Alexandra Finnie

Emerging Practices in Music Education

Professor: Dr. Cremata

This class introduced me to many new ideas and concepts related to music

education and technology. One of my main objectives for taking this class was to

become aware of some of the many technology tools that are helpful in teaching music.

Through this class, I learned about several websites, apps, programs, and instruments

that can be used as beneficial teaching tools in music education settings. A few

examples of the various types of technology tools that we explored include: MusicFirst,

Riffstation, MadPad, Noteflight, Makey Makey, Soundation, and Hook Theory. Our class

readings and discussions helped me learn some of the ways these (and other)

technology resources can be used to support learning. I have always considered

technology as an important teaching tool, but I did not know many practical applications

for using technology in the classroom before taking this class. This class allowed me to

build upon my previous knowledge of technology resources (Piaget), to learn how to

use some types of technology tools, to experiment with various technology resources

(Bruner), and to realize some of the many benefits of incorporating music technology

into a classroom setting.

One of my biggest takeaways from this class is the idea that including technology

in learning activities can help increase student motivation because it helps them relate

music to their lives (Comenius). Many students are accustomed to using different forms

of technology on a daily basis. Including it in music classes can peak their interest, help

them connect to their day-to-day lives, and can help their learning process be engaging

and flow organically (Csikszentmihalyi). Additionally, I learned that many technology

programs can be used for students with different skill levels, so these programs can be

implemented to help differentiate instruction (Da Feltre, Erasmus). Finally, I discovered

that there are many ways to include technology within project-based learning situations

(constructivism) that can help establish student-centered and student-directed

experiences (humanism). Realizing this correlation between technology usage and

increased motivation, I decided that I wanted to include some of the technology tools

that we discussed in this class in my own teaching, so I created assignments such as

Friday Faves journals for my guitar students.

Another main idea that was reinforced through our class readings and

discussions is the importance of including a variety of different types of assessments

and learning activities. Instead of being stuck in the tradition of all assessments being in

the form of paper and pencil tests, it is beneficial to include a variety of assessment

methods to best meet the needs of different types of learners (Gardner). My belief that

students should be assessed in many different ways was reinforced through our class

discussions and readings. These discussions and readings helped me learn some

practical ways to integrate technology into assessment in order to help vary the types of

assessment given such as electronic portfolios, recordings, and SmartMusic

evaluations.

One of the most important and memorable points of our class discussions is that

the underlying purpose of including technology should be to help meet educational

objectives. Technology should not be included in lesson plans simply for the sake of

including technology, and similar to the Curwen hand signs, it should be a tool for

learning, but shouldnt be the only method of learning. Instead, there should be a
specific purpose for its inclusion so that it can be used as a learning tool. This class

helped me understand some of the many benefits of incorporating technology in the

classroom, and it has inspired me to explore various technology resources to include in

my own teaching, such as littlekidsrock.org, play.riffstation.com, Google Classroom,

recording assessments, and others.