There is an old adage, "He's a Jack of all trades, and a master of none." The idea that one can dabble, but can't expect to then be truly effective in any of those areas. The saying goes along with another phrase I have often heard, "I know enough about that to be dangerous." I've used that one a lot, often with my students when they ask me how I know the science behind how sound works, or the physiology behind workings of the human voice, or the historical context behind a composition, or the political issues that lead to the rise of Hitler and the fall of Klezmer music. I find myself imparting a lot of knowledge to my students that is far from technically musical and I truly believe that I make my students better musicians and better students by exposing them to the wide range of musical topics beyond the notes on a page.
Music teachers must be Jacks of all trades, except we must be masters of all. This is never more true than when considering the role of technology in music education. The importance of technology becomes crystal clear just by glancing at the offerings of an All State conference. At the last Massachusetts Music Educator's Association (MMEA) conference easily one third of the sessions had a technological bend - from incorporating SmartMusic into large ensembles, using iPads in General Music classes, assessing through technology, using online tools for composition and collaboration... the list goes on and on. Not only was there a veritable cornucopia of options, but those sessions were some of the best attended at the conference (I should know, I went to more than my fair share of them!) So why are we all so obsessed with technology? Bauer (2014) hits the nail on the head in his discussion of the music teacher's need for TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, And Content Knowledge) that crossroads of teaching where all aspects of our craft are working together to create the best learning environment for our students. The Venn diagram below also shows how important it is to consider each knowledge area (Technological, Content, and Pedagogical) individually, as well as where they overlap one another (TCK, PCK, TPK).
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| Hitting the sweet spot! |
So why the requirement to be the Jack of all trades? In a profession where we spend as much time thinking about how to advocate for our programs as we do our actual lessons, music teachers must always be on the cutting edge, always thinking about the value-added nature of our teaching. Most of my general music students will never play an instrument, they will never join a community band, they will never have the need (or desire, really) to know how to be musically literate when it comes to the notes on the page. They will however have access to an iPad, and GarageBand. They will make movies with their friends - for fun, for classes... someday perhaps even for a professional presentation. The ability to know enough about music to use the tools that are at their level to create something that they want to show off to Mom and Dad is something that they can take with them and use in their real lives outside my classroom. Do I wish that they would all go on to be musicians and music teachers and live lives filled with trips to the symphony and their radio permanently tuned to NPR? Sure! But I know that's just not going to happen. Instead I need them to know how to make music a regular part of their lives, I need them to be informed consumers of music, and I need them to be warriors for the arts as they get older so that someday when a Prop 2 1/2 override vote comes up in their town to save the school music program for their kids... they'll make the right decision.
Technology can bring us there... and if we're smart, we will master all of those trades.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Hi Amanda -
ReplyDeleteI agree so very much with your statement regarding general music students. Not all - in fact, probably most - of the general music students we teach are not going to be life-long musicians or lovers of the "art" of music. To impart upon them the importance of music as a part of their culture and the human experience is vital in ensuring that the arts have a place in the future of education. I feel that for this reason technology in music education is especially important for our general music students. Their ability to use the tools you mentioned (iPads, GarageBand, etc.) not only serves them in music class, but as life-long consumers of music and (hopefully) future patrons of the arts.
You're too right about music teachers needing to know it all, and I commented in my own blog on how overwhelming it can be to tackle the new technology while still planning well-structured lessons that engage the students, AND meet all the necessary old (and new) music education standards. I think the way that Bauer broke down the T-PACK model really helped explain the different ways that teachers can approach and become proficient in all areas of tech education. It's not just about knowing the technology - we have to know how to teach it effectively and connect it to our content. Only then will it "stick" with our students.
Great blog post! Take care!
-Shannon
Remember to advocate for the many careers in the music industry that do not involve playing an instrument. These require the technical knowledge that happens beyond the ensemble classroom.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this blog. I feel we as music educators tend to be one-sided. We tend to teach our students off how we were taught, as if we were passing things down generation to generation. The thing is, music changes quite often. So, if we are going to keep up with the times, we have to learn to be well-rounded ourselves. Plus, this has to be done because if we expect our students to HAVE a career in technology, they are going to have to be well-rounded because they will ultimately miss out on a potential life long career if they only care about one genre or one style of music.
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