The evolution of technology has brought upon us an illusion that it has no bounds.The possibilities seem endless and our lives as musicians change with each new breakthrough, and it’s no different for the future of education.
Today, machine learning is starting to become that new breakthrough not just in music in general but in music education as well.
Machine learning is a process in which a computer learns over time and manages to create, modify and understand music composition.
This allows for quite a few applications in the area of music education as a way to enrich the traditional methods and teach in new creative ways.
Last year was a big step towards discovering the potential of all these new tools and technologies that can be used for music education in the future.
More than just being a substitute for a normal class, this last year was about exploring new options and different ways to approach music education.
This brought many teachers closer to the idea of experimenting with apps, social networks, A.I. and even VR (Virtual Reality).
The Nature Of Music
Music is a very open ended discipline that involves a lot of influences and different contexts of learning. Which is why it would be a good idea to make the most out of the tools that we have in order to prepare students for the things that they will actually be more exposed to which is of course, outside the classroom and without a pen and paper.
Music Sharing and Social Network
The idea is to keep your students engaged in music and what better way to encourage music composition than using platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube and even Google Classroom.
Sharing music with both classmates and teachers can be a great way to improve their skills as musicians while also making a bond with those that share the same interests.
A.I. and VR
While these are less explored areas in music education, there are some ways these tools can be used properly, and being on the lookout for any more breakthroughs is an important part of keeping the learning experience fresh and exciting.
DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation)
While we know these tools have been around for quite some time, music schools and teachers haven’t made the most of them.
In today’s world, music production is a big part of music in general, this means that performing is not everything.
All that comes after the actual playing is a whole world on its own that deserves attention not only because it matters to the music industry but because it can help your students learn more about how music works.
The Future of Music Teaching Tools
According to William Bauer, UF online Master of Music in Music Education Program Director:
“Making technology available to teachers and students, and helping them understand its functionality, is necessary, but not sufficient. Technology is merely a tool, and a tool is not useful if one does not comprehend the various ways it can be employed to achieve a given outcome in a specific context. If music educators are to effectively integrate technology into teaching, learning and assessment, more is required than an understanding of specific technological tools. As a result, when exploring the use of technology with students, it’s critical that music teachers account for the curricular objectives being targeted, the benefits and limitations of the technology under consideration, the teaching and learning strategies to be used, and the context of a specific music class and school”.
In an interview with StageRight Paul Shimmons shared some interesting experience on the use of technology as a music educator.
When grading students, Paul likes to use Seesaw or Class Dojo because they allow for multimedia presentation such as videos or recordings so that he can easily see and hear performances and refer to them for later reference. It’s also beneficial for students and parents because they can hear it, unlink with a traditional gradebook which can only show a simple number grade. It gives him the ability to share the progress of the student with parents so that they can be connected to the work their child is doing in the classroom every week.
By using this technology, students will also have a digital portfolio that they can refer to so they can see just how much they’ve improved and provide the positive feedback to encourage further development. This is tangible evidence that they’re learning.
The future of music education is as uncertain as the next technological breakthroughs, however as teachers, you need to be prepared by adapting to the most recent tools at your disposal., Iit can be surprising how much good it’ll do once you get to use them properly.