topics for 2016:03topics.maydaygroup.org/articles/2016/walzer2016.pdf · 2016. 6. 3. · topics for...

TOPICS for Music Education Praxis

2016:03http://topics.maydaygroup.org

ISSN: 2469-4681

Article URL: http://topics.maydaygroup.org/2016/Walzer16.pdf © 2016, Daniel Walzer

DigitalStorytellinginMusicandAudioEducation:Inspiring

ModernReflectivePracticewithRelevantTechnology

DanielWalzer

UniversityofMassachusettsLowell

ABSTRACT

Digitalstorytelling(DST),amethodofreflectivepracticeusingsimplemultimediatools,presentshighlyuseful,multidisciplinarycurricularoptionsacrosstheK–16educationalspectrumandincommunityprograms.Althoughithasarich,emergentpedagogicalvisioninthedigitalhumanities,digitalstorytellingasacreativeassessmenttoolremainsunder-exploredinmusicandaudioeducation.Millennials,deeplyembeddedwithmultimediatechnologyproficiency,nowrepresentagrowingpopulationofmusicandaudiostudentspursuinghighereducationdegreesincommerciallyfocuseddisciplines.Thisarticleexaminesdigitalstorytellingasacentralpartofagermanecurriculardesigninpopularandtechnology-basedmusiccoursesinuniversitysettings.Finally,somepedagogicalsuggestionsandguidingquestionsareofferedthatuniversityteacherscanusetoencouragestudentreflectivepracticethroughdigitalstorytelling.

Keywords:digitalstorytelling,DST,commercialmusic,popularmusic,musicandmediaeducation,reflectivepractice,multimediatechnology,millenniallearning

Introduction

Asmoreuniversity–levelcertificateanddegreeprogramsofferspecializationsin

musictechnology,collegeeducatorscanprofitfromconsideringhowtounlockthe

mysteryof“production”toreachtheirstudents.Takingintoconsiderationthatthe

currentgenerationofmillennialstudentshasgrownupwithcomputertechnology

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TOPICS for Music Education Praxis 2016:01 •Daniel Walzer

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atthecenteroftheireverydaylife,musictechnologyeducatorslikelyencounter

cohortsthatarecreativeandself-assuredintheiruseofdigitalaudioworkstations,

computers,tablets,andsimilartools.The“digitalnative”generationgrewupwith

allformsofmultimediaatthecenteroftheirveryexistence.1Thisarticleproposes

thatthetechnologyitselfaffordsreflectivemusicandaudioeducatorswithan

opportunitytoexplorethetoolstheyusealongwiththeirstudents.

Whilestudentsmighttaketheirknackforthistechnologyforgranted,

instructorsmaychoosetointroduceaseriesofopen–endedquestionsabouthow

independentartistsandproducersrecordmodernpopularmusicwithaccessible

technologyinthetwenty–firstcentury.Thesequestionscanguideclassroom

discussionswithstudentsandinspiremusicandaudioteacherstoconnect

technologytotheirownresearchaims.Hereareafewideas:

• Q1:Howareindependentmusicalbumsproducedathomeandinnontraditionalsites?

• Q2:Howdoescontemporaryrecordingtechnologyinfluencemusicianship?

• Q3:Howdoindependentartistsaddressremotecollaboration,production,

technical,andartisticissues?

• Q4:Canmediatechnologyencourageuniversitystudentstobereflectivelearners?

Usingreflectivequestionstoengagecriticalthinking,fostercollaboration,and

promoteresearchisnotanewphenomenon.Yet,asallformsofmusictechnology

continuallyadvance,theneedforcarefulintrospectionbymusicandaudio

educators—particularlyattheuniversitylevelwherethesetypesofundergraduate

programsemerge—remainsanessentialandbeneficialpractice.DanaandYendol-

Hoppey(2009)describethis“teacherinquiry”asamultidimensionalwaytowards

understandingtheintricaciesthatunderscoreclassroommanagement,curricular

policy,andthestakeholdersinvolvedatalllevelsofeducation.Theyencourage

teachersnottobeoverlyconcernedwithsemantics—notingthatteacherinquiry,

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

1. Since the early 2000s, Marc Prensky (2001) has written extensively about digital natives—explaining that this generation of students fluently speaks a language influenced by the Internet, computer technology, media, games, and popular culture. Considering his work nearly 15 years later, Prensky urged teachers to find ways to use technology in the classroom. Taken in a broader context, those same ideas can be applied today. For more information, see Prensky’s (2001) essay “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” from On the Horizon.


48

actionresearch,andintellectual/professionalcuriosityareallappropriatewaysto

describethistypeofreflectivepractice.

GuidingQuestionsinUniversityMusicTechnologyPrograms

Thequestionsofferedabovearenotintendedtobecomprehensive,rigidlydefined,

norprescriptive.Simplyput,someyoungerstudentsmightnotbefullyawareofthe

deepercontextofrecordingtechnology’sinfluenceandwhatissuestheywill

encounterwhenproducingtheirownideas.Similarly,musictechnologyeducators

maybeinterestedindocumentingandanalyzingthewaysthattheirstudentsuse

thesetoolsinnewerundergraduateprogramsthatlackclearlyarticulatedrubrics

forassessmentandevaluation.DanaandYendol-Hoppey(2009)encourageteachers

toidentifytheircuriositiesanddrawfromtheireverydayclassroomexperienceto

gleandata.Consideringthispointfromtheperspectiveofmusictechnology

courseworkinuniversitysettings,thetimingisappropriatetoexplorehownew

mediafostersreflectivepracticeinteachersandstudentsalike.

Musictechnologydegreesaregenerallynascentincomparisontoother

teacher–preparationandperformanceprograms.Tobeclear,thisarticleconsiders

musictechnology,audioengineering,commercialmusicproduction,newmedia,

gaming,andsounddesignasgenerallysimilarlearningpathways.Thetermsusedto

definethesetypesofdegreesareflexibleandoftenidentical.Eachofthesetypesof

programsmodelcertainaspectsofthecommercialaudioandmusicindustry.

Collegesanduniversitiesmayuseslightlydifferentnomenclature,butthegeneral

ideaisthatthesetypesofdegreespreparestudentsforvocationallyfocusedcareers

asfreelanceprofessionalswheretheycreatemusicandsoundforcreativepurposes.

Theprogramsmayvaryinlength,scope,andtitle,buttheyshareasimilar

overarchingmission.

Anyformofdatagleanedfromlab-basedmusictechnologycoursescanbe

usedforevaluation,assessment,andtoguidecurriculardecisions.General

questionslikethesearealsomeanttogetundergraduatemusiceducatorsthinking


49

abouthowmusicisproducedatthemanysitesavailableforrecordingand

production;theyalsoreflectontheemergingareasofmusictechnologyandaudio-

relatededucationscholarship.2Thisarticlealsosuggeststhatcapturingsmall

glimpsesofrecordingactivity—whereverthoseeventshappen—offersrichdatafor

understandinghowmusictechnologyeducatorscanguidestudentstolearn

productionconcepts.Moreover,applyingDanaandYendol-Hoppey’s(2009)flexible

approachestoteacherinquiryinthesesettingsencouragesreflectionfromthe

teacher/practitionerandfromthestudentusingfamiliardatacollectionmethods.

What(orWhere)is“TheStudio”Anyway?

Rememberingmyownbudding(andslightlyobsessive)interestinmusic

production,therealwaysseemedtobeacertainlevelofmysteryregardingthe

“studio,”andmorespecifically,howalbumsweremade.Combingthroughalbum

linernotesandrecordsleevesprovidedvaluableinsightintothepersons(and

technology)involvedinthecreationofmyfavoritealbums.3Thenotionofa“studio”

hasbeentransformedoverthepasttwentyyearsduetotheproliferationof

inexpensive,accessible,andhighlyeffectiverecordingtechnology.

Today,weusetermslike“projectstudio”toarticulatethefactthatmusicis

notalwaysrecordedinprofessionallydesignedrooms.Musiciansofalltypesuse

verybasictoolstocapturedigitalqualitysoundwhereverandwhenevertheyfeel

likeit.Takingthatconceptastepfurther,inmanywaystheideaofa“studio”refers

toanartist’slaboratory.Itisasafeplacewheretheycancreatewithoutdistraction.

Indeed,universityprogramsarereplacingtheaudioengineeringandindustry

apprenticeshipmodel;theinstructor’srolemostcertainlychangeswithinthese

contextsaswell.4

Undertheapprenticeshipmodel,learningfromasenioraudioengineer

meantpayingyourduesasaproductionassistantorasanintern.Itwasboth

secretiveandprivilegedaccesstoimportanttechnicalinformationandexperienced

audioengineersonlysharedthatinformationstrategically.Today,theinstructorof

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

2. For decades, the Audio Engineering Society, the global professional organization for sound engineers, has been the definitive resource for reporting on the many technical aspects of audio and related areas. In recent years, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scholarship that addresses the musicological, artistic, pedagogical, and creative aspects of music production can be found in the Journal on the Art of Record Production (coinciding with the annual Art of Record Production Conference), the Journal of Music, Technology & Education, and in the terrific Art of Record Production: An Introductory Reader for a New Academic Field edited by Simon Frith and Simon Zagorski-Thomas (2012).

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

3. In his seminal book Capturing Sound, Mark Katz (2004) details the “phonographic effect,” the expressions of sound recording technology, and its pervasive influence, both historically and in contemporary culture.

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

4. A recent examination of the differences in apprenticeship and educational pathways in audio education can be found at http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=17869.


50

recordmaybeanexperiencedaudioengineerwithmajorlabelcredits.Ontheother

hand,theinstructorofrecordinamusictechnologycoursecouldbeacomposer

withaDMA/Ph.D.inamusictechnologyarea.Thesearewidelydisparateextremes

ofthepedagogicalspectrum.Nevertheless,thatinstructormustconsiderthatmany

studentsinundergraduatemusictechnologyprogramshavesomeaccesstomusic

productionsoftwareandhavemorethanlikelyspentsomeexperimentingwith

recording.Consideringthatfully-stockedroomswithlarge-formatanalogdesksare

mostcommonlyfoundineducationalsettingsthesedays,thestudent’stimeasan

undergraduatemaybetheironlyopportunitytogetexperienceusingthetraditional

analogequipment.

Recentmusictechnologyscholarshiparguesthattherecordingstudioisa

robustsourceforethnographicresearch.5ThompsonandLashua(2014)notethat

thestudio,inallofitsvariousformats,isasuitableplacetoconductethnographic

fieldwork.Fromtheirresearch,wecaninferthatthistypeoffieldworkcanhappen

incommercial/majorlabelrecordingsessions,withindependentartists,andwithin

universityaudioprogramsandthelike.Justasethnomusicologistsincorporate

mixedmethodsinthefieldtocatalogtheirdata,thesmallerprojectstudiopromises

torevealmuchaboutemergingtrendsinindependentmusicproduction.Itisfor

thesereasonsthatusingsomeformofnewmediatocapturethestudio’seventswill

provebeneficialforscholarlyanalysis.

Artistscanrecordideasontheirphoneortabletwithoutmuchthought.In

thisageofinformationsaturation,musicfanscansimplytypeafewwordsintoa

searchengineandgetawealthofsourcematerialstoperuse.Manyofthose

resourcesincludevideos,interviews,tutorials,andrecordingstudioevents.Thus,

musiceducatorscanusethesequestions,andoneslikethem,toinspireclassroom

discussionsandbridgereflectivepraxiswithefficientmusictechnologypedagogy.

Inallactuality,introducingdigitalaudioworkstationsandrelatedmusictechnology,

withoutpropercontext,seemstoyieldlittleeffectivenessinstudentlearning.6

PerhapsthenextstepisthentocarefullyexplorehowtoincorporateDanaand

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

5. For more information about this type of scholarship, please see Thompson and Lashua’s (2014) terrific article in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography.

dht2

Footnote

Unmarked set by dht2

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

6. Jay Dorfman (2013) and Adam Patrick Bell (2015) dispel the myths that incorporating music production and related software is simple and requires little thought. Dorfman’s (2013) book outlines Technology-Based Music Instruction (TBMI) in significant detail—giving music educators many pedagogical and philosophical ideas to consider. Bell (2015) argues that readily available DAWs like GarageBand must be thoughtfully included into related curriculum.


51

Yendol-Hoppey’s(2009)methodsofteacherinquirywithinacollaborative

frameworkwithinstructorsandcollegestudentsinamusictechnologyclass.

WhatisDST?

Digitalstorytelling(DST)isamulti–platformcreativepracticeusingtraditionaland

media-basedresourcesofferingmanycreativeopportunitiesforreflectionon

university–basedmusicandaudioeducationprograms.Whenimplemented

sensibly,DSTsupportsindividualmusicproductionandtechnologymodulesusing

simpletoolstoencouragestudentstoreflectonallstagesoftheirlearning.DST

encouragesintrospectionasacentralfocusbeyondindividualclassesandtoward

givingavoicetodiversemusiclearningcommunities.Figure1illustratesthe

relationshipinmoredetail:

Figure1:DSTasacurricularfocalpoint.


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Addressingmusicandtechnology–basedrecordingskillsinhighereducation

requiredatathatshedslightonacreativeprocessnormallyshieldedfrompublic

consumption.Althoughwecanassumethatmanyindependentartists,producers,

andaudioengineersenjoycollaboratingwithothers,thesepersonsoftenpreferto

record,mix,andproducenewideasawayfromthepublicandwithminimal

distraction.Documentingfootageoftheproductioneventsandtheirmeaninggives

studentsandteachersarareglanceofahighlyintimateperformanceinthe

commercialorhomerecordingstudio.Likewise,capturingshortvideoclipsand

photographswithmobilephonesgivesstudentsachancetosharetheirwork–in–

progresswiththeirteachersandclassmatesoncoursewebsitesandthroughthe

Internet.

Creatingdigitalstorieswithsimplemultimediatools(mobilephonesand

tablets,open–sourcemediatechnology,socialmedia)giveseducatorsuseful

pedagogicalstrategiestomixmusictechnologyandaudiocourses.Whendeployed,

thesetoolsofferstudentsachancetoreflectontheirownactivitiesinthestudio,

andhowtheyinteractwiththemanyprocessesinvolvedinmusicproduction.They

giveeducatorsaglimpseintothestudent’sreflectivepotentialusingmultimedia,

andtheyprovideadministratorsandaccreditationbodieswithfreshapproachesto

assessmentandcourseevaluation.7

Althoughthisarticlefocusesmostlyonproduction-centeredclasses,the

conceptsoutlinedmaybeincludedinrelatedcourseswithabroadstudentbaseto

stimulatenewmodesofteachingandlearning.Asasupplementallearningresource,

DSTinspiresmulti–platformliteracy,collaborativelearning,criticalthinking,and

awareness.SuccessfulintegrationofDSTconceptsintomusictechnologycurricula

presentsacreativealternativetotraditionalwrittenreflectivepracticebyusing

itemsmillenniallearnersalreadyuse.Someofthesepedagogicaltoolsinclude

mobiletechnology,open-sourcemediasoftware,andtheInternet.Yet,whilethere

aremanywaystoincorporatethelatesttechnologies,musiceducatorsmust

carefullyevaluatehowthesetoolstrulyenhancestudentlearning.Dorfman’s(2013)

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

7. I have written elsewhere (2015a, 2015b, 2015c) about a general lack of consensus on some essential aspects of assessment in music technology programs. For more information, please see http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Article,id=20165/ (accessed January 24, 2016).


53

importantresearchcorroboratesthisnotionbyprovidingmanyexamplesof

teacherswhohaveincorporatedaspectsofmusictechnologyintotheirowncourses

withvaryingresults.

Usingexamplesgenerallydrawnfrompopularmusiceducationinuniversity

settings,thisarticleintroducesvaluablepedagogicalconceptsthatbridgemusical

stylesbyexaminingcasestudiesbyAllsup(2011),Dunbar-Hall(1999),Hannan

(2006),andLebler(2007).Also,bypresentingageneralsynopsisofdigital

storytellinganditsrelationshiptothedigitalhumanities,thisarticleaimsto

establishaconnectionwithDSTandmusiceducationdrawnfromliteraturefromby

Robin(2008),Chung(2006),Benmayor(2008),andLowenthalandDunlap(2009).

Induecourse,thisarticlealsoofferssomepedagogicalrecommendationsforhow

undergraduatefacultymayincludeDSTconceptsintomusictechnologycourses

usingaffordableandeasilyaccessibletools.

TheArtist-As-ProducerorPerhapsasJustanArtist

Gullö(2009)arguesthatmodernrecordingtakesontwomajoridentities,thatofan

artist-centeredfocusandthatofaproduction-centeredfocus.Theartist-centered

focusfindstheproducerinaprimarilysupportingrole:helpingtheartistsreach

theirfullestpotential.Intheproducer-centeredfocus,theproducerisacontrolling

forceinallaspectsoftherecording(Gullö2009,3).Gullö’sresearch,while

extremelypertinentindifferentiatingtwokeyroles,doesnotconsiderthe“artist-as-

everything”ethosthatportraysarestlesscreativeoverseeingofvirtuallyevery

aspectofproduction.8

AsBell’s(2014)notablecasestudyillustrates,theroleoftheindependent

artist,recordingathomewithmodernrecordingtechnology,oftenblursand

overlapstraditionalroles.Solitaryrecordinghappensduetoartistpreference,outof

necessity(inotherwords,nooneelseisavailabletohelp,orbudgetaryconstraints),

orwithoutmuchthought.Ofcourse,therearemanyinstanceswhereartists

collaborateasynchronouslyviatheInternet.And,therearestillmanysituations

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

8. Adam Patrick Bell’s (2014) important research with project studios offers a comprehensive look at the steep learning curve some independent artists undertake in learning how to use digital audio workstations for their own creative purposes. For more information see Bell’s article “Trial by Fire: A Case Study of the Musician-Engineer Hybrid Role in the Home Studio in the Journal of Music, Technology & Education.


54

wheremajorlabelartistsrecordinthesameroomwiththeirsessionplayerswhile

theaudioengineerand/orproducerworksinthecontrolroom.Myownpersonal

experienceworkingasasidemaninNashville,Tennessee,illustratesthatpoint.Yet,

theheartofBell’sresearchindicatesthatmuchoftheaudioproductioninthe21st

centuryfrequentlyhappenswithoutclearlydelineatedroles.Thenextquestionto

ask,then,iswhythismattersandhowdigitalstorytellingsomehowaimstoshed

lightontheissue?Attheveryleast,thereareanumberofreasonswhyan

independentartistworksathome,withoutinterruption,andwithwhatevermodest

toolsareavailabletothem.DSTcanhelpinunderstandinghowthesingle

artist/producer/engineernavigatestherelevantcreativeandtechnicalapproaches.

UnpackingMillennials,DST,andMusicTechnologyEducation

Whatweknowthusfaristhatmusictechnologyeducatorsoftenworkindegree

programsdesignedtoreplacetheemploymentpathwaysonceconsidered

vocationaland/ortechnical.Wealsoknowthatstudentsinterestedinthesetypesof

degreesarenotwithoutsomebasictechnologyand/ormusicalproficiency.With

littlemorethanaportabledevice,simpleaudiointerface,andheadphones,

musicianscanrecordandmixoriginalideasanywhereintheworld.Furthermore,

modernartistshaveaccesstoexpansiveglobalcommunitiesviatheInternet.Since

thetoolsarebothaffordableandimmediatelyreachable,entrepreneurialmusicians

donotneedatraditionalrecordingstudiooramajorlabeltodistributetheir

product.Accesstosoftware-basedsynthesizers,loops,controllers,Internet

connectivity,andtabletsstreamlinestheindependentmusician’sworkflow.Why

doesthismatter?

Consider,forexample,apossiblescenariowhereanindividualstepsintoa

musictechnologylab,opensastandarddigitalaudioworkstation(DAW),plugsina

guitarorUSB-powereddevice,pressesrecord,andthenputsonheadphones.This

personcouldtheneditandmixparts,uploadthemtoFacebook,SoundCloud,or

anothersocialmediasite,andalerttheir“followers”aboutthenewtracktheyjust


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recorded.Byitsverynature,thatsinglepersonhad100%controlofthecreative

output.Puttingasidesubjectivelabels,thatstudent’sprocessissolitary.Whyare

theyworkingbythemselves?Aretheyantisocial?Dotheynotwanttoworkwith

someoneelse?Thatstudentmayrepeatthesameprocessathomeapersonal

recordingset-up.Inanotherscenario,studentsinaglossypicturestandoveran

expensiveanalogconsole(perhapsanSolidStateLogicDualityconsole),completely

steepedintheirownworld.Sincemoreandmorefull-servicerecordingstudiosare

closingduetoshrinkingbudgets,itisnotoutoftherealmofpossibilitytoconsider

thatauniversityaudioprogramistheonlytimeastudentmightgainlearning

experiencewithsuchanexpensivefacility.

Tobecertain,undergraduatemusictechnologyprogramsattractstudents

whoarealreadysomewhatsteepedinthisculture.Instructorswhoareconsidering

thewaystoencouragemillennialstoreflectontheirlearningmustguidestudentsto

usetheirnativetoolstostimulateintrospection.DSTisonesuchapproachfaculty

mayconsiderasarelevantmethodtoaccomplishthistask.Justasstudentsuse

mobilephonestorecordtheirmusicalideas,thesamedevicecanbeemployedto

documenttheircreativeprocessinaction.Beforelookingatspecificcurricular

examples,itisimportanttoconsidersomerelatedpedagogyinmusiceducationas

valuablecasestudies.

ABriefLookatPopularMusicEducation9

Allsup(2011)affirmstheever-increasingworldwideacceptanceofteachingpopular

music,although,intheconservatory-styledtradition,classicalmusiciansmeetsuch

activitieswithreticencebecauseofinexperienceandunfamiliaritywithcommercial

performancetrends.Itseemsthatdecadesoftraditional,conservatory-styletraining

methodshavelimitedsomeclassicalmusiciansfromexpandingtheirmusical

horizons.Hannan(2006)indicatesthatcommercialmusicperformanceand

production,asaneducationalpursuit,isnascentinitsgrowthanddevelopment,as

mentionedabove.The“newness”ofthesetypesofdegreeprogramsillustratesthat

Walzer, Daniel

Footnote

9. The Association for Popular Music Education offers diverse perspectives into all areas of this emerging pedagogical discipline within music education. Beyond what is covered in this article, readers may view their website at http://www.popularmusiceducation.org for valuable resources (accessed January 24, 2016).


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studentsareequallyinterestedinmusicandtechnology.Rodgers(2014)observes

themillennialgeneration’sdeeprootsusingmusictechnology—aninteresting

paradoxconsideringmusictechnology'sformalimplementationineducationisless

thanthreedecadesold.Rodgers’(2014)pointspeakstothefactthatmillennial

learnersarefluentinmanyaspectsoftechnology.

Beyondtheconservatoryanduniversityschoolofmusic,someinstructors

exploreteachingmusicthroughawiderangeofgenresincludinghip-hop(Kruse

2014).Rodgers(2014)suggeststhatmusictechnologyeducators,largely

accustomedtotraditionallecturesandmemorizationdrills,nowhavetoadjustto

newteachingapproaches,onesthatbetteralignwithmillenniallearningstyles.

Rodgers’(2014)observationpointstoa‘disconnect’inmusictechnologypedagogy:

Ifthestudentsarenotlearningproductionconceptsbyrote,howcaninstructors

usedigitalstorytellingtoenhancetheirownreflectivepractice?Justasapplied

musicteachersmightvideotapetheirstudentstoprovidefeedback,newmediatools

couldenhancemusictechnologypedagogybydemonstratingmixes-in-progressand

creatingreflectiveteach-backopportunities.

Hannan(2006)seesmusicalliteracyasabroadlydefinedsubjectarea,

although,withintheconfinesofthehighereducation,musicianshipgenerallymeans

aural,visualandperformanceproficiencywithmelody,harmony,andrhythm.

Hannan’s(2006)acknowledgmentoftraditionalmusicalliteracyinfersmostofthis

learningoccurspassivelyinlecture-basedteaching.Musicproductionliteracy,

however,isdifferentthanrotememorizationofchordsandscales.Tobesure,

traditionalmusicianshipcancertainlyimproveabuddingaudioengineer’screative

sensibilities.Yet,inthecontextofhybridmusictechnologydegrees,music,technical,

aesthetic,andinterpersonalskillsarebestaddressedinfreshways.Ifthemusic

technologyeducatorisinterestedinrotedemonstrationsoftechnology,modules

canbedesignedthatrequirestudentstousekeyboardshortcutstoaccomplish

certaintasksinmusicproductionsoftwarewithinaspecifictimeframe.


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Rodgers(2014)explainsasuitablealternativeistodirectstudentstowards

activelyresearchingtopicsthatinterestthem.Byincludinganinquiry-based

methodpairedwithleadingquestions,studentsmustsynthesizethematerialsin

ordertosolverelatedproblems(Rodgers2014).Similarly,thisconceptisreiterated

byDanaandYendol-Hoppey(2009),asbothauthorssuggestthatindividualwho

engageintopicsthathavepersonalmeaningaremorelikelytoreflectpositivelyon

thosetopicsandsharetheirknowledgewithothers.

ChangesinMusicConsumption,Learning,andPedagogy

Lebler(2007)arguesthatoneofthebiggestchangesinthemusicindustryisthat

theaudiences’listeninghabitsaredigital,usuallystreamingviatheInternet.Instead

ofpassivelyconsuming,theaudiencedulyproducesandusesthecontent—thus

replacingthetraditionalmodelofformallisteninginconcerthalls.Lebler(2007)

framesthemusicindustry'sshiftfrom“contentdelivery”byanexperttoa

“producer-consumer”modelineducationwherestudentsandinstructorswork

collaborativelytowardscultivatingaself-directedandindependentlearningculture

(207).

The“co–creation”conceptLebler(2007)referstoincludesinstructionand

learningaswell.Ratherthanadoptingthemaster-apprenticemodel,theinformal

learningmethodembracesacollaborativeexchangebetweenteacherandstudent

(206).Theco-creationideathatLeblerespousesisveryimportantinmusic

technologysettings.Here,teachersandstudentsworktogether.Theirrolesare

flexibleandfluid.Justastheirrolesoverlapinsomeways,sotoodoesthepractical

emphasisonmusicianshipandtechnologyproficiency.

Gullö(2009,1–2)observesthatmillenniallearnershavethefollowing

features:

• Theygrowupinanagewithportableandmobiletechnologyatthecenteroftheireverydaylives.

• Millennialsjoindiverseonlinecommunitiesnotlimitedbyreligiousorculturalfactors.

TOPICS for Music Education Praxis 2016:01 •Daniel Walzer 58

• TheInternetistheirmainsourceofinformationgathering.

• Millennialsconsumeandproducemusic,doingsotoenhancetheirlifestyleandparticipateinlikemindedcommunities.

Here,wecanseethatmillenniallearnersaregenerallyopen–minded,

comfortablewithallaspectsoftechnologyandprefertoframetheircreativityasa

lifestylechoice.Ifthiscohortissoflexibleandacceptingofothercultures,howcan

musictechnologyeducatorscapitalizeonthesevaluesinarelatedproduction

course?

InformalLearningandTeacher/StudentRespectAllsup(2011)extolsthevirtuesofsmall,collaborativeenvironmentswheregroup

cooperationimprovesinformationretention—pointingtogaragebandsasa

wonderfulexampleofthisinformal,collaborativelearningmodel.Inthiscase,the

bandsareunsupervisedandwithoutformalinstruction.Thisisvital.Inamusic

technologyclass,Allsup’s(2011)conceptsaffirmthatoverlypedanticapproaches

arelostonmillenniallearners.Lebler's(2007)researchfurthersuggeststhateach

student'spriorbandexperience,informalpeerfeedback,accesstostudio

technology,theperceptionofaudienceresponse,useofaudiorecordings,and

individualassessmentprovedvaluableinanundergraduatepopularmusic

curriculum.Thus,iftheinstructortakesnoteofthestudent’spriorexperienceand

workingknowledge,theycanengagethestudenttoseekoutpeerreviewand

hands-onlearningconcepts.Additionally,thestudentrespondspositively,noting

thattheteachertruststhemtonavigatemusicproductionsoftware.Ifthestudent

needshelp,theyaremoreinclinedtoaskforguidance.Also,thesetypesofconcepts

seemtobemoreeffectiveinsmalltomediumclasses.

CriswellandMenasche(2009)agreethatmoderntechnologyemboldens

studentswhohavelittletrainingtotakepartinmusicperformancegroups.Indeed,

studentsneednotbetraditionalmusiciansinordertoparticipateinlaptop


ensembles/orchestrasandsimilargroups.Simplyhavingintellectualcuriosityand

accesstoalaptoportabletaretheonlyprerequisitesforparticipation.Onceagain,

DanaandYendol-Hoppey(2009)presentanoptimisticyetrelatedsupportfor

educatorinquiryandresearch.Fromthiswecaninferthatifmusictechnology

educatorsandstudentsseethebenefitsofincorporatingnewmediaintotheir

reflectivepractice,theyaremorelikelytoexperimentwithit.Inotherwords,digital

storytellingmayprovetobeeffectiveinmusictechnologycourses,inensemble

settings,andelsewhereinmusicandaudioeducation.

Allsup(2011)reiteratesthebenefitsofinstructor-facilitateddiscussions

concerninghowcommercialandartmusicintersectduringclassesandrehearsals.

Thepedagogicalmissionistoinstillasenseofrespectandconnectednesswithall

trendsofmusicratherthandrivemusicianstowardslimitingtheirtastes(Allsup

2011).Classicalmusicians,mostlyinexperiencedwithpop,canassimilatebasic

conceptstointerpretthedeeperintricaciesofpopularmusicthattheymightmiss

otherwise(Allsup2011).Inessence,respectisatouchstoneofallaspectsofmusic

technologypedagogy.

Here,Iconsiderrespectnotonlyintheteacher-studentrelationship,butin

thetypesofcontentmillenniallearnersareattractedto,andthetoolsandmethods

bywhichtheyassimilateandcommunicateknowledge.Havingtechnology

proficiencycertainlyenhancestheaudiostudent’schancesofgainingemployment.

Yet,beyondthat,theirabilitytousetechnologytosynthesizeandreflectontheir

ongoinglearningprocessviamediaisanaddedbonus.

Student–DrivenLearninginMusicandAudioEducation

Lebler(2007)indicatesthatwhiletraditionalinstructionhasvalidityinpopular

musiceducation,studentsmustrealizetheircollaborative,autonomousrolein

learningnewconceptsthroughindividualandpeerassessment;thisrequiresthe

teachertorelinquishsomecontrolandfocusonstudent-centeredlearningthrough

technology.Hannan's(2006)researchindicatesthat,althoughmusicmajorsplace


emphasisondiversefacetsofmusicianship,allclearlyunderstoodtheskillsthey

neededforsuccessintheirspecializedfields.

DSTisbeneficialinmotivatinginstructionwherestudents,lefttotheirown

devices,figureouthowtomixacertainstyleofmusictheyareunfamiliarwith.In

suchalearningsituation,thestudentsusetheirears,theireyes(lookingatthe

DAW),andengageinatrial-and-errorprocess.Ofcourse,theycanalsowriteand/or

blogabouttheirmixingexperienceinanessay.Or,throughasimplewebcameraor

audiovisualdevice,theycouldcommentontheirworkasitishappening.

Furthermore,theteachercouldseehow,foreachproject,thestudenttriestolearn

fromfollowingtheirfavoriteartistsormixers.Evenbeforetheprojectisfinished,

studentscoulduploadashortsnippetoftheirworktoaclasswebsiteandsolicit

feedbackfromtheirpeers.Theycouldincludeashortvideodiaryandstillimages

fromscreenshotsorphotosfromthesessionitself.Thisprocesscouldworkwellin

onlineanddistance-basedcoursesaswell.

MillennialStudentsasCollaboratorsinMusicTechnologyCourses

Lebler’s(2007)musiceducationresearchshowsthatstudentsfunctioningasequal

collaboratorsintheirlearningprocess:

• Acquiremusicalskillsindirectlythroughconsistentaccesstorelevantstudiorecordingtechnology.

• Takepartinfertilemusiccommunitiesthatinspireself–directionandunobtrusivepedagogy.

• Activelyparticipateinpeerfeedbackfromthefirstdayandcommandrespectfortheircollaborativeroles.

• Respectmulti–facetedassessmentmodels.

• Demonstrateandincludemultiplelearningmodes.

• Userecordingtechnologytoenhancetheirreflectivepractice(pp.217–219).


Allsup(2011)supportsLebler’s(2007)notionofinformalpedagogyby

explainingthattheinstructor-studentrelationshipwithinthecontextofpopular

musiceducationmustcontinuebeyondthemaster-apprenticemodel.UsingDSTin

musicandaudioeducationrequiresaparticulartypeofteacher—onewho

embracesmoderntechnology,consensus-drivenpedagogy,multimodallearning,

reflectiveassessment,andpracticalguidanceratherthananoverlydidactic

authoritarianmodel(Allsup2011;Lebler2007;Dunbar-Hall1999).Finally,DST

encouragesstudentstobereflectiveandexpressiveinwaysthatsuittheirown

needswhilealsolearningmoreaboutmoderntechnology.Whatfollowsdescribes

somewaystoincludeDSTinmusiccoursesalongwithabriefhistoricaloverviewof

howthispracticeemergedinthedigitalhumanitiesandincommunityeducation.

Figure2:Possibletoolsfordigitalstorytelling.

DigitalStorytellinginMediaandMusicEducation

DST'srootspairedacommunity-establishedartisticpracticewithafirmdesireto

connectrelevanteducationalactivityusingmultimediatechnologywhile


representingdiverseandunder-servedpopulationsintheBayAreaduringthelate

1980sandearly1990s(CenterforDigitalStorytelling2015).Accordingto

LowenthalandDunlap(2009),thathumanbeingswhohaveabasicneedtoshare

andtheopennesstorevealtheirideasandselveswhileovercominglimiting

boundaries,contributespositivelytothe“CommunityofInquiry”(70).Digital

storytelling—initsbasicform—canbeanessentialfactorinestablishingahealthy

communicationexchange;individualsusemediaassetstodrawontheirlifetimeof

acquiredknowledgewithsociety(LowenthalandDunlap2009).

Applyingthisconcepttomusicandaudioeducation,undergraduatestudents

canusemediatoexpresstheirpassionandexpertisefortechnology.Whentaping

simplevideodiaries,studentsarehumanizedtoapointasthecameracapturestheir

authenticity.Ifastudentishavingaproblemwithtechnology,orshowsconfidence

andexpertiseusingaparticularpieceofsoftware,thevideorecordingscapture

importantdataforlateranalysis.

Humansoftenrecountpersonalexperiencesinthecompanyofothersand

explorethemultifacetedinteractionstheyhavewitheachother.Robin(2008)

assertedthatpersonalnarratives,wheretheauthorsharespersonalaccountsoflife

inspiresdigitalstorytelling—resultingincontentthatresonateswithboththe

authorandtheaudience.Inmusictechnologysettings,studentartistscanuseDST

tosharehowtheircreativitymergeswithtechnology.Additionally,teacherscanuse

thesesameapproacheswhenevaluatingtheirownpractice.

BringingDSTintotheClassroom—ALookattheDigitalHumanities

Robin(2008)observesthatmeaningfulincorporationofmultimediacontentinto

theclassroomchallengesstudentstoproblemsolveinmultidimensionalways.

Benmayor(2008)seesdigitalstorytelling,andthelearningbehindit,as

collaborative.Incorporatingsuchactivitiesintheclassroomrequiresstudentsand

teacherstorevealpersonaldetailsabouttheirexperiencesthatarethensubjected

tocritiqueandpeerreview(Benmayor2008).Thisrequiressomeconsideration


63

abouthowtogaugefeedbackintheclassroomenvironmentsincethestoriesshould

besharedininwaysthatconnecteveryoneandmustberespected(Benmayor

2008).Consequentlyaseveralsignificantthingscanresult:

• Studentsintheclasswithlittlepriorexperienceinmultimediaproductionbandtogetherandworktocreateinterestingstories.

• Thestudents,manyofwhommayfeelunder-representedandmarginalizedinregularsociety,feelsafetosharetherealitiesoftheirlivedexperiencesinsuchclasses.

• Technologyinitselfisalsoagatewaythatopensupmanycreativeopportunitiesforstudentstoexploretheirlivedexperiences(Benmayor2008,198–199).

Thesethreeconditionscanbeappliedinmusictechnologycoursesaswell.In

additiontoshortwebvideos,studentscanuseMicrosoftPowerPoint,photoand

videoeditors,andopen-sourcerecordingplatformstocreateslideshowsand

relatedpresentationsforclassroomassignments.Moreover,teacherscanguide

studentstowardsproducingmultimediacontentthatreflectstheirpassionsand

interests.Itshouldcomeasnosurprisethatsomestudentsmaychoosetoexplore

morepersonaltopicssuchastheirconnectionstooriginalmusic,lyricanalysisand

content,andrelatedideas.

Chung(2006)arguesthatthemeritsofdigitalstorytellingextendbeyond

creatingmultimediaart;eachauthorcommunicatesanarrativetotheotherssoall

partiescanunderstand.Teacherscanfosteraspiritofacceptancebycreating

studentscreeningsorshowcases:bydoingso,theteacherhelpstostrengthenthe

bondseachpersonforgesthroughoutthecourse(Benmayor2008).Moreover,

presentingstoriesengagesclassestohaveinspireddialog,feedback,andcritique

throughpeerevaluation(Chung:2006).


PedagogicalConsiderationsofDSTinMusicandAudioEducation

DSTprojectstakeonmanyformsacrossarangeofgradelevels.Akeyforsuccessful

DSTimplementationistogivestudentsthefreedomtochoosetheirowntopics.

Robin(2008)seesteachersandadministratorsaslackingaconsensusonDST

researchdesignandmethods—particularlyinhowtoimplementresearchprojects

thatavoiddebatingthemeritsoftestscores.Rather,Robin(2008)suggests

analyzingtheholisticinclusionofmultimediaintoclassroomlearning,sothatthe

benefitsofthetechnologyincludequalitativeinterpretationofstudentcritical

thinking,analysis,problemsolving,andcreativity.Gradingtheseprojectscould

provetobechallenginginsomeways.Yet,teachersmaychoosenottofocusso

muchonnumericalvaluesforsubjectivecontent.Perhapsjustfosteringaspiritof

expressiveopennessthroughnewmediaisasufficientstartingpoint.

Astheirfamiliarity(andthatoftheirstudents)withDSTimproves,teachers

canpragmaticallyincorporaterubricsthatfittheirparticularcourses.Itisforthis

reasonthatsometeachersmaychoosetoincorporateDSTintoupper-levelcapstone

orportfoliopreparationcourses.Doingsoaccomplishestwoimportantobjectives.

Studentsaregenerallymorematureastheygetreadytograduatecollege.Theyare

motivatedtodogoodworkandhavesomeexperiencewithmusicproduction

technology.Second,bythispointintheirmatriculation,thestudentshouldhave

formedastrongrelationshipwiththeteacher(s).Assuch,instructorsneednotbe

overlydidacticinrequiringacertaintypeofreflectivepractice.Simplygetting

studentstoreflectontheirlearningisagreatwaytofostercreativity.

NewFormsofLiteracy

Ohler(2008,55–56)notesthatmanyscholarsconsiderthevirtuesofdigitalliteracy

intheliterature;hesummarizesdigitalliteracyacrossthreecentralareasincluding

efficiency,creativity,andintelligence.Fromawiderperspective,Ohler(2008,54–

59) viewsdigitalliteracyasanessentialcomponentofbuildinglearning

competenciesofwritten,oral,artistic,anddigitalcommunication.Ohler’s(2008)


perspectivesonliteracysharemanycommonalitieswithRobin’s(2008,224)

notionsoftechnical,visual,digital,andinformationalexpertiseusingmultimedia

tools.Howdoesthisevolvingformofliteracyapplytoundergraduatemusicand

audiostudents?

Ifatypicalaudioengineeringassignmentrequiresstudentstokeeptrack

sheets,sessionnotes,microphonelistsandsettings,andsignalflowchoices—isit

notpossibleforthestudenttoproduceashortvideoorslideshowincludingthese

verysameassets?Indeed,usingmultimediaasacommunicationplatformisnot

meanttoreplacewritingandgrammarskills.Onthecontrary,givingstudentsthe

optionofscriptingtheirownnarrationchallengesthemtocomeupwithaclear,

concisesummaryoftheirrecordedevents.

LowenthalandDunlap(2010)explainthatDSTprojectsoffersuitable

alternativestoessayexamsandwrittenassignments.Ohler(2008)concurs,

reportingthatstudentsoftenperceivewritingformediaalongthesamelinesas

creatingascript.Althoughthetaskcallsforsufficientplanningandformation,

generatingpersonalizedcontentengagesstudentstowritewithoutfeeling

pressured(Ohler2008;LowenthalandDunlap2010).Followingaretwoexamples

forinstructorstoconsiderusingintheclassroom.


66

Figure3:Topicsthatstudentsareinterestedinprovidegreatstorytelling

opportunities.

CurricularExampleOne:

Onepossibilityforundergraduatestudentsenrolledinatechnology-centeredmusic

classistoutilizewebcamerasandfreesitestocreateandbroadcastDSTmaterial

forteach-backorproductreviewpurposes.Robin(2008)mentionsthatstudents

oftenuseDSTconceptstocreatereportsthatinformorpresentinformationona

specificsubjectofinterest.LowenthalandDunlap(2010)agree,arguingthatwhen

studentspickatopictoteachtotheirpeers,creatingthedigitalstoryconnectsthe

course’stheoreticalmaterialswiththestudent’sprofessionalworkexperience.

Waldron(2012)alludestoYouTubevideosasanimportantrecenttoolinonline

musiceducationresearch.

Teacherscouldasktheirstudentsafewguidingquestions:

• Whatisyourfavoritemusic

productionsoftwareandwhy?

• Couldyouteachaparticular

mixingtechniquetoyourfriendor

classmate?


67

• Whatisthemostimportantissue

facingthemusicindustrytoday?

• Howwouldyoudescribeyour

musicalstyle?

Withincertainmusicand/oraudiocourses,sometopicsmightincludeperforming

coversongs,teachingaparticularmixingtechniqueusingscreencapturingsoftware,or

postingavideoblogaboutatopicrelatedtothemusicindustry.Studentscanuseweb

camerasandopen-sourceaudioeditorslikeAudacitytomixtheirprojects.Whitaker,

Orman,andYarbrough's(2014)recentcasestudyindicatesthatofthenearly1,800global

YouTubevideosgroupedbya“musiceducation”keywordsearch,over300focused

specificallyontutorialsgivenbycollege-agedcontributors(49).

Inarelatedcasestudy,undergraduateaudioproductionstudentsenrolledina

streamingmediacourseproducedsimpleweb-basedvideos,reviewingtheirfavoritepiece

ofrecordingequipmentormusicalinstrument;thestudentslinkedtheirproductreviews

tosocialmediasitesandtheirownwebpage,thusbuildingabodyofworkreflectingtheir

creativeinterests(Walzer2011).Whitaker,Orman,andYarbrough's(2014)reviewof

recentmusiceducationliteraturesuggeststhesubjectareasthatexplorethecorrelation

betweenYouTubeandmusiceducationpracticeissmall—primarilyfocusingononline

networks,participation,andhowYouTubeenhancesmusicalprocedures.

Studentssimplyneedaccesstoawebcamera,perhapsaUSBmicrophone,andan

Internetconnection.Oncethey“produce”ashortvideorespondingtotheteacher’sprompt,

theycanedititanduploadittoacoursewebsite.Forthosewhoarelessinclinedtoupload

theircontenttotheweb,theycansimplyconveytheprojectviaasecureserver.This

activityisoftenfunforthemandgivesthemachancetoshowtheirgrowingexpertiseina

relatedsubjectarea.Moreover,teachersmaybesurprisedathowambitiousandcreative

theirstudentsgetwiththistypeofprojectsincetheygettocontrolmuchofthecontent.

CurricularExampleTwo:

AsecondcurricularoptioninvolvesusingDSTtodocumentcreativeworks-in-progressina

musictechnologycourse.Inthisscenario,studentswhoarestrugglingtocreatelyricsor


68

musicalarrangementsintroducemultimediatoproduceinitialsketchesoftheir

composition.Similarly,whenthestudentpostsashortvideodiaryintroducingthemusical

ideaanditsassociatedchallenges,thesolicitationforfeedbackintroducesalevelof

authenticity,asclassmatestrulyunderstandproblemsofcreativeblocks.Studentscanalso

usemobiletechnologiestodocumentcollaborativesongwriting,production,andrecording

sessions.Iftheotherparticipantsallowit,studentscanfilmtheirinteractionswithsession

players,arrangers,andclients.Furthermore,studentscanshootfootageofrehearsalsand

liveperformanceswiththeirowncommentaryinterspersedthroughout.Herearesome

guidingquestionstoinspirestudentwork:

• Canyoudiscussanoriginalsong

youwrote?

• Doyougetinthe“zone”whenyou

workonoriginalmusic?Ifso,how?

• Aretherebenefitstocollaborating

ontrackswithothers?Ifso,how?

• Whenwasthelasttimeyouwere

stuckonamusicalidea?Howdid

youfixit?

AsBenmayor's(2008)researchsuggests,thistaskintroducesthestudent'speersto

“livedexperience”asafrustratedsongwriter,mixer,orproducer(198–199).Fora

currentperspectiveontheseissues,recentstudiesbyTobias(2012)andBell(2014)

investigatethecomplexandinterconnectingrolesthatmodernsongwritersassume

whenrecordingandproducingmusic.Likewise,Tobias’(2012)workthoroughly

explorestheseissuesinsecondarymusiceducation.Thisprojectmaybemore

appropriateforlongerassignments.Thestudentsmustidentifysomedeeper

themesthatinfluencetheircreativeprocess.Theymustdiagnosethoseissuesand

seekanswerstotheirowndeeperquestions.

GoingDeeperwithIntimacyandCriticalThinking

BeforeanyDSTassignmentsareproduced,itisessentialthatmusictechnology

educatorsfosteraspiritofacceptance,respect,and“fair”peerreviewinthe


classroom.Thismeansthattheteacherusespersonaljudgmenttoestablishsome

groundrulesandcriteriaforhowstudentsshouldevaluateeachother’swork.

Althoughthispaperhasarguedforagenuinelycollaborativerelationshipbetween

theteacherandstudent,theremaybesomelimitationsinthatapproachasitrelates

tocritique.Ratherthandemandingacertaintypeofcriticalpracticewhenstudent

videosareplayed,teachersmayrequestthatstudentscomeupwithparticular

adjectivestodescribetheirclassmate’swork.Ofcourse,thistakespracticeand

experimentation.Yet,ifthestudentsunderstandthattheirworkispresentedand

receivedwithaspiritofcooperationandrespect,theyaremorelikelytorespond

positivelytothis.Moreover,theteachercouldrequestthatstudentsbreakoutinto

smallgroupstoworkonthesetypesofprojects.

Requiringthatstudentscreateavideoreflection,shortmedianarrative,or

similarpiecegivestheteacheradetailedglimpseofthestudent'sthoughtprocess,

andsupportswrittenreflectionsaswell.Theadvantageofthispracticeisitis

relevantatanypointduringtheterm.Astudentpostingvideodiariesinvitesalevel

ofpersonalconfidencethewrittenwordcannotreplace.Thisisnottosuggestthat

traditionalwrittenassignmentsarewithoutmerit.Yet,thevisualcomponentofa

videogivesthestudent’sclassmatesachancetoviewthem“atwork.”Ifeach

studentisusingmediatorespondtoapersonalguidingquestionposedbythe

instructor,theyaremorelikelytoconsiderwhattheysayandhowtheysayit.

Ohler(2008),Chung(2006),andBenmayor(2008)agreethatsuccessful

digitalstorytellingrequiresthoroughplanningthatusesavarietyoftoolsto

conceiveanoriginalnarrative.Inthisexample,thestudentsusetheirapplied

researchskillstofindtherelatedmusicalcontenttheywanttoemulate;alotlike

popularmusiciansusealbumsandinformalmethodstoanalyzeperformance

tendencies(Hannan2006;Dunbar-Hall1999;Allsup2011).


Conclusion

Instructorsconsideringmultimedia-basedreflectivepracticeinaudioand

musiccoursesneednotincludecostlytechnologiesifsucharenotpractical.Open-

sourceandportabletoolsofferbudget-friendlyalternativesforteachersand

studentstoexploreDSToptionsintheclassroom.Musicandaudiostudentsusing

mobiledevices,webcameras,andfreeaudiovisualsoftwarecantelltheirstorywith

thetoolsavailabletothem,athomeandintheclassroom.Forexample,studentsare

freetocombinewebcameras,mobilephones,MicrosoftOffice,andAudacityto

create,mix,andpresenttheirwork.Mostimportantly,althoughtherearemany

optionsforusingtechnologyintheclassroom,instructorsshouldtailorthese

conceptstofittheirparticularcoursesandgetstudentfeedbackonhowmedia

technologyencouragestheirreflectiononlearning.Thiscanbeaccomplished

throughinformalclassroomdiscussionsorthroughformalassessmentlater.

Digitalstorytelling,asanassessmenttool,promisestorevealarich,

creativelyinspired,andimmediateglimpseintotheintricaciesofcreativepractice

withindependentsoundrecording,student-drivencontent,andeventeacher-led

inquiry.Teacherscanusevideodiariesandshortvideostoreflectonwhatis

workingintheirclassrooms.Theycanidentifyareasforimprovementandideasfor

possibleresearchusingdigitalstorytellinginareflectiveway.Additionally,students

canuseDSTtorespondtothought-provokingquestionsposedbytheirteachers.

Theyalsohavesomecontroloverthemessagetheychoosetocommunicate.

Dependingonthecontextofthequestions,andtheclassitself,thereexiststhegreat

potentialforrichqualitativedatatocullinthefuture.

DSTneednotreplacealltraditionalformsofcommunication,assessment,

andtesting.Yet,thepowerofDSTengagesstudentstousemultimediatocrafttheir

ownstories.ThatistheessenceofwhatDSTrepresents.Byimaginingascenario

wherefirst-yearstudentsincorporatevideodiariesintotheircourses,theycould

conceivablybecompetentwiththepracticeinthefinalsemesteroftheirsenior


year.Likewise,studentshavinghadthreeyears’worthofinformationrevealsa

greatdealabouttheircreativepersonality.

DST'sflexibilityasadeliveryplatformforpersonalandgroupprojects

ensuresitspositiveinclusioninarangeofcourses.Additionally,futureDSTstudies

mustincorporateadiverseandcarefullyselectedsamplepopulationof

undergraduatestudentsdrawnfrompopmusic-relatedsubjectfieldstoexplore

howongoingmultimediareflectivepracticeevolvesthroughoutasemester.Data

analysismustconsiderarangeofethnographicandtheoreticalperspectivesdrawn

fromexistingresearchinthedigitalhumanities,musicandmediapedagogy,and

educationaltechnology.

Indeed,digitalstorytellinggivestheactorsassociatedwithanartistic

practiceanopportunitytoreflectontheirpersonalandcollectiveroles,growthand

maturation,andthemanycomplexfactorsaffectingthecompletionofthefinished

product.Perceptive,learner-focusedfacultyandadministratorsmustcarefully

explorehowDSTenhancescourseobjectivesandmayconsiderprofessional

developmentopportunitiesdrawinguponbestpracticesfromrelatedsubjectareas

outlinedinthisarticle.DSTbyitselfdoesnotengagemillenniallearnerswithout

thoughtful,guidedinstructionaimedatexpandingpractical,diverse,and

technology-supportedexpression,literacy,andcommunicationinpopularmusic

andmediadegrees.DSTcurriculumsupportedbytherelevantpeerassessment,

accessibletechnology,unobtrusiveteaching,andthoughtfulcollaborationpromises

toenrichallundergraduatemusicdisciplineswithinsightful,expressivecontent

trulyreflectiveofthemillennialgeneration.

TOPICS for Music Education Praxis 2016:01 • Daniel Walzer

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Notes 1 Since the early 2000s, Marc Prensky (2001) has written extensively about digital natives—explaining that this generation of students fluently speaks a language influenced by the Internet, computer technology, media, games, and popular culture. Considering his work nearly 15 years later, Prensky urged teachers to find ways to use technology in the classroom. Taken in a broader context, those same ideas can be applied today. For more information, see Prensky’s (2001) essay “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” from On the Horizon. 2 For decades, the Audio Engineering Society, the global professional organization for sound engineers, has been the definitive resource for reporting on the many technical aspects of audio and related areas. In recent years, interdisciplinary peer-‐‑reviewed scholarship that addresses the musicological, artistic, pedagogical, and creative aspects of music production can be found in the Journal on the Art of Record Production (coinciding with the annual Art of Record Production Conference), the Journal of Music, Technology & Education, and in the terrific Art of Record Production: An Introductory Reader for a New Academic Field edited by Simon Frith and Simon Zagorski-‐‑Thomas (2012). 3 In his seminal book Capturing Sound, Mark Katz (2004) details the “phonographic effect,” the expressions of sound recording technology, and its pervasive influence, both historically and in contemporary culture. 4 A recent examination of the differences in apprenticeship and educational pathways in audio education can be found at http://www.aes.org/e-‐‑lib/browse.cfm?elib=17869. 5 For more information about this type of scholarship, please see Thompson and Lashua’s (2014) terrific article in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 6 Jay Dorfman (2013) and Adam Patrick Bell (2015) dispel the myths that incorporating music production and related software is simple and requires little thought. Dorfman’s (2013) book outlines Technology-‐‑Based Music Instruction (TBMI) in significant detail—giving music educators many pedagogical and philosophical ideas to consider. Bell (2015) argues that readily available DAWs like GarageBand must be thoughtfully included into related curriculum. 7 I have written elsewhere (2015a, 2015b, 2015c) about a general lack of consensus on some essential aspects of assessment in music technology programs. For more information, please see http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-‐‑Article,id=20165/ (accessed January 24, 2016).






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8 Adam Patrick Bell’s (2014) important research with project studios offers a comprehensive look at the steep learning curve some independent artists undertake in learning how to use digital audio workstations for their own creative purposes. For more information see Bell’s article “Trial by Fire: A Case Study of the Musician-‐‑Engineer Hybrid Role in the Home Studio in the Journal of Music, Technology & Education. 9 The Association for Popular Music Education offers diverse perspectives into all areas of this emerging pedagogical discipline within music education. Beyond what is covered in this article, readers may view their website at http://www.popularmusiceducation.org for valuable resources (accessed January 24, 2016).

About the author

Daniel A. Walzer is an Assistant Professor of Composition for New Media at the

University of Massachusetts Lowell. Walzer received his MFA in Music Production

and Sound Design for Visual Media from Academy of Art University, his MM from the

University of Cincinnati’s College-‐‑Conservatory of Music, and his BM from Bowling

Green State University. Presently, Walzer is pursuing doctoral studies in educational

leadership at the University of the Cumberlands. He can be reached at

[email protected] and by visiting http://www.danielwalzer.com.

http://www.popularmusiceducation.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.danielwalzer.com

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