C. Floyd Richmond, West Chester University

Technology has revolutionized the field of music. Prior to the invention of sound and video recording, and television and radio, few people heard a symphony more than three or four times in their lifetime. In fact, in many areas of the United States, entire communities lived and died without ever having heard an orchestra. This is not the case today. Children and adults alike are inundated with music. Most have heard symphonic excerpts plus a wide variety of other styles of music within the last day if not within the last hour.

Modern technologies hold a similar potential for revolutionizing the way music teachers work and teach. Among the common activities of music teacher which can be enhanced by technology are writing and recording music, writing letters and memos, creating flyers and music programs, keeping records, raising funds, averaging grades, maintaining a music library, tracking uniform and instrument inventories, assigning supplemental out-of-class instruction and presenting musical materials in class. In fact, the use of technology with these tasks can make their completion faster and of higher quality (after a basic level of proficiency is attained). Unlike technologies of the past, however, the potential of today’s technology can only be unleashed when music educators receive adequate training to use it. The following computer literacy policy is in force at West Chester University and seeks to provide future music teachers with the skills needed to utilize new technologies.

The following skills have been identified by West Chester University as necessary for the computer literacy of its graduates:

Field-specific software as identified by the music education department includes the following: computer-assisted instruction software on the elementary and secondary level, music printing software, music sequencing software, authoring software, and marching band software.

The computer literacy requirements identified above are incorporated into the West Chester University music education curriculum in the following ways. Word processing proficiency and elementary-level computer-assisted-instruction are taught in elementary methods (MUE 331). Secondary level computer-assisted-instruction, music printing, music sequencing and authoring software are taught in secondary methods (MUE 332). Spreadsheet, database, and marching band software are taught in instrumental methods (MUE 333).

The computer literacy policy of West Chester University did not define the level of proficiency with each type of software. The following definitions were developed by the Music Education Department based on the time and resources available to implement the policy.

Word processing proficiency is identified as follows. The student will create new documents, save documents to disk, load documents from disk, print documents, move text from one location in a document to another, make a copy of existing text, operate the word processor's spelling checker, set margins, set tab stops, and center text.

Database proficiency is identified as follow. The student will create and save a simple data-base for instrument inventory, uniform management, or music library management. The student will load an existing database. The student will define the following terms: database, record, field. The student will sort the information according to any category (student last name, instrument checked out, etc.). The student will use the search and retrieve capabilities of the database program to find specific information. The student will print a simple report.

Spreadsheet proficiency is identified as follows. The student will create and save a simple spreadsheet for a fund-raising campaign. The spreadsheet will include formulas which will calculate total sales for each student and for the project as a whole. The student will load an existing spreadsheet. The student will define the following terms: spreadsheet, row, column, and cell.

Proficiency with computer-assisted instruction software is defined as follows. The student will gain familiarity with available software for elementary and secondary music classes by writing reviews of three lessons and presenting a class report on one. The student will demonstrate the ability to integrate the software into the music curriculum by describing the use of the software in an educational setting. Some students will incorporate the use of the computer into their micro-teaching assignments.

Proficiency with music printing and notation software is defined as follows. The student will enter, play, and print sixteen measures of an assigned string quartet using the computer. The print-out will conform to standard notational practice and will include all accents, articulations, dynamics, and expressive markings of the original composition.

Proficiency with music sequencing software is defined as follows. The student will enter, edit, and play an assigned four-voice composition of 16 measures. Each voice will be performed on a different MIDI channel using a timbre of the student’s choice. The student will play the music beginning and ending at specified measure numbers. The student will demonstrate how to change the tempo and transposition of the performance.

Proficiency with authoring software is defined as follows. The student will design a tutorial lesson of ten screens. The student will enter the lesson into the computer using text, graphics, and musical examples to illustrate the various points of the lesson. The student will create an interactive quiz of ten screens on the material presented in the lesson.

Proficiency with marching band show-design software is defined as follows. The student will create a band formation for a specified number of players using the available shape tools (line, circle, arc, block, free-hand).

Question: Should computer literacy be addressed through existing courses or in a separate course?

The Music Education Department has chosen to incorporate the teaching of these skills into existing courses. This course of action is viewed by the department as superior to requiring a separate computer literacy course for graduation because music education students already have a large number of courses required for graduation (over 140 semester hours). Increasing the number of hours required for graduation is not a reasonable alternative.

Question: Why not require students to take computer literacy as a science elective?

Requiring music education majors to take computer literacy as their science elective also received consideration but was also found to have several disadvantages. First, the required computer course always fills early in registration. Many students wait for years to be able to take the course while others are never able to schedule it. Second, requiring the computer literacy course eliminates the possibility that students will take any other science. While the computer literacy course has a more direct practical application to the student, the Music Education Department believes that students should be allowed the opportunity to broaden their mind in other scientific areas if they choose. Finally, the computer literacy course does not meet the need of the student for knowledge of field-specific software.

Question: How about developing a computer literacy course for musicians which carries science credit?

This is a good idea and may work in some locations but the existing structure at West Chester University (curriculum committee and union regulations) make this a difficult option to implement. Also, there is the difficulty of controlling the content and staffing of a course offered outside the School of Music.

Question: Should a beginning music teacher use a computer to write notation, record music, write letters, keep financial records, maintain inventories and libraries, and develop lessons?

All of these tasks will have to be done in the regular performance of every music teacher’s job. Doing them manually is possible for the most part but usually results in slower and lower quality work. While it will be impossible to develop the beginning music teacher’s skill in each of these areas to a high level, they should at least know and understand the options. Furthermore, they should have had a hands-on experience with each of these applications.

Question: If methods courses devote so much time to the teaching of computer literacy, when will they teach music?

One must carefully guard how deeply students delve into technology. There is a danger that too much time can be devoted to computer literacy. Computer literacy must not supplant critical musical or pedagogical skills. The following suggestions for in-class time work fairly well to accomplish the level of computer literacy described in this document. Each class below includes 45 hours of in-class instruction for a total of 135 hours. Of these, 9.5 hours (7%) are devoted to computer literacy. Other non-technology activities make up 93% of the in-class instruction.

Question: Will the time spent on computer literacy result in better music teachers?

Not necessarily. The best teachers, however, generally take full advantage of the resources available to them. Empowering future music teachers to use the tools of technology will help them achieve a more complete utilization of resources. Also the time saved may allow teachers to devote more time to the preparation of class materials and presentations.

Question: Will computer literacy skills really enable students to work faster and produce higher quality work?

Speed only comes with practice. Initially students may feel that they can do tasks faster by hand. This is probably the same way they felt when they first started typing but even dismally poor typists who can only produce 20 words per minute can type faster than they can write. Once the speed of a task exceeds the time that would have been required to do it manually, the teacher has additional time to reflect on and improve the quality of their work. Some teachers will choose to use the time otherwise (to do more of the same quality work or to have additional free time) but the potential exists for improved work. In some cases, such as music notation, the quality of the work improves from the beginning. Few music teachers can write musical manuscript as neatly and precisely as a computer.

Question: Don’t computers encourage unnecessary editing and thereby waste time?

This is a significant danger. Teachers who repeatedly edit their work feel as though they are accomplishing something. Many times, however, the result is about the same quality as their first effort. Teachers must be encouraged to distinguish between productive effort (such as when Beethoven rewrote theme after theme) and wasted time (such as taking a week to enter Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star into the computer).

Question: Since students will not have time to develop high levels of computer proficiency, isn’t the time devoted to literacy a waste of time.

No, If students are aware of the possibilities that technology offers and have had hands-on experience with the applications, they will be motivated to develop proficiencies in the areas of greatest need for their particular teaching situation (and based on their particular environment).

Question: What if different hardware is used in the school where the student eventually becomes a teacher?

The skills identified in this document are possible on virtually every microcomputer available today. Although some of the procedures for using the operating system will change, the basic function and operation of each program will remain the same. If students understand the concepts, they can move from platform to platform fairly easily.