Technology in Music Education

Reflection:

Technology integration is really becoming a normal part of life for most Americans. It is being integrated into most everything. We are living in a world where people can find the answers to almost any question simply by pushing a few buttons on a magical box that they carry with them. Education itself has to keep up with the fast paced highly technologically infused world or it will not be able to communicate as well as it needs. We as music educators need to involve technology in as many facets of the musical experience as we can if we are to continue being viable in a world riddled with technology.

One of the ways we can do that is by using learning/teaching software to help drive home the concepts we are teaching. These programs are often much more visually entertaining and stimulating than a piece of music, however, I believe that they should only be used as a resource to aid in comprehension and should never be the only source of presented information.

Another way to integrate technology for further comprehsion and understanding is by recording. In a performing ensemble this could be especailly helpful in many ways. It could be used to allow every member to evaluate the overall sound of the ensemble by listening to whole group recordings. This could also be beneficial to the individual instrumentalists or sections in the group.

The impact that full technology integration could have on music education is potentially confounding, however, we must remember that music reading has remained mostly unchanged for a very long time and the technology should not be doing the thinking for the students. In other words, if one is not careful technology can become a crutch for the learner that they feel like they they have to have to proceed. Where would the art be if music learning became like what happened to book reading with the advancement of the film insustry.