Technology really is great...isn't it?
Technology really is great. It solves all our creative problems. It turns us all into first class composers and songwriters. It transforms music making for everyone using it. O.k. well perhaps not...... but technology really is great!
My relationship with using technology in music stems back to my own time at school. Starting on 4-track machines, working up to an 8 channel reel to reel setup. Some basic MIDI sequencing and notation on the workhorse of computers, the Atari VST. Fast forward to some years later, and the basic principles behind using music technology have not changed. We still record audio which can be hardware or software based, with much of the processing happening 'in the box.' MIDI sequencing is arguably more commonly used now and offers some fantastic software instruments, and of course, software packages for music notation. What really has changed, is how and when we use technology in teaching and learning and most importantly its relevance.
Technology has now, and for some time, been incredibly accessible and relatively inexpensive, sometimes free to use. Web based apps provide opportunities for cloud collaboration, mobile devices offer simple ways to create or capture tracks, even computers capable of running multiple tracks of audio recording and processing do not cost the earth. Many young people are accessing technology to make music out with the classroom.
The role of technology in the music industry has changed over the years. In the past, a band or artist would by and large enter the studio with a well rehearsed album worth of songs already composed. The main aim would be to get the recording finished as quickly as possible as time costs money! At present, it would not be uncommon for a band or artist to start recording with only outline ideas. The studio itself would be used as a creative tool and part of the process of writing. This could be for example, layering grooves or synth parts, experimenting with effects or moving musical structures around. Technology in these cases is very much integrated into the composition process, sometimes leading it.
Technology can be used to enhance creative activities in a couple of different ways. It can be used to capture and preserve, or it can be used to experiment and create. The key to using any technology is relevance and in particular relevance to the creative interests of the young person. Using one technology solution in a class of 20 pupils will generally not be relevant or the line of best fit for everyone. When approaching a composition project, pupils will have an idea of what they are wanting to explore and create. For some, it may be song writing, for others it may be an instrumental piece, others may want to layer sounds using technology. Each of these groups will require different technology solutions and also different guidance and support for the creative process. It should also be said that any choice of technology used, does not inhibit the creative process in any way. Notation packages, for example, are fantastic at doing their job of preserving creative ideas, but in order to maximise use, a high level of music theory knowledge and application is important. This can, in many ways, turn young people away from composition as a process and view it as an exercise in music theory.
Technology really is great. From a teaching perspective, when technology is naturally integrated into courses and relevant, it can help provide a platform for our learners to experiment and explore their ideas. Technology might not transform us all into first class composers and song writers (certainly not straight away!), but what helps to do is open up opportunities for us to develop our creativity skills, to enhance the music we compose and to share it with the world.
