Becoming a Techie

Today’s world is changing thanks to the technology that is being developed or updated every day. With this new change, comes adaptation. The new generation of students has adjusted quickly and can maneuver through this technology better than the older generations. Everything is now more accessible. Young students can find songs easily on YouTube then go download them from iTunes for their iPods or for the older students, iPhones. Video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band can give the student an experience in coordination when it comes to playing an instrument. iPads have a new apps that help students grow in music while having fun! They also give students a way to play an instrument if they normally don’t play one. So what does this mean for music in the classroom? In an article I found called, “ How Music Teachers Got Their Groove Back: Music Instruction Goes Digital,” it tells how some teachers have found ways to integrate technology into their music classes.

The truth is that music education has been changing to fit in the new technology. Many schools have received funding for all sorts of new gadgets such as iPads, MacBooks, Chromebooks, and Macs. With these new gadgets, music teachers can find apps and other software to make music possible. Software such as Garage Band can help a teacher teach composition to his/her students. Therefore opening doors to students’ creative minds. I remember one time when I was observing in a middle school, a general music class was learning about film music and their project was to create their own pieces to fit behind a thirty second movie trailer. I was able to listen to some of the pieces the students had written and it was amazing to see what they were really capable of.

Do technology and music really have to stop at just composition? Of course not! Dr. Douglas O'Grady, a professor at my alma mater, composed a piece of music for iPads and an orchestra called iAlchemy. Thanks to an app called MorphWiz, that’s what gave the students of Seymour High School the tools to play with the orchestra. When listening to the song, it was very dramatic and sounded very much like something Danny Elfman would compose. The song sounds amazing and it’s very cool to see that technology (something new) can combine with an orchestra (something old).

Unfortunately a concert that featured the piece happened two years ago so if you wish to listen to this song, you’ll just have to click on the word, iAlchemy above.