How are faculty in the subject area of music industry and recording arts implementing technology into the curriculum?

As a an educator of the recording arts, and a student of the subject area for 8 years now, I ask: How faculty within the field of music industry and recording arts are implementing technology into their curriculum?

I am interested in the broader topic of how instructors in the music industry are forming pedagogical strategies, how students may be most effectively taught in this subject area, and how technology may be used as a tool for reflection.

A VERY Brief History of Sound Recording Education

The topic of technology integration is exciting to me because the pedagogy of the subject area is very new. The subject area is relatively young in comparison to fields such as psychology, education, medicine, or philosophy. The first practical sound recording device was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison.

Thomas Edison and his sound recording device. Photo taken from http://www.nj.com

As music technology developed and the sound recording industry expanded, the need to train professionals arose. In the mis 1960's the first music recording programs developed in Europe.  Since then, higher education programs in the recording arts have grown and flourished all over the globe. Recording arts programs uniquely vary by the rich specialities of the universities that host them. In 2007 Roy Pritts, former Chairman of the Audio Engineering Society Education Committee, wrote in A Global Look at Audio Education, "Programs can now be found in private schools, colleges and universities, and the length of study varies depending on the courses and the specialties of the faculties offering the programs. There is a common body of knowledge and vocabulary present in all of these programs, but each institution has its special niche and emphasis."

Innovative Instruction for a New Field

Music industry education is young, and the programs that train the instructors are also very new and relatively few in number. While the subject area of music education is predominant, only the University of Colorado at Denver offers a course at the master's level in audio pedagogy. To enhance the training of faculty within the subject area, I suggest creating accessible, credible, relative resources for music industry educators regarding technology implementation in education.

Can OER offer effective and useful training that will improve the pedagogical strategies of today's music industry educators? 

I hope that the utilization of Open Education Resources may encourage faculty of this subject area to incorporate technology into their pedagogy. Some instructors, though experts in their field, have not taken formal education on pedagogical strategies. As incoming student technology skill increases, the ability for instructors to utilize technology to their instructional advantage to increase transfer of knowledge is vital. Digital tools can be used both in a teacher-centered and student-centered (constructivist) way.  In the following quote from the article From Chalkboards to Tablets: The Emergence of the K-12 Digital Learner, taken from Speak Up 2012 National Findings, June 2013, the author expresses the malleability of technology in pedagogy that exists with student fluency. 


"Given a varied collection of digital tools and resources that can enhance and extend the learning process, students are adapting these tools to address specific learning goals. From mobile devices to social media, the students’ self identified use of technology to support their schoolwork represents opportunities that are both facilitated by their teacher, as well as self-directed."

Openness in music industry education can expedite the dissemination of the most effectual strategies for  integrating technology into instruction. In the Canvas entry The Extended Argument for Openness in Education, which is an adaptation of an excerpt from David Wiley and Cable Green's book Game Changers, and may be accessed at https://learn.canvas.net/courses/4/wiki/the-extended-argument-for-openness-in-education?module_item_id=52578, the writer states:

"Those educators who share the most thoroughly of themselves with the greatest proportion of their students are the ones we deem most successful."

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Educating is sharing, and the possibilities for success, improvement, and innovation within the field can grow if we use communication tools and open professional development to develop great instruction. The following screen shot is from a lesson in CONNEXIONS, an open education resource which may be accessed at: http://www.oercommons.org/courses/sound-recorder-lab/view.

It depicts a lesson open to all audiences on sound recording. The the entire lesson on audio processing is well-explained and the activities are very effective. If the student or instructor does not wish to follow the entire lesson, they may also benefit from reading the key term definitions, re-using the lab exercises, or linking to the related content on the left side page.

This is a great example of how sharing instructional ideas is advantageous, not harmful, to music industry education. The lab and instruction here cannot supplement a degree in the recording arts or a post secondary education in recording technology, but it may enhance it. 

Using Technology for Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered Instruction

The example from CONNEXIONS is a teacher-centered approach to using technology. The lesson is completely taught by the instructor, the lab is directed by the instructor, and the student forms their knowledge through the experience provided by the lesson. Though some may argue student-centered teaching is preferable, I believe the incorporation of technology into teaching may be most beneficial either as student-centered or instructor-centered, depending on the particular student learning style, the lesson type, and the objective of the activity.

Judi Harris cites a R.S. Earle in her paper Our Agenda for Technology Integration: It’s Time to Choose, to point out that the type of technology we use is not the issue, it's how it is used. The article is entitled The integration of instructional technology into public education:Promises and challenges, and R.S. Earle states:

"Integrating technology is not about technology – it is primarily about content and effective instructional practices. Technology involves the tools with which we deliver content and implement practices in better ways. Its focus must be on curriculum and learning. Integration is defined not by the amount or type of technology used, but by how and why it is used." (Earle, 2002, p. 7)

I believe technology can be used in a student-centered style in music industry education as a tool for reflection. By allowing students to share their experiences, knowledge, and create their own instructional content, we may progress in an attempt to develop a diverse, adaptive, responsive, and relative instructional environment. Blogging, sharing student-created instructional videos, and posting student projects are some ideas for implementing technology for reflection activities that may reinforce the encoding of information and transfer of content.

Thanks for reading!