Playing (in) the Digital Studio
When schools address music technology, they tend to focus on the nuts and bolts of the technology itself, rather than its creative applications. But to truly engage new digital tools for creative music-making, we must address their most culturally significant context: electronic dance music and hip-hop. This music falls well outside the canon of what is widely considered suitable music for the classroom. Nevertheless, such music should be included, and not (only) because young people enjoy it. Rather than ‘dumbing down’ music education, the inclusion of popular dance music would significantly enrich the curriculum, particularly in areas traditionally neglected: groove, timbre, and space.