Soundscapes engender historical, cultural, social, and aesthetic meanings through acoustical qualities that reflect a community's lived experiences. In this article, we propose music lesson ideas that help students appreciate and embrace their sociocultural heritage--by creating, performing, and listening to soundscapes that are representative of…

Technology has had a profound impact on how we listen to, create, and perform music. Among the Library of Congress' collections are wax cylinders, photographs, manuscripts, recordings, and more that document the evolution of sound technologies. Students can use these sources to assist them as they respond to and analyze music in all its historical…

Students in the United States discuss popular music all the time, but often outside the music classroom. How can music educators bring those conversations into the classroom in ways that students find engaging and meaningful? Podcasts offer a potential solution. By taking on the role of the popular music podcaster, students enrich their…

Recent advances in music technology include practical tools for sound recording and production in school music classrooms. Secondary school music production classes allow students to make meaningful connections between school music and the music in their own lives. We offer several projects for teaching music production and sound recording;…

Interest in creative music technologies is on the rise among secondary students. Still, some music teachers are unsure how to integrate creative music technologies into their instruction. This article explores one versatile and powerful technology for the music classroom: digital audio workstations (DAWs). First, I discuss the central role of…

Many music educators do not sufficiently understand the complicated system of U.S. copyright law or what constitutes "fair use," resulting in both illegal and overly conservative practices. Increasingly accessible recording and distribution technology has also led to common practices such as posting performances on YouTube, creating…

This article explores the creative function of virtual instruments, sequencers, loops, and software-based synthesizers to introduce basic scoring and sound design concepts for visual media in an introductory music technology course. Using digital audio workstations with user-focused and configurable options, novice composers can hone a broad range…

The Aural Learning Project (ALP) was developed to incorporate jazz method components into the author's classical practice and her applied woodwind lesson curriculum. The primary objective was to place a more focused pedagogical emphasis on listening and hearing than is traditionally used in the classical applied curriculum. The components of the…

The creative music strategy is a dynamic and flexible seven-step model for guiding general music students through the music concepts of improvisation and composition, followed by critical reflection. These are musical behaviors that cultivate the development of our students' deeper conceptual understandings and music independence by helping them…

Music education scholars and veteran teachers often assert that composition is an essential part of a child's participation in music, but like many music educators, the author was reluctant to include it as part of her daily beginning band curriculum. Time and money were limited, and she wanted to be sure to cover all the material that beginners…

For the music teacher, keeping up with technology can be a daunting task. One of the latest forms of technology, podcasting, has seen explosive growth in educational use over the last two years. Podcasting is a technology that allows listeners to subscribe, download, and listen to audio or audiovisual files at their convenience. Like a magazine…

Music teachers in all specialties seem to struggle with voice problems. Although little research has been done specifically regarding music teachers, teachers in general are known to be at risk for developing voice disorders that can lead to difficulty teaching or even to leaving the profession. In an attempt to prevent this, some teachers have…

Web 2.0 tools and resources can enhance our efficiency and effectiveness as music educators, supporting personal learning networks for ongoing professional growth and development. This article includes (a) an explanation of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and the use of an RSS reader/aggregator; (b) a discussion of blogs, podcasts, wikis,…

Public performances highlight months of work, but because most school groups cannot afford to hire professional recording engineers, these events are rarely suitably preserved. With small investments of time and equipment, music teachers can create an enduring recording of these fleeting performances. Many of today's digital recording tools are…

The phonograph and related recording devices have proved to be effective educational tools for all areas of music education--theory, history, performance--as well as for history, drama, literature, language, and all other subject fields. This article celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of the invention of the phonograph with a photo essay.…