Applied teaching at the college level has traditionally been a one-on-one approach, similar to a "master/apprentice" method that was once common for learning any practical or artistic skill. There are few places on a college campus where undergraduates get as much individual attention and individually-tailored lesson plans as in the applied studios of the music department. This tradition has produced wonderful results, and one would be hard-pressed to find supporters of its complete abolition.

However, there are certainly ways to enhance the one-on-one approach. One danger of the traditional approach is that a student can be very isolated----the majority of his or her music-making is alone (practice room) or for an audience of one (in the weekly lesson). Even if he/she is in an ensemble, such as a band or choir, there is still a lack of interaction with other practitioners of the instrument; for instance, in a band, all too often the other section members are regarded as competition for the first chair.

Many college applied teachers have addressed this situation by having a weekly seminar for all the students of the instrument. Frequently, this time is spent performing for each other, discussing pertinent topics, and fostering new techniques for practicing, performing, etc.

I have found the weekly seminar to be invaluable for students with stage fright, students with little pre-college background in the literature of the instrument, students who have never interacted with other students of their instrument, and students who have a very narrow view of tone quality, styles, and musicianship. Through the weekly seminar, many students are able to overcome performance problems and to learn new things about their art in an informal, collegial setting.

One situation that continued to be a problem, however, was the effect of more dominant personalities on more taciturn students. In any discussion of, for instance, tone quality, some students are apt to be more vocal, due to personality traits, seniority, or confidence in the subject matter. Even if the quieter students are "called on," this can put someone on the spot and make them less likely to be forthright with their opinion. Especially since all the students of one instrument are usually in the same seminar, a freshman is naturally less inclined to speak up or disagree with a graduate student.

A solution to this dilemma has been found in the use of the Multi-User System for Interactive Computing/System Product (MUSIC). Through the use of MUSIC, which was developed at McGill University, many users can access a mainframe computer for a multitude of activities, including word processing, statistical analysis software, programming languages, and electronic office facilities. There is also a provision on MUSIC so that the professor can post class notes or messages for the entire class to view. For the purposes of this presentation, we will be focusing on the electronic conference capabilities.

Each of my students has a MUSIC account. A student can access the MUSIC system through this account number and personal password. This account number also works as an Internet address for electronic mail. I have set up "electronic pen pals" for many of my students with students of the same instrument at other colleges. The students can communicate with each other and with me in addition to logging on to international electronic bulletin boards with topics pertinent to music-making. Not only is this a convenience, but it fosters a feeling of collegiality with other practitioners of the instrument and keeps the aloneness of the practice room from being too overwhelming.

MUSIC is also set up so that all of my students have access to an electronic conference. This works in many ways like the weekly seminar. A topic is introduced, and then each student can type in his/her thoughts on the topic at anytime of the day or night. The student can read what others have written, and then add his/her own comments for the next student to read. The results of this have been astounding. When each student is sitting at a personal workstation, without distractions, the depth of comment about a particular topic is generally much more profound than in a live seminar. Since there is no danger of being interrupted, or self-consciousness about one's speaking voice, even the most shy student can be "heard." A student who takes a few minutes to formulate ideas or reactions might never be heard in a live situation because the pace of the discussion might be overwhelming. With the conference on MUSIC, this is no longer a problem since a student can spend as long as he or she needs at the workstation to type in comments. The progress my students have made as critical thinkers since using MUSIC is remarkable.

In addition, two good "side effects" of this situation are: elimination of scheduling problems, and development of computer skills. It is often difficult to find a weekly seminar time when everyone can attend; because the electronic seminar can be done at anytime, this is no longer a problem. Secondly, this forces students to confront computers and learn how to use them, certainly a skill that will be needed in their futures.

At this point, let us look at just exactly what MUSIC is. McGill has described MUSIC as "a time-sharing system that allows many users to access a mainframe computer concurrently." A multitude of individuals can be using MUSIC simultaneously, for different needs, from any computer workstation on campus, or from remote locations by using a modem. For instance, when I travel with my laptop, I can log on to MUSIC to oversee my students' work and receive any mail that they may have sent to me. By using MUSIC, an electronic bulletin board can be created, known as a CWIS (Campus-Wide Information System). In fact, at some MUSIC sites it is possible to access these bulletin boards anonymously. For office functions, MUSIC provides a word-processing program (SCRIPT), a spell-checker, and a calendar function. There are statistical software systems available; one of my colleagues who teaches Research in Music Education has had wonderful success using these with students.

Each user of MUSIC has his/her own disk space attached to the mainframe. It is also possible to share files. It takes a minimum amount of training to navigate MUSIC. There is on-screen help and the menus are quite clear.

The two functions of MUSIC that I use with my horn students are: electronic mail and electronic conferencing. Operating like any email access to the Internet, the mail function on MUSIC is easy to learn. Even the most computer-intimidated student gets hooked and is "surfing the net" before the term is over. Particularly popular is accessing Gopher. Assigning the students electronic pen pals--horn students at other institutions-- has been very beneficial. In addition to sending mail, they also have file transfer capabilities. Because I teach at a state institution, many of my students have not had a lot of exposure to what else (and who else) is out there in the world studying the horn. Exchanging information on literature, equipment, ensemble experiences, etc. has broadened my students' outlooks. On a practical level, a student can email me a question or concern when it occurs without worrying about interrupting a lesson or calling me late at night. Again, this is useful if I am out of town. MUSIC also has the capabilities for the professor to post class notes for access by all of the students. I have found this useful when posting ensemble seating rotations, concert schedules, etc. One of my colleagues in the math department lectures from his laptop computer connected to an overhead projector. He strongly discourages the students from taking notes so that their entire attention can be on the math problems he is solving. Immediately after each class session, he posts the notes and problems from that class directly from his laptop to MUSIC for access by all of the students. It is also possible to have students turn in written assignments to the professor via MUSIC. The professor can make comments and notes on the text and return it to the student.

The electronic conference is set up so that only those students designated by the instructor can have access. Currently one glitch in the system is that students have to get a new MUSIC id each quarter, rather than carry over their old one. My students are probably some of the only , if not THE only students on campus who have one professor for successive quarters. In our case, we type "conf horn" to get us into the horn conference. We then see a screen that lists all of the topics that have been created for the conference. Next to each topic title is the date and time of the latest update to that topic. It is up to the instructor to establish the parameters of the conference---which students have clearance to create a new topic, which students can view and append topics, which students can view but not append, etc. For my horn students, they are all able to view and append each topic; the graduate students can also create new topics. The student types a "v" next to the topic title of interest, and after pressing return, the screen shows the topic material, from the beginning if it is that student's first time in that topic; otherwise it automatically goes to the point where the student was last there so that only new material is visible. If a student chooses to review previously viewed material, it only involves the press of a function key. When the student is ready to add his/her own comments, the press of another function key enables that to happen. Automatically included in the text is the student's name and time of entry. Topics that have been used are: tone color, articulation, critiques of certain recordings, and research reports on notable performers of the instrument. This week they are discussing ways to be prepared for performances in church services. Generally when I set up a topic, I give a paragraph of explanation and guidelines. Occasionally I will add material as the discussion is building through the week, but I want the students to really feel like it is their forum.

When evaluating any learning tool, it is of course important to get feed-back from the students. Our program is going very smoothly, but that was certainly not the case when we first started last winter. With all the students as novices, there was much confusion about how to access the system, where to get help on campus, etc. About half of my students had never used a computer before and were quite intimidated. However, once they were comfortable with the format, they took to the electronic conferencing very quickly. Generally I require at least two separate log-ons per student per topic, with sufficient time between the two log-ons to allow for others to comment on the first log-on. Particularly when the topic is subjective, we have gotten some wonderful discourse from students at all levels. One topic that particularly drew in the students was a discussion of tone---what is "good tone," how is it accomplished, is vibrato appropriate for horns, etc. I have been especially pleased to see long, thoughtful remarks from students who are shy in "live" discussions. At the end of the second quarter of using MUSIC, I had the students complete an evaluation form anonymously. The consensus was that it had definitely enhanced their performing abilities and general knowledge about music. All felt more adept at using computers. Most appreciated being able to do it on their own time, rather than having to be at a set time and set place for a "live" seminar; however, there were a few that felt this asked for too much self-discipline in time management! Some complained of having to wait in line at computer labs or computer lab attendants who were not familiar with MUSIC, and one even wrote, "I am here to study horn with a person not a computer!" From the teacher's perspective, I have noticed a higher level of respect and collegiality among the students, from freshmen through doctoral students. I have also noticed a more global outlook on horn playing---that is, an awareness of the importance of knowing about the pieces being performed, the great hornists of our time and of the past, the possibility of different approaches to the same piece of music, etc. Most importantly, I do not see the students spending less time in the practice room, but I do see them making better use of their practice sessions.

Users of MUSIC, and professors contemplating using MUSIC for their students, have a wealth of support documentation available. Manuals are accessible on-line and in hard copy. these include twelve publications, such as MUSIC/SP General Information Manual (GX80-0213), MUSIC/SP GUIDE for New Users (SC38-8103), MUSIC/SP Mail and Office Applications Guide (SC38-8104), and MUSIC/SP Personal Computer Workstation User's Guide (SX80-0210). Inquiries should be addressed to

MUSIC Product Group

550 Sherbrooke St. West

Suite 1650, West Tower

Montreal , Quebec

Canada H3A 1B9

514-398-4477

(fax) 514-398-4488

email: INFO@MUSICM.MCGILL.CA

There are MUSIC/SP installations throughout the world, including South America, Asia, and Europe. It is estimated that there are about one third of a million users. The McGill team has established an international group of MUSIC, the MUSIC Users Group, Inc (MUG). MUG holds a yearly conference and publishes a newsletter, MUSIC News. User groups have also been formed in Japan and Brazil.

It should be noted that the use of MUSIC as a part of the applied experience has been very useful. By no means should this completely replace the "live" seminar; in my studio, we alternate weekly between live performing seminars and electronic seminars. This seems to be a good balance. For instance, tomorrow, Friday, is our seminar day. Since I will be attending a conference in Savannah, the students have an electronic assignment for this week. The experience of actually performing for each other is of paramount importance, and electronic conferencing should not detract from that experience. By combining the two methods, students are aware of how many factors go into their art, and have the skills to be good producers and evaluators of music-making.