I feel the Internet will play a huge role in the future of music education. The Internet is a big part of everyone's lives now, and the students we will be teaching know no different, they have grown up their whole lives with the Internet. For music education the Internet can be used for many different things, for example it is a great tool for students to practice their skills at home, using different music website to help with things like theory and ear training.


Another thing the students can use it for is notational skills and sharing scores with their classmates. The Internet can provide students with programs that are sometimes expensive and it can allow them to use it at home so they can practice outside of the classroom and for free. The Internet is also a great way for teachers to organize and update the class on assignments that are due or a place for students to discuss and ask questions about a topic or assignment they are working on in class. Something like a wiki space can be used so that everything is in one place and students can easily find out their homework or a list of helpful websites. This can also be a very helpful thing for parents not only can they find out when their child has homework, projects or tests, the site can be used to post important dates like rehearsal schedules, concerts and competitions.

 The Internet can be used as much and as little as you want in the classroom but it's going to be a part of the lives of your students and it will be an easy way to relate to them. There is no doubt in my mind that the Internet will be a very big part of music education and just education in general. I believe this is a great change and will be for the better, it's a wonderful easy tool that can be used as a teacher and will be helpful for both the students and parents.

Podcasts are a great way to deliver instructions to students. Podcasts can have both visual and audio components to them. Among many advantages podcast are great for both visual and auditory learners. Another advantage is students can pause and rewind podcasts. This can be helpful while taking notes or if they forget something they can go back and hear or see if again. 

As we know improvements and advances in technology are happening at a very rapid rate. Some people think this is a good thing other may disagree. In terms of music education I believe technology is a great thing and can be used in the classroom in many ways.

For the purposes of music education technology can be a big help to the teacher. In the classroom teachers can use technology for something as simple as playing a recording of the piece the children are learning. The teacher would have many different resources to use that make finding this recording very easy. They could buy the CD or just buy the song on itunes, they could also search for a live video of the song on youtube among many other ways. YouTube is an excellent tool for music educators, some schools have banned YouTube from the classroom computer because it can distract children from other school work. As a music teacher you can take advantage of YouTube and find some great video and examples of things relating to your class.

Some newer music programs that are great tools for music educators are some computer programs like Garage Band and Smart Music. Garage Band is a great tool for teaching children how to sequence parts or make drum beats. Smart Music is an excellent way to make practicing fun for kids in band/orchestra. Kids can practice their music or scales and the program will show them what they did wrong and correct it. Smart Music can also be used as a way to test kids and mark there progress. There are many other computer based music programs like Sibelius and finale that teach notation skill. Also a program called Auralia that teaches ear training at various levels. There are so many different music programs out there today and those are just a few of the more popular ones, the list goes on and on.

Many schools are now making the change from white board to smart boards. Smart boards were just becoming popular during my senior year of high school so I am not too familiar with them. The smart boards can be used in a music room to project a specific part or score on the board for the whole class to see. The smart board is an amazing tool and should be used if the funding is available to have one. 

Changes in technology are happening everyday, some good and some not so good, but these changes can not be ignored. Teacher have to accept the changes being made and take advantage of them in the classroom. Students are growing up in a time where it is not unusual for a child to have a cell phone in elementary school or an ipod touch with access to internet almost anywhere. At a very young age they are exposed to technology and what it has to offer. By using different forms of technology in the classroom you can relates to students and certain things like working with computers will come easy to them and they will hopefully enjoy using the programs.

Technology can help me become a better music educator by being able to provide the students with all these wonderful tools. Not only are there programs that can be used in the classroom but also online programs they can access at home. It is important children get the chance to explore music both in school and outside of school. There is a better chance they will play a music game on the computer than do a few examples in a workbook. By incorporating technology into the classroom it is a fun way to relate and connect to the students on a level they are familiar with and in return they will most likely become more successful because it has sparked their interest.

Check out the below podcast with Dr. Steven Thompson from Bethel University discussing technology in Music Education.