Week One

2/28/2019

I think James’ video highlighted the impact and significance of technology in music education, but also the broadness the term ‘music education’. Normally I would associate the term ‘music educator’ with a classroom music teacher, or a peripatetic music teacher, however it occurred to me while watching the video that James was educating his audience about music through the use of technology, and also by allowing them to learn by doing, and composing music themselves. Furthermore I realised that music education is not confined to learning about classical music, but expands to all genres and styles, including the digital music James was demonstrating, and that by exploring the music and culture of our students, we can make their music education more relevant and interesting to them. During the lecture we discussed Orff Schulwerk and its benefits in teaching music, especially with regards to primary students. I thought that the idea of teaching music aurally was a really suitable for younger musicians who might not yet be proficient in reading music. James also pointed out during the lecture that music education was valuable not only for the sake of learning music, but also because of how music impacts other areas of education, which I later learned was due to its assisting in the development of the prefrontal cortex, and also in improving mental health (as seen in this article https://ab.co/31a1htc). I’ve always believed that music education is an important part of the school curriculum, and this lecture not only affirm this belief but intensified it, and makes me think that a thorough and rewarding music education should be afforded to all children. Collins, A. (2018). Music education helps improve children’s ability to learn. Retrieved from http://education.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2974240/music-education-helps-improve-children-s-ability-to-learn?fbclid=IwAR33gwM-WzPeD8bpLhr7FDwkF_cZv4PaKiqQPHvqv0DSyXmpbp1WI5M-TJc Humberstone James. (2016, May 2). The Science of Dubstep | James Humberstone | TEDxOxford [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8s8e8JdGCc