W1_Reading

Garageband Screenshot

My AR research is going to center around the implementation of a practice software called Smartmusic by Makemusic.  Smartmusic will allow me to create assignments by using music from any number of popular band method books that are available on the market today.  I can also create assignments from music that we are preparing as an ensemble and I can create assignments using the music notation software, Finale.  As I gather my research materials I will be focusing on the following 3 subtopics:

1. Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) in music and Current practices
2. Development of sound musical practice habits
3. Motivation and engagement in music

Dunnigan, P. (1993). The computer in instrumental music. Music Educators Journal, 80(1), 32. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

This article will serve as a resource for my CAI and current practices subtopic.  As this article is seriously out of date it will not serve well from a data stand-point.  However the author made several points that are still relevant even in today’s upgraded computer systems.  What strikes me as funny is that Dunnigan cited 3 most common computers in use (at that time); Apple II, IBM and Macintosh! The article looked at a study of Michigan band and orchestra directors and their use of computers.  While it found that nearly half of the directors used computers, most of them used it for the sole purpose of clerical work.  There was very little done regarding instruction and pedagogy.   This depicts exactly what I have hypothesized that is still happening in today’s world of band and orchestra instruction.  Dunnigan also pointed out my same reasons as to why computers are not used which is that most schools lacked equipment available for serious instruction and in many school systems, budgets were getting tighter and tax dollars were dwindling, thus making the acquisition of computer equipment a real challenge.  Even after nearly a decade ago these things still seem to be true.

McDowall, J. (2009). Making Music Multimodally: Young Children Learning with Music Technology. International Journal of Learning, 16(10), 303-315. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

This articles focus will be part of my CAI and current practices subtopic.  This study was conducted on Australian elementary music students’ engagement and comprehension in music concepts.  A series of lessons designed around computer based music software was implemented in 2 classes.  The software involved was a loop based composition software called Super Duper Music Looper and a midipad software synthesizer.  The teachers used the software and hardware to explore music concepts and also had students create music and sounds with the software.  The study found significant improvement in engagement and proficiencies at learning some of the musical concepts.  Additionally the study showed that the learning processes and activities would not have been able to be duplicated using traditional school music resources.

Crawford, R. (2009). Secondary school music education: A case study in adapting to ICT resource limitations. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25(4), 471-488. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

This article would also fall under CAI and current practices.   The paper was a study of Australian Music teachers’ use of computers in their music programs.  Even though Australian music teachers on average have a lot of technology available to them, the study focused on one particular individual and their perception of technology.  She taught in a particular area and school that had serious limitations in technology.  It showed that technology was severely missing in her class and subsequent interviews indicated why.  She stated that inferior quality technology and lack of adequate amounts of technology hampered her efforts to use technology.  While the article is more recent it is still missing relevance in my research since it reports only what is currently happening in Australia.

Walker, D. (1995). Connecting Right and Left Brain: Increasing Academic Performance of African American Students through the Arts. Retrieved from ERIC database.

This article will help support my subtopic Motivation and engagement in music.  The article studied the effect of an after school fine arts program for at-risk students in the Lansing, Michigan area.  The premise of the study purported that the study of fine arts not only improved on scholastic achievement but also improved on student self confidence and social responsibility because fine arts incorporated whole brain learning.  The author believed that it is this factor that at-risk students should participate in such activities.  The study included about 68 students 54 of whom were identified as at-risk, who participated in an afterschool fine arts program.  The study found that the afterschool program did have a positive affect in both increasing student achievement in school and increasing student confidence and social responsibility.