My OperaComposing With Technology
Wednesday, February 16, 2005 6:29:00 PM
Music technology (e.g., sequencing software, notation software, etc...) is becoming increasingly user-friendly, and students becoming increasingly tech saavy. The two trends coupled together make music technology the best way for students to explore their creativity. The key component is being able to instantly hear your music, see your music, and edit your music quickly. Although some music educators and researchers would say this diminishes incentive to develop music audiation, there are gains in other areas, including the willingness to compose and the efficacy gained by the final product.
Many music educators would say that developing music audiation ability is important if not paramount to being a musician, few people possess good audiation skills. However, I would hypothesize that students interacting with music, note by note instantly, hearing musical ideas in their head and applying them to a computer program enhances audiation.
Many lesson plans appearing in music education journals and music technology software websites (including but not limited to GarageBand and MEJ), present effective, efficient lessons with a great inherent instructional potential. Some of the lessons are simply exploratory, where students can randomly play notes in layers above a drum/bass track that loops. However, this is a stepping stone to "turning on lightbulbs" in students' minds, where they are more likely reach a moment where a musical idea appears in their mind and they say "Aha, I have a melody" and can instantly make it a part of their unique, original musical composition. In any event, students exploring music in any way, and every way, should be advocated.
