Module 5 Blog Reflection

This week’s focus was using technology to promote deeper musical understanding in listening to and responding to music. Listening to and responding to music is important to the overall music experience, and has benefits for performing and creating music. Technology allows my students to be able to efficiently access many listening samples at once. For instance, in my teaching setting, I might have students use resources such as Youtube and Spotify to listen to pieces that they are going to perform. The different recordings and videos that exist are good for showing students different interpretations. Students can then respond and discuss which interpretations they preferred and use these responses for their own playing. 

One feature of Spotify that is especially helpful in listening to gain understanding of a piece is the suggestions of similar pieces and artists. I noticed this during the Spotify playlist project. This feature helps students listen to pieces and artists that are related to the piece in question and can help students get a better feel for a style or genre. Listening to and recognizing the nuances within a certain genre is important to playing and it is often best to learn through listening than having someone describe a style with words. 

Another major use of technology in listening is to guide students in the listening process that can promote understanding of musical elements and structure. I can see myself using videos that map the piece while the music is playing or shows the score. This allows students to see and hear how their parts fit in with the rest. Using technology for analyzing music is a good way to engage many learning styles at once. Students also have the option to rewind and listen to key sections multiple times. This option is helpful when students are listening for fine details that may be missed on the first listen. 


Other materials of this week also have many uses for my current teaching setting. This was my first experience with social bookmarking and I think it is nice to be able to see what others have bookmarked with the same tag. This allows the sharing of resources between people who are looking for a resource with a specific purpose. In addition, I often find myself saving articles on different sites and social media platforms to read later. Social bookmarking through Diigo allows me to compile them all in one place and tag them with purpose so I can organize how I will use them later. For instance, I am always looking for more resources for my string students, particularly downloaded methods, exercises, and repertoire. With a limited budget, resources can be difficult to find. Social bookmarking is an excellent tool to see what other educators with my constraints are reading and where they are looking for ideas. 

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