Technologies in the classroom - Yes!

                I’m a relative newcomer to new technology in music instruction, but even with the little that I’ve been able to incorporate in my classes, I’ve been amazed at the possibilities it has presented.  Most recently I’ve been searching for music that students in a wind sextet that I am coaching can play.  It’s a rather odd combination of instruments: two oboes, horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, and bassoon, and the musicians show a wide range of backgrounds and abilities.  On Youtube I came across a three-voice fugue by Paul Hindemith that a former bassist from Frank Zappa’s band had arranged for an ensemble of three rock guitars, bass, and drums (www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiPp_iFYcLY), and I thought here’s something I can definitely make use of: modern sounding music with a potential to cross a lot of musical boundaries.  It took me two weeks using the original piano score from Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis and the Finale music notation program to come up with a version suitable for my students to play.  I paired the instruments on each of the fugue’s three voices so that stronger musicians played together with those that may need support in navigating the music’s new sound, and now we are working to perform it on our spring concert, perhaps alternating with the version for rock band.

            This rather winding story presents a test of sorts that I feel we need to keep in mind when using new technologies: are these technologies promoting connection among the young musicians in our classrooms?   Are they bringing students together in our endeavor to understand, appreciate, and ultimately play music in a group?  I’ve encountered both sides of the coin here:  with the right guidance from teachers I’ve seen students at my school do amazing things with Macbooks in composition classes.  On the other hand I’ve also seen the potential for isolation that technology has among students, and the difficulty some students face in putting aside their phones to come together as a group to learn.   I believe this is our obligation as music educators: it goes without question that new technologies pose great benefits for the classroom, however we must understand them with enough facility (perhaps more facility than our students) so we can utilize them effectively in the classroom.  Technology should not become the goal in itself, it should be used to achieve greater musical understanding among our students.  Otherwise we may find administrators who are all too happy to save on budgets by using technology to replace instructional time with real live teachers.