I teach Music at a title one school where 41% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch. I teach PreK-5th grade and one Autistic class. Our school currently has 714 students.
My goal is for my music students to compose and create their own music using keyboards and computers and put it on the school’s website for students and parents to enjoy.
Today’s students are growing up in a different time than that of their teachers. Our students don’t even remember a time without cell phones, computers, digital music, MIDI, video games, or instant messaging. Let’s face it kids love technology and when the curriculum is taught through interactive technology you get kids that love what they are learning and that makes for good grades, good test scores and smart children.
By placing the interactive technology into the hands of students they will be active music makers. General music class no longer needs to be a passive listening experience. Interactive technology allows students to become actively involved in the study of music while having the satisfaction of creating something themselves. Research shows that when students become active participants in learning they gain confidence, learn more effectively and are motivated to study further. Interactive technology can help students be more interested in music, and this will in turn help develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. Students will begin to appreciate music as an art and become active participants in the joy of music-making.
Sibelius music software allows students to play on the keyboard while the notes are notated into the computer to print or publish to the school website, or they can notate and hear what they wrote by having the computer play the notes on any instrument. This interactive software will enable the students to create and learn at the same time and have fun doing it.
I would love for this program to grow to represent a full electronic music lab one day. I will continue to apply for grants and for funding from the PTA.
Learning should be fun and kids should want to come to school to learn. In my classroom I believe they do have fun and do want to come and learn due to a large part of my use of technology. With the addition of more interactive technology in my classroom the learning possibilities are endless.
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