Week 3

This week was an interesting topic - these technology driven classrooms.  I am a traditionalist by nature; I want students in my ensemble(s).  As the director of a band program, it is my priority to see students through middle school and into the high school band program.  While I can appreciate the use of technology to reach these "other 80%", it irritates me to no end when many of these students should still be in my classroom instead of some kind of alternate music classroom.  I feel this is causing an uphill battle to reach higher altitudes, instead of helping with recruitment and retention.  This is actually a possible "out" for students to bypass the workload of being a traditional music student and providing an alternative.  I want them to keep playing their horns.  We keep an open door to teach anyone who wants to commit to becoming a performing musician - just come talk to us, we'll do the work if you'll commit. 

Regardless, the online program was fun.  I have some experience working with electronica, so there was some familiar territory to tread here.  However, there was no musical structure to learning how to use the program.  If anyone were to venture into this, the products would most likely be by chance.  If this were to be utilized in a setting for a music theory class or something similar, the students would actually begin to grasp musicality, theory, form, style etcetera.  To just use this as a teaching method would be ludicrous, and in a sense blasphemous to those who came before us in the field. 

Ultimately, I want students to become advocate as well as performers.  If they can appreciate the art form at a high level, much can be gained.  Using technology as a means to an end is not right, and it will be the demise of traditional programs.  Most districts don't have the money to make this possible anyway - the ones who do, are VERY lucky.