In his book Mindstorms, Papert (1980) describes the "Logo" math education computer program as one that completely changes the traditional relationship between the child with a computer and math. Papert envisioned the use of the computer in education to allow children to learn school subjects "more effectively and humanly" (p. 37) in contrast to the more prevalent "Skinner Machine-like" drill and practice computer-assisted-instruction programs which were technological advances of the time. Papert’s vision is unfolding today as computer use (and potential use) in the classroom has evolved from an "electronic chalkboard that students can use for practicing essential skills" (Cuban, 1986, p. 74) to machines that give children unique and meaningful control over their own learning development (Cuban, 1986; Papert, 1980, 1993; Schank & Edelson, 1990).

We’ve witnessed a similar revolutionary effect of computers on music learning. With the aid of a computer, musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) protocol, and MIDI instruments, we can now offer an educational environment in which children can compose music with little difficulty. Before technology, teaching musical composition to young children was difficult to implement because of the prerequisite requirement of notation skills. Simple notation and sequencing computer software programs allow children to creatively and meaningfully manipulate music without the need for the sophisticated knowledge of notation rules. With multimedia computer programs–such as Morton Subotnick’s Making Music (1996)–music composition for children becomes as easy as drawing on a notepad.

The next revolution in educational technology (and one which is developing rapidly in the math and science education arenas), is the linking of students electronically in "virtual learning communities." These communities allow students to communicate, either synchronously or asynchronously, with other children, other teachers and other experts who are located in different places. In music education, music composition is suited best for this type of electronic collaboration. Current technology makes it easy to create, upload, and "trade" general MIDI files over an Internet connection. More importantly, electronic collaboration among teachers, students, and composers help support classroom activities in composition. The availability of an instant community of experts, peers, and other teachers creates a support network for music composition in the classroom.

In this paper I will describe general models of electronic music composition communities and specifically, the Musical Internet Collaboration (MICNet!) project which is being developed at Northwestern University. I will also outline the research goals for MICNet! and conclude by presenting questions regarding the implications of electronic collaboration communities on the future of music composition teaching and learning.

Williams and Webster (1996) created a model in which different types of electronic communication environments can be described depending upon the times and places of participants (see figure 1). The upper right hand quadrant in figure 1 offers examples of synchronous, "same time-different place" scenarios. Video conferencing and distance learning are examples of this kind of setup. These are used most often in education for connecting teachers to wider audiences. This type of electronic education does not drastically change the traditional mode of teaching, that is, delivering knowledge to a passive audience (Edelson, Pea, & Gomez, 1996). Internet "chat" allows two users in different places to simultaneously write back and forth, or in the case of video, talk back and forth over their computer. The educational possibilities for access to "experts" through this mode are exciting, however chat has been used more informally than formally in classroom settings. In music, there also exists the possibilities for Internet "bands"; that is, musicians in different geographical locations connect and play their electronic instruments simultaneously over the Internet. The technology is limited at this time, however, and this has yet to make an impact in the educational arena, though the possibilities for the future are exciting.

The lower left quadrant in figure 1 supports the idea of a central (same place) electronic database server with access to materials at anytime (different time) for interested users. This is a very common phenomenon in the electronic communication world, especially in the growing use of posting class syllabi and materials on the web. The MICNet! database (which will be described later) is a specific example that utilizes this model.

Figure 1. Forms of electronic communication model (Williams & Webster, 1996).

It is within the asynchronous, "different place-different time" quadrant (lower right box in figure 1) where some of the most exciting developments and possibilities exist for changing our approach to music education–specifically composition in the music classroom. Students, teachers, and composers from different places can work together, at different times, through collaboration and sharing of musical ideas.

In "different time-different place" electronic learning communities, attention is placed on the social contexts of learning outside of the typical classroom. These learning communities emphasize the importance of distributed expertise, the opportunities for students to work collaboratively with others outside of their community to achieve goals, and diversity (Lin, Bransford, Hmelo, Kantor, Hickey, Secules, Petrosino, Goldman, and the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1996). The "different time-different place" electronic community is distinctively different from a traditional classroom where all students are asked to learn the same things from one "expert" and at the same point in time (Lin et al., 1996). Another term that describes this collaborative learning atmosphere is "distributed learning" which involves "orchestrating educational activities among classrooms, workplaces, homes, and community settings" (Dede, 1997, p. 15).

The four electronic music composition collaboration projects listed in the lower right quadrant of figure 1 are specific examples of current electronic "learning communities." In these communities, musical compositions in the form of general MIDI files are created by students in public school music classrooms. The students submit these files to the central "server" and all participants (students, teachers, composer) are welcome to download the compositions to listen and offer feedback (see figure 2). Shared composition projects are also not uncommon in these formats. One student (or class) might start a composition and others add to it, passing it around the networked community. Reflection and feedback are encouraged.

Figure 2. Model of basic Internet music composition collaboration.

By linking schools with each other and with an "expert" composer such as these musical communities do, students have the freedom to gain additional information from teachers and peers outside of their classroom and students and teachers have the opportunity to learn more about composing from expert composers. With a professional composer on board, apprenticeship learning can be simulated as well.

The MICNet! project is being developed at Northwestern University with the electronic "learning community" model in mind. The remainder of this paper will outline the specific purposes and logistics of the MICNet! project.

MICNet! will be officially launched at Northwestern University at the start of the Spring Quarter (March), 1998. After the summer break, MICNet! will begin again and continue through the academic year. The goals for the MICNet! project are:

The "partners" in MICNet! will include students and teachers from 12 midwest elementary, junior and senior high public and private schools, composer Dr. Dana Wilson from Ithaca College, and Northwestern University undergraduate music education majors. The MICNet! project will also develop a database server open to the public that will contain lesson plan ideas for music composition (see figure 3).

One purpose of the "Music Internet Connections" (MICNet!) project is to address the combined problems of pre-service teachers lack of experience with teaching music composition and lack of experience using technology. Northwestern University music education majors will be partners in the electronic music composition collaboration project while enrolled in their required course "Teaching Composition in the Schools."

Figure 3. MICNet! Internet collaboration model.

In addition to training present and future teachers on how they might use computer/music technology in their classrooms, the project will also work closely with elementary teachers to create customized, or supplement existing, music lessons that focus on music composition through technology. The Northwestern University doctoral research center, "Center for the Study of Education and the Musical Experience" (CSEME) has spent considerable time developing music composition curricula. These plans will be shared with teachers who volunteer to be part of the MICNet! project in order to spark ideas for teaching music composition in music classrooms. In addition, MICNet! will maintain a growing "database" of music composition lessons that are used as part of this project to share with anyone who might be interested in using them.

A component of the MICNet! project will involve the gathering of data for research purposes. The use of the Internet in teaching communities is new and growing, with little research to confirm the effects or benefits. Edelson, et al. (1996) pose intriguing research questions yet to be answered. Does the act of communication during learning enhance the quality of learning--for public school students and University students? Does reflection affect and/or change as students and teachers work in collaboration? Do pre-service teachers develop critical thinking skills as a result of working with students in this environment?

The MICNet! project will gather information about the development of children’s musical composition skills when taught in an Internet exchange environment. The children’s musical compositions will go through the process of revisions based on collaborative feedback and therefore will provide rich data relative to creative musical thinking. The development of the pre-service teachers’ interactions with students and each other will also be studied. Data collected will include student, teacher and composer input concerning this interactive Internet learning environment. Results of the research will be used to learn more about student musical development through composition, and to improve upon future Internet collaboration learning environments in which this development takes place.

It is exciting to know that Internet collaboration in music is new and really on the "cutting edge" of learning technologies. There are questions and issues that we face, however, as we prepare for this development and change. First and foremost, there is a great need for the development of user-friendly communication and learning tools that will allow for the easy exchange of MIDI files and other data. Secondly, with the imminent structure of layers within the communities of collaborative teaching and learning, there are issues of management. Who will administrate and lead? Who will manage the computer databases? We also need more study regarding the curricula of collaboration projects. How open or closed or common should the teaching units be among different schools? And finally, there is a need for the development of assessment tools in such communities. There are few tools available for the authentic assessment of children’s composition in general, much less in Internet collaboration communities.