According to Bauer, that various software such as word processing applications or slide show presentations can be reconfigured into a helpful way for students to acquire and enhance new musical skills (2014). Most teachers have access to Microsoft programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. While these applications are very useful, Google offers some great programs such as Google Docs, Drive, Slides, Sheets and Photos. To access these programs for free, teachers can sign up for an email and get started. Google applications are web-based, so this means it can be accessed anywhere there is Internet. It also gives you the option to download copies of work to a person’s desktop for offline as a Microsoft program.
Being a visual learner, most of my elementary music lessons include a slide show presentation. I believe explaining a concept can be very effective with a visual representation in order for a student to confirm their interpretation. Also, Google Slides provides a gigantic selection of free fonts that really make a difference when putting a slide show together. The use of graphics and fonts can help to brighten the most mundane of concepts and motivate with interesting pictures or colorful backgrounds. There are numerous free domain clip art available online. One example in particular is Phillip Martin Clip Art. There are hundreds of free clipart some of which include most of the instruments of the orchestra but also, composers like Mozart and Beethoven. TeacherspayTeachers also has a large variety (free and cheap) of backgrounds, frames and clip art.
Another effective tool for music teachers using technology includes video resources. Some teachers have issues with this strategy because it may seem lazy, however, sites like YouTube that can show live performances of Leonard Bernstein conducting/playing Rhapsody in Blue seems very essential to the musical learning process. I do not agree with it consuming the entirety of every lesson but it can really help to support a new concept. Students can experience music in new, exciting and relatable ways. For example, the YouTube channel, Player Piano, where Sonya Belousova arranges popular movie music on piano. Some of my favorites include Star Wars, Doctor Who and Super Mario Brothers. She also does a segment where she listens to a piece once and arranges/plays it “on the spot.” Videos like this can also be used as a motivational incentive. An effective strategy that I have used takes place at the end of a lesson and if everything is accomplished plus no disruptions, then the class can earn a reward video. GoNoodle.com is a very useful tool for incentives. It provides various channels of awesome guided dancing, sing-alongs and YouTube (you can upload your own videos as well). Each class chooses a monster that evolves every so many videos you watch. It helps motivate students to participate in the lesson in order to earn their reward and watch their monster grow! Classroom teachers at my school use it as well; it is great for brain breaks. To sign up for the website, you just have to provide an email and password.
After reflecting on this passage, I can conclude that technology definitely plays a large role in my classroom. I can see the benefits of it first hand when my students’ motivation to experience more of the music world and what it has to offer. Also, it can supplement a lesson with visual and audible demonstrations. It may seem intimidating for some music teachers; however, it does not have to be. Music Technology can be compared to a performance; sometimes we get lost but when we find our place, we can start on our way again. Once you find a starting point, that can be as simple as creating a word document or watching a YouTube clip, then the creativity and exploration of new technology can begin.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). A conceptual framework for technology - Assisted music learning. In Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music (pp. 16-17). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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