Technology provides the world with a set of powerful tools for thinking, working, and communicating. Synthesizers, drum machines, electronic instruments, and a range of recording and editing equipment can be used to compose everything from popular dance music to esoteric sound art. Music presentations are taped and aired on television. Technology is not the heart of music education, nor are these ideas on using technology to teach music intended to direct learning in music classes. However, new technologies can support learning of the music Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as well as offering students the opportunity to learn new technological tools—important and useful in their own right.

The introduction of technology into the music classroom must be well-planned, organized, and carried out in a comprehensive manner. If you are uncertain about which technologies are available to you in your school or district, ask school administration about your options. If there is not yet a school or district-wide technology plan in place, consider initiating the discussion with administrators, specialists, and faculty.

The following ideas are intended to help teachers in the process of implementing technology in public school music programs. These thoughts and strategies are not exhaustive; rather, they are intended to incite ideas for using technology in music. 

Technology Supports Traditional Learning Goals

• By offering additional means for teachers to accommodate different learning styles and paces. For example, interactive technology enables students to learn at their own pace, making decisions within the structure of the program about what, and how, they learn.
• By motivating students to learn in new ways. The excitement of exploring the Internet can spark new interest in music.
• By encouraging students' self-direction. Students can make the choices of what and how to research online, how to use technology, and how to plan and create online journals. 
• By giving special needs students more opportunities to collaborate with peers. Internet and interactive technologies can be a rich source of peer coaching and cooperation among students. Learners take on different tasks in working towards common research, production, or presentation goals.

Technology Provides New Learning Tools in Music

• By providing students with valuable, new creative tools, such as MIDI and sound equipment
• By offering students efficient, exploratory ways to research musicians and their contributions, music history, trends, and styles with the Internet's network of library catalogs, campus information systems, directories, databases, archives, and other interactive media technology
• By enabling students to communicate with musicians, teachers, and students around the world in online discussion groups, list servs, bulletin boards, and e-mail
• By providing a new way for students to document and assess their learning. Students can keep computer journals, saving their compositions digitally. 

Steps for Integrating Technology into Music Education

Schools must develop comprehensive plans for integrating technology into their curricula. An effective plan is based on the shared vision of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and technology experts. Technology should strengthen a district's curricula and strategies for teaching the Music TEKS, providing another means of engaging students in meaningful learning. When a technology plan is in place, teachers might consider the following strategies for making the most of these new learning tools. If a plan is not yet in place, many of these strategies can prepare teachers and students for future use of technology.

• Create an atmosphere that emphasizes collaboration.
• Develop music activities that incorporate challenging, authentic tasks with technological tools used as supports when they add significant value to the learning experience. The knowledge and skills of the music TEKS should be the primary goal. Incorporation of technology should be secondary.
• Seek opportunities to collaborate with other music teachers; work in teams to design and implement technology-supported projects.
• Join students in learning new technology that expands learning in music, demonstrating problem-solving and thinking skills that show students positive ways to approach new learning challenges.
• Design activities so that every student has something to offer. Draw from your knowledge base of students' strengths and needs to foster success and to bolster specific areas of learning.
• Develop assessment procedures to monitor and document each student's progress.