Traditional music education centered around the ensemble classroom has often privileged reading music and instrumental technique over creative skills such as composition, improvisation, and learning by ear. As the technological landscape of students' everyday lives rapidly shifts, what schools
teach rarely aligns with students' more creative day-to-day lives outside of the classroom.
While administrators and state education standards often encourage incorporating creative technologies into the music curriculum, many music teachers lack the training to successfully utilize
these tools and platforms. In Technology for Unleashing Creativity, author Steve Giddings provides a practical and easily accessible resource for in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers looking to make better use of technology in their teaching and help heighten students' creativity. One of few
authors to tackle both issues simultaneously, Giddings offers a guide for inspiring creativity in students through tools like YouTube learning, notation technology, DAWs, electronic instruments, online pedagogical platforms, and more.
A technology-driven approach to music education has
never been timelier. COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the business-as-usual of educational institutions, and music educators especially have adapted to teaching remotely. Via practical tips, visual diagrams, and lesson plan ideas, Technology for Unleashing Creativity walks music teachers through
the core aspects of using technology in their classrooms--in-person and remote--offering a definitive guide to creativity and technology in K-12 music education.
Acknowledgements
Introduction - Modern Music Education
Chapter 1 - Creativity in Music Education
Chapter 2 - Technology in Music Education
Chapter 3 - The Informal Learning Approach
Chapter 4 - Digital Audio Workstations
Chapter 5 - Notation Software
Chapter 6 -
Other Online Tools for Fostering Creativity
Chapter 7 - Makey Makey and Coding for Creativity
Chapter 8 - Electronic, Digital, and Virtual Instruments
Chapter 9 - Tech for Facilitating Creativity with Small Ensembles
Chapter 10 - Other
Considerations
Conclusion
Appendix
There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.
Steve Giddings has been a long-time advocate for creative musical practices, popular music education and a conduit for pushing the envelope in music education in Canada and across the world. He is owner and operator of StevesMusicRoom.com and is active as a performer, workshop facilitator, and
writer. He is a regular columnist in the Canadian Music Educator Journal, and has two previously published books for music teachers: Rock Coach and Creative Musicking.