The Television: Our source for entertainment and information in music education!
I had a hard time coming up with a viable option for the most influential technology in music education. To me, music education hasn't necessarily been on the same technological wave length as many other subject areas, simply out of practicality and the nature of a music classroom. Most music classes are not focused on receiving and storing information, but creating and exploring through a musical instrument, ensemble or one's own voice. That being said, I believe that the most influential technology for music education is the television.
Although it is not used very often, the television, in my opinion, is the technology that music teachers us most. Whether they are showing a video of a concert, a musical, an instructional video or recordings of the ensemble's own performance, students are learning about music through this visual medium.
The most obvious reason that a music educator would use a television in the classroom is to show a video of a concert or performance by another, presumably more advanced ensemble. I can remember when I was in elementary school (which is much longer ago than I'd like to admit), we would often watch performances by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra during our music (orchestra) classes. Our teacher used these recordings as instructional aides, always asking us what we thought of the performance. The easy answer of "It was good" or "I didn't like it" would never suffice. We were challenged to think about the complexities of the music being performed and how the musicians were performing, rather than give our opinions on what we saw. This was one of the first times I learned to be objective about something that I was exposed to.
Along with watching other ensembles perform, the television provided a way to critique one's own performance within an academic setting. For example, I know of a music teacher who has used video of his marching band's performances to go over what was good about their performance, and also how the ensemble can improve. Each Monday after the band's Friday or Saturday performance, they sit down at the beginning of class to examine their show, and each week they learn from mistakes and get better. This is helpful to students who are visual learners, especially. As someone who learners better by seeing or doing rather than hearing or reading, I would have benefitted greatly from this teaching technique had my teachers used it. We, as musicians are often told what could be fixed, but rarely are showed where and how the mistake(s) happened, leading to much frustration. The television, in my opinion, alleviates that issue.
Informational and instruction videos are also available for music teachers. There are a number of instructional series on a variety of musical instruments, which are helpful for a music educator who is teacher his or her students about the many different musical instruments and musical instrument families there are to learn. Although we all are supposed to study each and every instrument before being sent out into the workforce, it is also true that each music teacher has their strengths and weaknesses. I, for example, would not be the best teacher to show kids how to play the oboe or tuba. These instructional or demonstrational videos are a way for students to be exposed to very good players or singers, if their teacher isn't able to give them an in-person demonstration.
If you have ever been a part of a musical ensemble or class, you understand that technology does not play a concrete role in the everyday workings of the class. There are instances, however, where technology, mainly television, can add a spark or a little something different for learning about music.
Photo Credit: http://www.smartgirl.org/writing/forum/images/television.jpg
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