In my opinion, it is pretty much universally accepted that music technology is here to stay, and its use in the classroom has been proven overall to be valid and effective. Music educators have benefited greatly from the use of tools such as notation programs, interactive software such as SmartMusic and the like, not to mention the sheer convenience of being able to carry thousands of musical examples in the smartphones in their pockets. Gone are the days of haunting record stores to find recordings of repertoire they plan to program, now that video streaming on YouTube and Vimeo are so readily available. Although the widespread use of technology has transformed education as we know it, perhaps we are still too close to it to really evaluate the long-term consequences of its use on the profession.

In a 2017 article published by the International Literacy Association entitled “The Triple E Framework: Learning First, Technology Second”, Amber White presents a rubric for teachers to use when considering how to use technology in the classroom. She calls it the “Triple E Framework.” To summarize, the three “E’s” represent Engagement in Learning Goals, Enhancement in Learning Goals, and Extension of Learning Goals. She states “After establishing clear learning goals and then determining what technology will be integrated into the lesson, the framework can be used to evaluate overall lesson quality by looking through the lens of the three E’s.

“Each of the three components…are scored on a scale of 0-2, with 0 = criteria not present, 1= criteria somewhat present, and 2 = criteria absolutely present in the lesson.” She then illustrates the use of the framework by contrasting two lessons which, using the framework, show what makes a successful lesson.

White’s framework calls to mind my own experience at the close of this past school year. With nearly a month of school remaining after our Spring Concert, I was looking for a way to keep my orchestra students engaged through our last day. I eventually gave them an assignment to form small groups with mixed instrumentation and either create an original piece or make a “cover version” of a popular song. The cover versions won out. The small groups spread out through different spaces in our music wing, and spent the next two and a half weeks honing their pieces. I was gratified to see the results. Students took the technology they had at hand – their cell phones, the school’s Sibelius notation program, free online resources such as MuseScore and Noteflight – and over time created their own arrangements of mostly current pop hits. In the process, they came to terms with real world musical problems – transcribing and performing rhythms and articulations accurately, transposing from original keys to more string-friendly ones, creating rhythm tracks, and ongoing self-evaluation and feedback, using their phones as recorders. The students remained Engaged, their use of technology Enhanced their process, and many of them spent time at home working on their individual parts (Extension) in preparation for their final performance.

You can hear some of the results in the video below. I have strung together short clips of their final performances and I inserted them as the soundtrack of a video I shot of scenes from my backyard. See how many of the tunes you can identify!