TTTV020: How technology is changing music education with Simon Rushby

by Tim Topham in Podcast on November 15, 2015. 3 Comments

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TTTV020: How technology is changing music education with Simon Rushby

We hear reports every day about how technology is changing the world, for better and for worse, but what is technology doing for music education?

I’m sure there are plenty of teachers out there who have yet to try bringing any kind of tech into their music lessons. After all, what if what you’ve done for the last 20 years is working, why should you change it now?

If you use technology right, it should enhance the way you already teach, not change it. Whether you simply ask your student to record something they need to remember, take a photo of a hand position or practice their sight singing with the Aural Trainer, there’s always a simple way for you to jump in.

Apps and software can be invaluable additions to your teaching, and create “flipped” learning. When you flip the learning, you don’t have to spend time teaching something you have already taught, saving you valuable lesson time (something I know we all struggle with!).

Simon has tons of great ideas to share with us, and I hope today’s podcast will inspire you to try out something new this week.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to utilise “flipped” learning
Why you should consider incorporating technology in your teaching
How to make sure technology supports your own teaching style
How to make use of students’ smartphones to record parts of the lesson
How to get kids started composing their own pieces
The best apps to encourage student creativity and composition
How to get started if you haven’t used technology for teaching before

Items mentioned in this podcast:

Today’s sponsor: ABRSM

The exam board ABRSM have created a range of useful digital learning tools which help make music practice more engaging.

Whether you’re looking to slow down recordings on your tablet, encourage your students to practice for aural tests more effectively, or help them learn to write melodies, ABRSM have a collection of mobile and web apps which you’re sure to find useful for you and your students.

You may have heard of Speedshifter? It slows down any recording you may have on your tablet without altering the pitch.
The award-winning Aural Trainer which I previously mentioned is now available for Grades 1 to 5 and Grades 6 to 8.
Melody Writer is a free online tool and develops musical theory knowledge and understanding.
And if your students are learning to play the ABRSM exam pieces, Piano Practice Partner and Violin Practice Partner, are fantastic tools designed to make their practice sessions more fun and engaging.

Check them out today – you can find more information about all of them at www.abrsm.org/apps

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Being a full-time teacher myself, I know how busy teachers are and how much time, effort and passion we put into our students. Sometimes, the last thing we want to do in our time off is listen to more piano teaching stuff! So, well done for using this time for self-improvement.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run. Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page.

Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally.

Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

How much do you embrace technology in your teaching?

Are you a technology expert? Or a complete novice? Did today’s podcast inspire you to try something new? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

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About the author

Tim Topham

Tim Topham is the founder and director of TopMusic. Tim hosts the popular TopCast show, blogs regularly at dev.topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as pedagogy, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, California Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.

3 Comments

Katelyn says:

10/26/2017 at 2:05 pm

Hi Guys!

I wanted to post about a new music education technology called WURRLYedu.

To give you guys the run down, WURRLYedu is a complete technological solution for music educators designed to inspire students and create engaged learners. For teachers, it is a web portal with a personalized curriculum builder, supported by lesson plans and short form videos. For students, it’s a mobile app containing thousands of popular songs that students can customize, practice and record both inside the classroom and at home. This app really makes it simple for teachers to offer emotionally relevant content on multiple smart devices!

Here is the link to their blog https://blog.wurrly.com/wurrlyedu/ as well as the link to their website https://www.wurrlyedu.com/about if you’re interested!

Reply
Paul Myatt (ForteMusic) says:

11/17/2015 at 12:39 pm

I love technology as an assist to help and excite learners. The use of technology won’t ever be a replacement for effective, pedagogically sound teaching. It can certainly enhance it. I’ve tried flipped learning in my studio. I have recorded videos of scales and pieces for students from beginner to advanced. Here’s a scale backing track & video for Grade 1 AMEB piano – a more classical accompaniment: https://youtu.be/ei9pj-GPrBo

and here’s a more contemporary style: https://youtu.be/FBtYVpTCCgs

These backing tracks are available from http://www.forteschoolofmusic.bandcamp.com – you can play them and try them out. There’s Grade 1 & 2 Piano for Leisure there.

The one challenge I find with flipped learning is that younger students aren’t so good at actually doing the work at home, even when I ask their parents, AND when they have an exam coming up! Flipped learning seems to work best for motivated learners.

I’ve been doing webinars and professional development workshops on using Garage Band in the piano teaching studio – anyone that is interested, send me an email (palm@fortemusic.com) or connect with me on Facebook (Facebook.com/PaulForteAus)

Thanks Tim, another excellent podcast!

Reply
- Tim Topham says:
  
  11/19/2015 at 12:31 pm
  
  Cheers Paul – thanks for sharing. We need to get you on here for a Garageband webinar 🙂
  
  Reply