(Student Blog) Technology: Unlocking The Best Music Education Experience, by Mary Sargent

 Music groups are becoming better every year. How can a music group keep up? When music groups perform, four things are necessary before they can be successful: precision, student involvement, the latest information, and good practice. Technology helps in all of these areas, and in some cases, are the only way to achieve it.

In the world of music education, precision is everything. In any music group, tools like tuners and metronomes become necessary for absolute musical precision. These tools are necessary in rehearsal as well as practices. Tuners, metronomes, and other music tools are all ways that technology helps music students become more musically precise.

Technology also improves music education by boosting student involvement. Today's students have been around technology all their lives. When technology is incorporated in music education, students have a more engaging experience in any music program they are in. Since most students get on the computer practically every day, increased student involvement is guaranteed. Technology also enables students to develop rapport with other music students. The student can also talk to the director, who can seem unreachable in the classroom. Thus, student involvement is greatly improved by technology.

If a band hopes to be competitive, it has to be up-to-date. The only way to stay updated nowadays is through technology. Directors can keep students and parents up to speed on the latest in their music program, and less class time is wasted on reminders. Directors can also keep up with the latest trends in uniforms, find new music, and find the newest equipment. Keeping up with the latest in the music world is easier, if not made possible by, technology.

Perhaps the most important way music education is improved by technology is through practice. Technology gives students the ability to know what the music should sound like. If students need more help, technology enables students to get help from their peers or directors. Students can also practice learning note names and scales online. Students can also have a more rewarding practice by listening to themselves and their mistakes. These improved practices lead to improved rehearsals and improved music groups- enhancing the music education experience.

With technology, we can improve all these areas and reach levels of music education that weren’t possible otherwise. This enables students and directors to have a new and greatly improved experience in music education, and so technology improves music education.