Random access: do Music teachers have a responsibility to teach with technology?

To say so almost sounds cliche, but we are in the middle of a truly amazing era of opportunity for our students. We have at our (computer's) disposal an endless array of historical resources, research tools, theory drills and even like-minded colleagues, not to mention the wealth of professional and amateur recordings that can be snatched (of bought, when appropriate) right out of cyberspace, sometimes right into your piano.

Many of us have musical gadgets in our studios, from small MIDI keyboards to full-blown digital-acoustic hybrid pianos. Many of these gadgets come teeming with thousands of buttons, screens and flashing lights just waiting to tickle our every creative urge. We have e-mail, instant messages and video chatting that can keep us in touch with our students as often as we need. But, as a self-avowed technology geek, it's sometimes hard for me to separate necessary or even useful technology from that which is simply novel of fun. I would enjoy my music-playing experiences even more if every one of them included some button-pushing, light flashing, software-driven toys, preferably more than one at a time. Realizing that not everyone feels this way, I ponder from time to time about which technologies will have longevity in our society, and which our students should be learning to use for themselves. Do we actually have a duty to teach technology to our students as a part of music, of are the technologies we use simply tools to make our teaching lives easier? If we aren't using any modern technology, are we depriving our students of something important? Finally, are we exploring the world of technology available to us so that we are choosing tools that actually enhance and enrich our personal teaching styles, as well as our students' experiences?

Thinking about our core responsibilities to our young students, the voices of my teaching mentors echo through my ears: "I'm always happiest to find out my students are still playing music as adults," said one. "I do love turning out (competition) winners, but my ultimate goal is making music a permanent fixture in my students' lives." One of my former teachers often described his best students as, "the ones who don't need me anymore" or independent learners. Passing on the skills and passions to keep music permanently in one's life, is arguably the core of all our careers, and many of us have a fixed curriculum we use to reach that goal. We strive to give the students a well-rounded, solid foundation, including music theory, history and the basic everyday technical skills of making music on whatever instrument we teach. We show enthusiasm for the music we love and help the student find his or her own voice through repertoire that fits the individual. We hone their listening skills so they can make tasteful choices when they start choosing music on their own, both for listening and playing. And when it comes time for them to focus on a path to adulthood, often dropping the formal element of music lessons, we hope some of our efforts stick. Assuming that most of us do not expect all our students to continue playing concert-level repertoire their entire lives, one important measure of our success is, in fact, whether our students still participate in music throughout their lives.

So the question changes from "Which technologies do I have a responsibility to use?" to "Which technologies will help music be a permanent part of my students' lives?" In the same vein that we customize each lesson for the individual student, I think we should also customize which technologies are right for each student.

Technology is "Hear" to Stay

I have long believed the key to producing self-motivated, independent learners is the ability to critically hear one's own playing. If students can't hear their own improvement, they may get frustrated and give up. On the other side, students who can't hear their own mistakes, especially problems with dynamics and tempo, have a hard time correcting them. Most students rely on the teacher's feedback to make changes toward improvement. Of course by the time the teacher offers that feedback, very often a week or more has passed, and the student may have worked very hard at playing a piece very badly.

This is why the one bit of modern technology absolutely every modern teacher should use is some kind of digital recording device--many of us used older technology, such as tape recorders, for this purpose. You could choose some kind of computer software that records audio, a standalone audio recording device (either with a hard drive or a CD burner), or a digital piano or electronic keyboard with recording features. You might even decide to use a digital video recorder, since many of these have high quality sound recording, and are in many homes. In addition to instant feedback for faster learning, digital recording devices will also give you the opportunity to record and compare progress week to week, and to make archival recordings of special events or accomplishments. Since there are just a handful of standard formats for digital recording, most files can be easily transferred from one kind of media to another, shared over e-mail or a website or burned onto a CD that makes a nice gift.

Meet Me Halfway

One of the unique pleasures of teaching one-on-one is being able to tailor each lesson to the individual. Especially with recalcitrant "tweens," a teacher must skillfully find the right approach to meet the student halfway, motivating the student to continue without sacrificing high standards. Recent popular music varies from containing remote ethnic influences to bizarre electronic permutations, and it's increasingly rare that any two students actually listen to the same music, as they all have a zillion websites, including iTunes, where they can find obscure music. With so many new and diverse kinds of popular music in the marketplace, how is a hip, connected music teacher to keep up?

This may be the best time to dig into the many features of an electronic keyboard or a digital piano. Many of us already use digital pianos with disk drives, so that students can play with pre-recorded accompaniments in a flexible way. For learning most popular music, however, it's time to move over to the set of buttons on your digital piano you may have never used. Even the most basic portable keyboards can be useful for this purpose, as well, since students will still have the opportunity to explore sounds and styles that, bluntly put, you may not be proficient at teaching. Let students explore these freely, or even better, give them some guided activities, and not only can you expand their lesson times, but you may just get that 11 year-old boy over the typical "11 year-old hump" and into a whole new enthusiasm for music. Using all those styles and drum beats may seem a little gimmicky to some, but don't forget that you actually have to enter chords on the keyboard to make them work. Students who have never once completed a theory assignment can gain valuable chord knowledge using these tools. These automated accompaniments are also a first step toward understanding digital sequencing, which is a completely necessary subject for students interested in the commercial music business.

There's One in Every Home ...

Finally, giving your students guidance with a computer and the Internet can be one of the most lasting of all the technologies you use. Nearly anything you've ever wanted to know about music is available and readily accessible via a simple Internet connection, but if you don't show your students around a bit, they'll never think to look. Create some scavenger hunts with a list of your favorite websites for your students and they will be equipped to answer any musical queries that cross their minds. Besides the Internet, students can use fun theory and history software to make this part of your teaching practically effortless. Many of the best software titles come with curriculum helpers so your students aren't just stabbing around aimlessly but actually have tasks that relate to their immediate learning needs.

Regardless of what technology you use in your studio, it's important to remember that using technology in the studio is quite a different concept from actually teaching technology to your students. Before you start pushing all the buttons yourself or doing all your Internet searches outside of lesson time, think about the following scenarios: maybe, for example, the students who have been instructed to use the Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com) to find recordings, will be more likely to continue to use similar tools when they are adults and hear interesting music on their satellite radios. Perhaps students who learned how to make accompaniments for popular songs using your digital piano are more likely find joy in music as adults, expressing themselves via a portable keyboard. Or maybe because you encouraged the practice of making regular MIDI recordings, your students actually have developed the self-assessment skills necessary to keep learning great repertoire, through the motivation of hearing progress from one recording to the next. Even former students who have joined up with some disgruntled coworkers and formed an anti-establishment garage band are participating in music in a productive way. Regardless of the outlet, music technologies can, and do, help our students enjoy the rewards of making music on their own, for their entire lives, and it is our unique obligation to give them the foundation they need by incorporating all the traditional elements of our craft into this ever-changing world.

Shana Kirk is a product specialist for the Yamaha Corporation of America, as well as a creative consultant to Time Warp Technologies, Inc., the makers of Home Concert Xtreme and Classroom Maestro. She maintains a teaching studio in Denver, Colorado, where she is also active in the Denver Area MTA.