How technology is changing the way kids learn music?
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Whether you are a technophobe or a tech lover, one thing that you can agree on is that technology has completely changed the way kids learn. It is undeniable how technology has transformed classrooms and provided new learning experiences for today’s students. Music education is no exception, technology has changed the way kids learn music, and here we’ll explain how.
Learn music virtually
Gone is the day when learning to play a musical instrument meant you had to sit side by side with your music teacher. Nowadays, music lessons can take place virtually. Video calling platforms like Skype have given students worldwide access to some of the best music teachers available. When taking music classes online, students can practice whenever they have extra time, regardless of how little that time is. To top it all off, most webcams come with built-in recording programs, which enable teachers to send audio and video files to their students. These files can be reviewed outside of lessons, and both the teacher and the student can easily track their progress.
Music composition made simpler
A common way that technology is being used for music is when teaching composition. As most teachers would agree, the creativity of some students is hindered by the simple reason that they cannot master how to read notations. Without the ability to read music notations, students struggle with composition, and their creativity is limited by this. Fortunately, some apps now convert handwritten notation into digital. This technology has been life-changing for those students who struggle with staff notations. By converting notations to digital, students have the freedom to experiment with different sounds and rhythms. With software, like serum presets, kids are learning how to produce, record, and store their very own music online.
Digital tuners are perfecting performances
Performances are an integral part of music education. As the first step to any performance, instruments have to be tuned, and students are utilizing technology for this. Digital tuner apps help students to see if they are playing out of tune and also teach them how to tune their instruments, which is necessary as the basis for a great performance. A number of these apps were designed for students to be able to record themselves and receive immediate feedback as they practice. Receiving immediate feedback allows for errors to be fixed immediately, even in the absence of a teacher.
Technology is changing music education, and a lot of us will agree with this excerpt from a conference paper published by Universitat Politècnica de Valènci, which states, “The use of new technologies in music education opens a broad set of possibilities, both reinforcing existing methodologies and allowing more specific activities with respect to research, creation, transformation, and classification of sound.”