Technology and Students' Musicking: Enhancing the Learning Experience

Abstract

High levels of engagement with technology are characteristic of young people in the 21st century. Teachers and curriculum designers can utilize students' comfort with technology to enhance learning. Easy access to information on the Internet is also significant because the former role of teachers as a primary source of information is no longer central to students' learning; effective teaching may need to be rethought to acknowledge the informal learning that pervades our students' lives. This article examines an undergraduate degree program in popular music that has embraced a wide range of music-making technologies as pedagogical aids and uses rich assessment tasks including both technological and musical aspects. Although such complex processes might not be appropriate in all settings, there are similarities with the Musical Futures project (Green, 2008) that is thriving in Australia and the United Kingdom, providing a good example of innovative musical pedagogy in secondary schools.