Alternative Ways of Music Making

In one of my other classes, I learned about some valuable technologies for non-traditional music making. Two of them, AUMI (Adaptive Use Musical Instruments) and Skoog, were developed to give children with disabilities a way to make music as well. The technology that I saw on these different websites was incredibly encouraging to me. As a teacher, one of the most important things to me is that my students enjoy music making. Many teachers push their students towards memorizing pieces and entering competitions, learning notes and theory, but for me, that isn’t what I feel the priority should necessarily be. Because I’ve had many students who are taking lessons only because their parents are making them, I want to help them grow to enjoy the experience, even if it wasn’t their choice initially. Even though that is a different scenario than what some of these technologies were developed for, my philosophy of music making is still the same. It should be accessible to everyone, not restricted to traditional instruments and music notation. I believe those are important, but if they are restricting or excluding someone from the experience of making music, then I believe alternative ways should be explored.

The Skoog is a box that can be plugged in a USB port. It is soft and squeezable, and students can use any part of their body to touch, twist, push, or tap the Skoog to create music through the software in the computer that it is hooked up to. Because it is so versatile, it accommodates students with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities, allowing them to create and respond to music through their own individual movements. The AUMI software is an interface that also allows music to be produced through movements and gestures. One of the descriptions on the AUMI website that I really appreciated said, “This is an entry to improvisation rather than ‘hitting the right notes’ or playing set pieces of music. Instead, the software uses music as a way for participants to express a range of affects, both by themselves and in response to, or in conversation with, others.” I think improvisation and expression can unfortunately sometimes get overlooked in traditional musical instruction, but these are integral to music making. Especially for those without formal music training or with disabilities that make playing traditional instruments difficult, these different music technologies make it possible for them to still express and experience some of the important elements of music, such as communication and expression. I would look for ways to implement these technologies in a classroom, whether it be to assist students with disabilities or to just help students experience music in a non-traditional way and engage them in exploring new ways to improvise and express themselves through music and technology.

Skoog: http://www.skoogmusic.com/

AUMI: http://deeplistening.org/site/adaptiveuse

Technology & Pedagogy

I chose the lesson plan “Mending Walls: Barriers in Communications” because I thought it started out by making a great connection between a song by Pink Floyd, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” and their movie “The Wall.” I think this is a good example of incorporating two different forms of media, music and film, into a lesson. The main teaching strategy used is group discussion. I think this would be effective for the main goals of the lesson, because much of the unit is centered around discovering meaning, making interpretations, and comparing ideas. However, I think that there should be included some aspect of a lecture or presentation on the part of the teacher, because each student is coming from a different understanding of the background of the song and the film, or may have no previous knowledge of either. Setting up some sort of common ground of a basic explanation of the song and the film may be helpful before embarking on the group discussions. The technologies required would be the CD or mp3 recording of the music, a CD player or mp3 player and speakers, the DVD or recording of the film, and a movie projector to play the film. I think that these technologies support the goals of the lesson well. On their own, the technologies do not carry as much pedagogical significance, as they may be viewed as technologies for every day use, but used in this way they become an important supplement to the instructional goals. Rather than just reading lyrics or discussing a movie, students are able to actually hear the song and watch the film. Part of the unit involved reading Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall,” so I think that making the distinction between only reading and reading lyrics while listening to a song provides variety in the instruction. Overall, I believe that the goal of discussing the concept of barriers would be effectively achieved through group discussion centered around listening to songs, reading and watching film.

Link to spreadsheet

Balancing the Use of a Smartboard

For the past few weeks, I have been observing and helping to teach in a music classroom in an elementary school. The teacher that I am observing and working with does a great job of integrating technology into her classroom. The primary technology that she uses is the Smartboard. What I like about the way that she incorporates the Smartboard into her lessons is that she does it in a way that complements rather than takes over the lesson. Instead of having the Smartboard and all of its features and innovations distract or overshadow the goals of the lesson, the teacher uses it as just another tool to help her accomplish those goals. For instance, she sometimes uses it to simply display a picture that has to do with the song the students are learning, so that they have a visual aid in the background to look at. Other times, she uses it in place of a whiteboard, to record student responses or write new words on it. When the occasion is appropriate, the teacher uses the Smartboard to show slides or play music.

Because this teacher only has each class for 40 minutes once a week, she has many things that she needs to accomplish in a small window of time. What I think is particularly effective about this balanced approach in using the Smartboard is the fact that because it is simply a supplement to the lesson, the transitions between the use of the technology and the other classroom activities are seamless. She has everything already set up before classes begin, so that she can maneuver quickly around the different tabs on the Smartboard without wasting time. She also knows exactly how to use it, so that even if it goes to sleep or shuts down during another part of the lesson where it isn’t being used, she can get it started up again while still talking and remaining in control of the class.

What I really appreciated about this teacher's use of technology in this classroom is that she enables the students to participate a little bit in using the Smartboard. I think that this is important because it gives the students a chance to experience this technology that they may someday be using, and it is something that is exciting and a privilege for them. For one of the attendance exercises that she does, the teacher chooses a student to keep a tally on the Smartboard of who sings back correctly to her when she does roll call. The student gets to stand in the front of the class at the Smartboard with the stylus, and the teacher lets the student choose from the color palate in the program which color they would like to write with. I thought that this was a creative way to involve students in using technology and also in the activities, giving them the opportunity to have a fun leadership role. Overall, I found this teacher’s use of the Smartboard to be a great example of a balanced and effective approach to using technology in the music classroom.

Using Technology in the Music Classroom

As educators, I think that it is important to recognize that nearly all of your students probably use technology in most of their daily life. Because of this, teachers should strive to find ways to incorporate technology in the classroom as a way of meeting students where they are and finding ways to relate to them. One of the ways students use technology is as a main source of communication. One way to capitalize on this is by choosing to use some form of technology to remind students of assignments or to supplement class materials. This can help you greatly in communicating with students outside the classroom and in keeping them in touch with what they are studying.

Another way to use technology specifically in the music classroom is in composition. When I was in high school, I did a lot of work using GarageBand, as well as doing some studio work on my own using a Yamaha MO8 Keyboard/Workstation. I used GarageBand and Finale to notate my music, and the MO8 to either make recordings of music I had already studied or to work on compositions for specific instruments or projects. I have observed several music classrooms where they used either GarageBand or Mixcraft as part of a lesson, and taught students how to use these programs to create their own pieces. I think this is a great way to encourage students to use technology in their music making. It is great to see students playing around on their instrument either on their own or with others, but with technology students can also learn how to record the songs they make or notate them so that they are preserved.

Teachers can also use music technologies to encourage students to experiment with different sounds and ideas without the restrictions of Western notation and the previous knowledge it requires. In the traditional Western form of music, the emphasis is on notation and composing for a specific instrument. But with some of the new technology that is out there, such as touch pads or keyboards that light up and use other visual cues other than music notation, music can be more accessible for all students, not just those well-versed in notation and theory.

History of Technology in Music Education

The radio made music accessible in every day life, with the power to educate and introduce people to new and varied music.