Music Education taught using technology

Technology is an indispensable element in everyone’s daily life today. Because music has adapted over time to social needs and has been an art form open to change and innovation, primarily through the introduction of digital tools, but also through the use of all existing means of production, we can say that today music and technology go hand in hand.

From sound recording to dedicated listening platforms, technology is constantly intervening in the lives of both artists and music lovers. In this context, music education has also had to adapt to new innovations in technology by using more digital tools and resources to streamline the process.

The digitization of education may seem to scare the main actors in this sector, but in most cases, technology only facilitates the educational process, without interfering in the development of the affective side of the educable.

Initially ignored by teachers in Europe, technology has become indispensable in education since 2020, when teaching activities migrated online due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. As we stated at the beginning of this article, music cannot make a discordant note with the technological advancement, so digitization had to be introduced at that time also in music education teaching.

This process started with few resources, but many platforms or organizations have tried to offer digital alternatives for teaching this subject, even if some operations seemed impossible to do online. Thus the platform IntoMusic, a project that had as its main goal to inventory all the digital tools and resources that could be used in the teaching process, to train teachers to use them, but also to observe the impact of these modern methods in the school environment.

IntoMusic is a platform that was born out of the passion for music of four organizations from Romania, Greece, Cyprus and France, who realized that they had to come quickly to the aid of teachers, both with open digital educational resources and with training courses designed to prepare them in the four countries and, why not, even worldwide, to be able to face the new challenges that have emerged with the pandemic. As the use of these tools and teaching methods was not only designed as a stop-gap measure for that period, the platform is still highly relevant today for teachers who teach the subject.

All the content has been designed in such a way that it can be used by both those working in vocational schools and those teaching in mainstream education, thus providing a comprehensive platform designed to bring any student into contact with the world of music, according to their learning needs.

Intuitive and easy to use, the platform has covered, in the online courses section, most of the elements that underpin music, both through tutorials and suggested apps that can be used in the teaching process. All tutorials have been produced in English, and subtitles have been added in the three partner country languages Romanian, French and Greek, so that many teachers will be able to understand the content presented.

In addition to categories related to the language of music, such as music theory, music production and creation, the platform also offers tools for music appreciation, stimulating critical thinking or contextualizing musical typologies. There is also a list of platforms or applications that can be used in the teaching process, as well as several videos with educational experts who contributed to the implementation of the project.

Also on the IntoMusic platform we find a study that analyzes the concept of “gamification”, which involves the use of playful methods, but in digital format, to stimulate students’ attention and interest in the subject. The use of video games can stimulate competition in the classroom and at the same time can inspire students to discover more aspects of music.

In addition to these digital tools and tutorials on how to use the various platforms and apps, IntoMusic has also tried to support teachers with more open educational resources to emphasize the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature of music. Here you can find tutorials on how to build musical instruments from recyclable materials, basic methods for conducting music therapy sessions or sound experiments designed to capture the attention of students.

If you’re a music teacher or if we’ve managed to pique your interest, don’t forget to visit the IntoMusic platform and discover how music can be easily taught with technology, but also how it is connected to other subjects studied in schools.