Tradition vs technology to learn music

Music in school is usually quite different from music as our students use it in their everyday lives. The official musical curriculum tends to emphasize the learning of western art music, and the traditional skills related to music (musical notation, sight reading, intonation...).

Now, the question arises: is this the best way to teach music in the 21st century? Nowadays we have access to technologies that allow us to create songs without the need of developing complicated skills. It has a lot to do with the popular music of our time, music that uses a lot of electronic sequences and devices, backing tracks, and recorded loops.



We, as music teachers, shouldn't turn our back on these new tendencies that are closer to our students than, let's say, Baroque music. Many times we prefer to focus on the traditional curriculum, since it is closer to our own musical experience (we have learned with the traditional academic methods, focused on skills like reading, musical analysis, and playing an instrument). We focus, then, on teaching western art music, or teaching basic skills with instruments, leaving aside the huge possibilities that new technologies bring us. This creates some kind of cycle where just a few students connect with the music lessons taught at school, becoming later teachers themselves. This is very nicely exposed in the introductory video of the second module of the course The Place of Music in 21st Century Education, and has been pointed out by Lucy Green.

Then, does it mean that we should forget about teaching western art music or traditional music skills, and focus on technological developments when it comes to music lessons in the school? Well, I think some kind of balance is needed. Of course, it has been proven that the learning of traditional musical skills is great for our personal and intellectual development. Also, the learning of the traditional way of making music is necessary if we want to fully understand and appreciate music. Finally, our students should have the opportunity to be in contact with the richness of western art music, as well as of music from different countries and traditions.

The best solution, then, seems to be based on the search for a balance between the traditional curriculum, and an approach to music that is natural to our students, through the use of electronic devices, synths, software, apps, etc.

I think we should give more importance to the way popular musicians learn, replicating the initiative made by Dr. Lucy Green (see the video below), instead of focusing always on the traditional approach to music learning. Through the recognition of the musical value of modern styles of music, we can also widen our formative options, engaging students that might be reluctant to traditional musical curriculum, but that can become great musicians through the learning of electronic music, and the use of new musical technologies (as happened with Francis Xavier, who has become an important producer after self-learning how to make music electronically).

Share This:

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Whatsapp Whatsapp