Colleen Pinar, Fort Hays State University

Today's computer technology is advancing to levels which were only dreamt of years ago. The need to be computer literate is becoming a widespread requirement in our society. This may mean different things in a divergent society, particularly to music educators. With the struggle to validate the inclusion of music in education and the "back to basics" atmosphere in our country, there is a need to bring music and technology together. This will surely help to substantiate music as an essential component in a visionary, innovative education curriculum, up-to-date with other "back to basics" subjects. Because music educators are aware of this need, they are becoming more computer literate and are using this technology in the classroom. Computer programs written for the elementary music classroom are available, but few in number. It may be useful for today's music educators to examine their school music curriculum and enhance it through the use of existing and/or new software. In doing so, music education will continue to advance with technology and will be considered not only an educational, aesthetic medium, but also a performance and technology medium, addressing the need for computer literacy.

The purpose of this study is to investigate some capabilities of the Macintosh computer and the HyperCard software in creating teaching aids called infogames. These aids contain information on Level Six Kodaly concepts and games that develop selected concepts. Other purposes of this study are:

Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967), Hungarian composer and educator, was truly a reformer of music education. Hungarians, prior to the early part of the twentieth century, were trained in the Western European tradition in music and were losing their true Hungarian musical heritage, the folk music of the peasant class (Zemke, 1976, p. 2). This situation and the lack of prepared music students at the academy of Music in Budapest led Kodaly to realize that the music education system of his homeland was not meeting the needs of the Hungarian people. This realization prompted Kodaly to look for ways to reform music education.

The natural outgrowth of Kodaly’s Hungarian folk song research and Kodaly’s and Jeno Adam’s search for the best approach/tools for teaching music education led Kodaly to develop a philosophy of music education which uses folk music as its basis. Hungary’s music education system was reformed as a result of this research (Zemke, 1976, p. 70). By the mid-twentieth century, Kodaly, his colleagues, and his students solidified their approach to music education with objectives:

Music technology with even sophisticated music software will not replace teachers; technology merely provides a learning aid for building skills (Penfold, 1991, p. 3). As with any new development, some music educators will be intimidated by the new technology, but if used consistently, teachers will find a wide range of approaches for use in their classrooms. Using technology in the music classroom may mean different things to different people, as it ranges from basic word-processing and synthesizer in Jazz Band to a truly integrated music technology instruction. Berger says instruction is not truly integrated "unless it has a powerful effect on the teaching and learning experience within a given class or, indeed, actually becomes central to the activities within a course" (Zemke, 1976, p. 14). He goes on to say there are four levels of computer use:

Some computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can significantly aid students since it helps them engage in a more comprehensive approach to education, thus allowing for various learning styles. Students can work at their own pace, interest areas, and location beyond the classroom, thus facilitating learning that is more complete and retained longer (Dunnigan, 1993, p. 34). Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can also utilize various technology, including Hypermedia which fosters both accelerated and improved retention of information (Wulfekuhle, 1994, p. 77). Nicholas Wulfekuhle, program manager for Training Advanced Communication Systems, Inc., defines the term Hypermedia: "Hypermedia combines the information storage and retrieval aspects of hyperlinking technology which allows people to learn more naturally by linking theory to application rather than moving sequentially from one item to the next, with multimedia elements such as apertures, video, sound, diagrams, etc." This, Wulfekuhle says, "stimulates the students' interests" (1994, p. 77).

Hypermedia programs allow for customizing authoring programs to fit specific learning needs. Since learning is largely dependent upon what the students see and hear, audio and visual capabilities are essential. Visual media allows students to concretely see what they are learning, therefore it is essential that hypermedia software used in this learning incorporate a variety of visuals into each lesson (Wulfekuhle, 1994, p. 78). Wulfekuhle foresees that Hypermedia will reduce education and training costs along with the decreased time needed to comprehend and retain new learnings (p. 80). Though Hypermedia has many benefits, as with any learning tools, Hypermedia software and Computer-Based Training programs (CBT) must be selected carefully to insure that students comprehend material rather than only the program structure. Wulfekuhle goes on to say that the definition of Hypermedia has not been fully standardized, and its implication for use may vary (p. 78). Wulfekuhle in the article, "Selecting a Hypermedia Authoring Program For CBT," offers these guidelines:

After each software needs criterion is analyzed, each software's worth is judged. Margaret B. Puckett, and Janet K. Black, writers of the book, Authentic Assessment of the Young Child, quotes from another book, The Young Child: Development From Prebirth Through Age Eight by Janet Black, Margaret Puckett, and Michael Bell in presenting ten criteria for developmentally appropriate software for young children:

Anderson, summarizes what he considers guidelines for selecting developmentally appropriate music software:

Just as Kodaly's goal was to develop a music education curriculum on which to build a complete education, music educators today must strive to develop student exposure to all facets of music. One way to accomplish this is to incorporate computer technology into the music classroom. In doing so, music education will continue to advance with technology and possibly unleash hidden creative powers. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), using specially designed software will allow flexibility in the music classroom, thus facilitating a more comprehensive approach to music education. CAI allows for various learning styles, interest areas, and music creation, resulting in enhanced appreciation of music.

The capabilities of the Macintosh computer and the HyperCard computer software in creating a series of educational games and information exercises would possibly enrich the teaching of selected Level Six Kodaly concepts utilized by an individual or group of children. Addressed within this project are Kodaly's writings, which may lend themselves to support technology in music education. Other technology and music education concerns were considered in their developmental factors in using computer assisted-instruction in the music classroom.

Several conclusions can be drawn from this study. Some of these are drawn from the writings of Zoltan Kodaly's futuristic thrust, rationalizing about music and music education; others relate directly to the overlaying or pairing of music with technology, and from field testing the infogames.

We must not believe in a teacher who only wants to teach what he has learned, who does not want to eliminate in his pupils the mistakes of his own education, who does not proclaim -- study, child, be wiser than your father (Carder, 1970, p. 164).

Today's computer technology is advancing and evolving, and the need to be computer literate is no longer a choice but an imperative. Music education together with technology can aid in the development of musical literacy and musical aesthetics; in turn, students will be better prepared for the future, and music educators will be more effective teachers.