Integrated Arts Week 5
This week were introduced to the app Garage Band. I was not familiar with this app before hand as I did not further study music in upper education, so I did feel uneasy at the beginning. Julie then gave us a step by step tutorial on how to use garage band and how this app could be introduced in the classroom.
‘Learning using technologies enables children and young people to be informed, skilled, thoughtful, adaptable and enterprising students.’ Education Scotland., (2020). Technology can be used as a gift in musical education as we have universal access to apps such as YouTube, Spotify and many more. Technology is heavily advanced these days in that individuals can participate in online music instrumental classes which increased in popularity during lockdown.
There are many advantages to using garage band, however just like any other form of technology, it takes time and persistence. Today I learned that garage band allows you to explore rhythm and tempo. By selecting a drum kit of choice, you can create rhythmic patterns which can be recorded, replayed, edited etc. This element to garage band is an effective teaching method as it allows students to create a greater understanding of musical terms.
Another advantage to using garage band is that it provides learning opportunities for students with additional support needs. This is because children with ASN can be given a sense of freedom with garage band by making their own music without a constant need of teacher assistance. It can also be a more personal method of musical practice as students can learn at their own pace and comfort instead of feeling left behind which creates anxiety. ‘It is essential that their education contributes to enhancing their quality of life, and that they receive a balance between independence and interdependence’ (Mitchel, 2014).
A challenge that may be faced by using garage band is limited availability of technology. Many schools struggle with funds for resources which means they may be unable to purchase the technology to download garage band. Garage band is downloaded mostly on Apple technologies such as iPads, MacBooks which are highly priced on the market.
Another barrier to garage band is being unfamiliar with the technology. As a teacher in training, we have had the advantage of growing up around digital technology, however many teachers who have been in education over a longer period of time tend to struggle with getting to grips with it. This means that teachers may tend to reject the use of garage band as it is technical and a more modern digital learning approach. However, in my opinion teachers of all ages should try their best to keep up to date with different digital learning technologies as current students are more familiar with it these days and it is an effective modern learning approach which many students prefer. ‘Teacher preparation programs must guide preservice teachers to develop strategies, abilities, and a presence of mind that transcends to a modern classroom’ ( Cavanagh & Koehler, 2020).
Overall, as a student teacher I feel really encouraged to bring garage band into music lessons as it provides students with many different opportunities to explore techniques into creating music. I feel students would pick up the working process of garage band as they are familiar with technology meaning they will be able to exceed expectations. Personally, I feel I will need to continue using garage band to become more confident, but this is a procedure I am looking forward too.
REFERENCES
Cavanagh, Robert, F. and Koehler, Matthew, J., 2020. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. International Society for Technology in Education, 46.
Education Scotland, 2020. Technologies | Curriculum Areas | Curriculum For Excellence | Policy Drivers | Policy For Scottish Education | Scottish Education System | Education Scotland. [online] Education.gov.scot. Available at: <https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5/curriculum-areas/technologies/#> [Accessed 3 November 2020].
Mitchel, D., 2014. What Really Works in Special and Inclusive Education, (2), London.
