Learner Engagement and Technology Integration
If music educators use technology to do old things in new ways, they are still doing old things. Music is constantly evolving with technological advancements. Technology can be used in many different ways in music classes. Technology best serves music educators when they reimagine musicianship and design opportunities to explore nontraditional ways of being a musician. This should begin with the teacher’s preservice experiences. Music educators need a rich understanding of their content area so that technology becomes a support for authentic musical processes as opposed to being an add-on. The integration of music technology must be contextualized within methods courses in order for music educators to feel comfortable enough with the technology itself that it becomes transparent to the musical experiences. Technology will never replace a great educator, but a great educator who understands the possibilities of supporting learning with technology will replace a great educator who does not.