Running Head: TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC EDUCATION 1

Annotated Bibliography: Applying Technology in Music Education

Doug Smith

ETEC 532

Running Head: TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC EDUCATION 2

Wise, S., Greenwood, J., & Davis, N. (2011). Teachers’ use of digital technology in secondary music education: Illustrations of changing classrooms. British Journal of Music Education, 28(02), 117–134. doi:10.1017/S0265051711000039

This qualitative study looks at how music technology is integrated into secondary school music programs in New Zealand, and how the teachers perceive that technology enhances their programs. The study covers low, middle and high social economic standing demographics and does a good job of presenting differing views from schools with different music focuses. The technologies used were mostly computer based with notation software and loop creation software, where some teachers saw distinct benefits in not only using the technology but also changing their pedagogical practice, while other teachers viewed the technology as teaching enhancers. Student input was not used in the study.

Ho, W. (2004). Use of information technology and music learning in the search for quality education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(1), 57–67. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2004.00368.x

This study attempts to determine the effect that information technology has in music education by looking at three factors: effectiveness compared to traditional music pedagogy; whether or not teaching practices are improved; and if students’ interest in learning music is increased. The study was done in Hong Kong with 30 teachers and 543 of their students in grades 2 to 12. There was an even distribution of positive and negative feedback from teachers as to the effects of IT in their music programs, but a large majority of students saw IT as a way to increase their interest. The authors propose that with more professional development and a more holistic approach, IT in music education can be even more effective. This follows a common theme brought up in discussions around professional development.

Running Head: TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC EDUCATION 3

Bauer, W., Reese, S., & McAllister, P. (2003). Transforming music teaching via technology: the role of professional development. Journal of Research in Music Education, 51(4), 289–301.

Bauer et al. looked at what effects training had on teachers, in terms of their knowledge, comfort, and frequency of use of music technology in their teaching. The study contained 203 participants from the USA, using a Likert-type questionnaire as the measurement instrument for a pretest/posttest before and after completing a 1 week summer music technology workshop, along with a 10 month follow-up. All three indicators of effectiveness were improved with professional development, although there was a significant drop between posttest and the follow-up. Unfortunately, only 63 of the 203 participants completed the entire study. The study suggests that on-going professional development is needed to fully take advantage of workshops and training.

Smith, K. H. (2011). Using “Audacity” and one classroom computer to experiment with timbre. General Music Today, 24(3), 23–27.

In this peer-reviewed paper, Smith investigates how free computer software can be used to analyze and create music using technology. Smith presents three different lesson plans on using the software Audacity for learning about timbre, analyzing timbre, and then using creation tools in order to create new timbres. These investigations are significant in that they offer a new way to learn about music using technology, and are examples of how music teachers can use computers creatively. The paper does not report any results from using these lessons in the classroom so it is not clear how effective they are. However, the paper is interesting in its exploration of new boundaries in music education.

Savage, J. (2007). Reconstructing music education through ict. Research in Education - Manchester, 78(1), 65–77.

This main purpose of this study was to document how new technologies are being used in education. The author looked at how students use technology and if a teacher’s pedagogy had changed with the introduction of technology. 18 schools in England were involved in the study, all of which were known to have competent music departments. The study used an initial questionnaire followed by interviews with select teachers. While the teachers saw many benefits with technology, they also identified problems with implementation. Furthermore, teachers indicated that traditional music skills suffered at the expense of newer ones. The study also showed that music technology in education was not keeping pace with practices outside of the classroom. This article gives some good insight, although much of the detail is specific to learning objectives in England, and the types of technology used are very varied.

Running Head: TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC EDUCATION 4

Chan, L. M. Y., Jones, A. C., Scanlon, E., & Joiner, R. (2006). The use of ict to support the development of practical music skill through acquiring keyboard skills: a classroom study. Computers & Education, 46(4), 391–406.

Chan et al.’s study looked at the specific case of using technology to improve students’ keyboard skills. 36 students 13 to 14 years old participated in the pretest/posttest study, using the software Teach Me Piano Deluxe (TMP) over a period of 10 sessions. Testing looked at note naming, playing by ear, identifying notes on the keyboard, rhythm and performance. A delayed post-test was also performed along with qualitative results from activity sheets and self-reporting sheets. Using TMP resulted in significant improvement in music skills. Playing by ear was one skill that did not improve as much the others, likely due to the complexity of the task. This study is interesting in that it focuses in depth on a narrow topic in technology and goes into qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Thibeault, M. D. (2010). Hip-hop, digital media, and the changing face of music education. General Music Today, 24(1), 46–49. doi:10.1177/1048371310379097

In his article, Thibeault puts forward the argument that current electronic music genres, such as hip hop, play an important cultural role in both our society and education system. Hip hop is a vital and integral part of everyday experience for many teenagers, including their educational experience. Thibeault hypothesizes that hip hop could be the best way to investigate trends in popular music, and therefore should be the subject of valuable scholarly work. Thibeault presents a convincing argument that naturally leads to the idea that hip hop should be studied by both teachers and students.