Technology Ideas for General Music

Technology Ideas for Music Teachers

by Kim Walls

Digital technology in the general music classroom can help involve students in performing, creating, and analyzing music. There are two major reasons to use technology in teaching music:

Some students will be more motivated to learn when technology is used appropriately and
There are some learning experiences in music that are much more feasible when technology is used.

There are also some pragmatic reasons for using technology in general music classrooms:

State and national standards require that students use technology in all subject areas and
Teachers are evaluated concerning their use of technology.

So...what are some ways to start using technology in the music classroom?

Using the Internet to support instruction
Using MIDI and audio files to accompany singing, playing, and movement
Using multimedia to guide analysis
Using software for instruction
Using sequencers and notation programs for creativity

The Internet

The Internet is a great tool for finding information about music. You may use your browser (a program like Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator) to find Web pages about music, lesson plans, and media such as audio clips, MIDI files, photos and graphics, and software to support the other categories of technology below. If you find a Web page or some media on the Internet that you want to display or view later, you can save its location (URL or address) as a "bookmark" or "favorite" in the browser. You can save a whole list of bookmarks on a topic, then copy that list to another computer that is connected to the Internet so your students can explore the sites you have marked. You can download (save) royalty free media from the Web to your computer's hard disk to show in class or use in a handout or to put in your own Web page. If your school allows you to post Web pages, you can place any of this information on the school Web site for your students to use in a lab or at home. Students can make their own multimedia reports using a Web page editing program.

MIDI and Audio Files

The simplest way to use MIDI is to play MIDI files for your students to sing, play, move or listen. You can play MIDI files from the Web while your computer is "on-line" or you may save (download) MIDI files to a disk from the Web ahead of time and play them on your computer. You may also purchase MIDI files, for example, with an elementary music textbook series or a piano book series. Current computers have software that you need to play, pause, and stop MIDI files.

You may also find audio files (typically MP3 or Real format these days) to play for your class. The majority of these files are NOT free. However, there are free audio files that you can use in class. Usually the computer that is playing the files must be connected to the Internet.

Music files can be played through speakers for the entire class or through headphones for individual or small group use.

Multimedia

Slide show software such as Power Point can be used to create multimedia listening guides. You or your students can create slides to accentuate various elements of music heard in a recording. The slide show may be manually advanced to test students' perception and understanding or it may be programmed to advance automatically in synchrony with the musical recording. Synchronizing the show with an audio CD does not break copyright law. However, it is doubtful that displaying it to an audience outside of the classroom synchronized with the CD would be within Fair Use Guidelines. The slide show COULD legally be presented to an audience as children perform the music as long as the slides don't contain copyrighted images. A neat idea is to scan in or take digital photos of children's art work to project as they perform.

The slide shows can be used for class activities if you have speakers and a way to enlarge the screen. You may also send students to a computer individually to view the show and assess their perception. Students can go individually or in pairs to decorate one slide that will be used in a class slide show. You can also use children's compositions (MIDI or audio files) as the musical recording.

Software

Computer software for music learning may be in the form of multimedia CD-ROMs that are installed on a computer, networkable software, downloaded (from the Web) software, or programs that are on the Web (free). This software is generally either instruction and drill in notation and aural skills, music creativity software, or music perception games. There are also Web sites that offer learning software through the Internet and charge a hefty yearly subscription. :-(

Software can be used with large groups if you have speakers and a way to display the screen. Individuals or pairs of students can use software with headphones. Some software will keep records about how each student is progressing. Often, music software is not networkable because the programs allow students to record audio or MIDI.

Sequencing/Notation

If you have sequencing and/or notation software, it is easy to change MIDI files. For example, you can slow or speed up the tempo while the music plays, transpose the song or a part, change the instruments assigned to parts (tracks), mute or solo parts, and change the dynamic "mix." In this way, you or your students can manipulate elements of music to experience examples and non-examples to build musical concepts.

If you have a MIDI instrument such as an electronic keyboard, live performances can be recorded into MIDI tracks and then be changed around. This makes it easy for students to be musically creative. It also makes it easy to create your own accompaniment tracks.

Students may view MIDI information in standard or alternate music notation. They may also enter notation into the computer and hear what they have entered. In this way, students can connect notation to sound.

Auto-accompaniment programs such as Band-in-a-Box are great for creating accompaniment tracks. You simply type in the chord symbols for a melody and select a style to hear a professional sounding accompaniment. You may also have Band-in-a-Box develop with a chord progression as a basis to create your own melody.

Digital audio tracks may also be recorded with sequencing programs. So, you can record your students singing or playing classroom instruments. This is a great way to assess and document singing and performance for a portfolio.

Finally, you can save these music files on audio CD or post them to the Web. Make sure that you don't violate copyright associated with songs, lyrics, or recordings.

Resources for Music Teachers

There are several resources I have provided for music teachers who may wish to learn more about how to use digital technology in their music classes. Some materials are self-explanatory, others are more useful when used in workshops that I teach. The materials include the following:

Band-in-a-Box (Windows)

Band-n-a-Box (Macintosh)

Getting Started with Cakewalk Express

MIDI Connection Songs and Concepts

MIDI Review

Getting Started with Master Tracks Pro

Getting Started with Metro SE

Getting Started with MIDIGraphy

PrintMusic Tutorials

Rock Rap 'n Roll (School Version)

Technology Skills for Elementary Music Students

Getting Started with Roland Visual MT