstly, It is necessary to find which technologies are most important and influential in students lives. Yet, despite the efforts of these individuals and technology’s prominence in educational discussions, researchers have found that, in general, music educators don’t extensively utilize technology directly with students to facilitate learning outcomes. (Bauer, 2014) Too frequently, computers in music classrooms are used as a more expensive platform for the same curriculum materials that were formerly delivered on paper and the blackboard. (Hein, In Press) “Teachers should instead find ways to leverage technology in support of

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active, social music making—doing music, rather than simply learning about music.” (Ruthman, 2010)

So where can technology be used in a classroom setting? On a smaller scale, according to Roblyer (2006), the most commonly integrated music technology programs are programs for composition and production, support for performance, self-paced learning, drill and practice, teaching music history, and interdisciplinary strategies. Examples of composition technologies would be Finale, and Musescore. MacGamut for ear training and theory drill and practice, Practica-Musica for self-supported learning, Classic Motown timeline for music history, and Math & Music for interdisciplinary strategies. (Roblyer, 2006) These programs are all designed specifically to help students learn in an interactive, unique manner. These programs are also designed to be able to aide students of many different levels. For example, MacGamut ear training and theory drill practice, has and is currently being used to aide students at a University level. Where as, Musescore, a compositional tool is available and can be used by any student with a small understand of notation. These tools are great because they demonstrate both sides of education. MacGamut, is an ear training piece that contains lots of restrictions. You train your ear to identify correct pitches and rhythms. The restrictions are great because in a learning situation like this, there aren't answers that could interpreted differently. So it teaches you to follow and learn by instruction where as, Musescore is a compositional tool that can be used in anyway the composer wishes. This helps students develop their creativity and to apply previous knowledge.

Technology can also be helpful in a rehearsal setting. Many conductors of music ensembles are turning to recording their shows and practices, so that they can return to listen to them after to learn from any mistakes being made and can also asses the quality of their sound.

There have been studies done, that show an increase in achievement with students who use technology in a learning environment. However