Media and technology in music education

[Extract]
Listening to live “unplugged” music is enjoyable, but most of the time, the music
that we listen to involves a lot of modern technology. Technology is used for
amplifying instruments, for recording the musicians in a studio, for mixing tracks at the music production stage, for laying down the final polished “audio-master” track, and for delivering the music to our ears, whether through radio, television, or a digital audio device such as a smartphone. In contemporary society, a full understanding of music requires knowledge of the entire process by which music is produced, which includes all the technologies required to produce and deliver that music. What counts as technology? Is technology limited to computer technology and studio gear? Not at all. In fact, anything that is created by humans and supports musical behaviors can be considered a technology. Every musical instrument is an example of technology. A piano is a type of technology for producing musical sounds, as is a flute or an acoustic guitar. The car that we use to drive to a concert is a technology that supports our music experience. Even the clothes that musicians wear while performing music and the rooms that they perform in can be considered technologies that support musical behavior. Technology is everywhere, and we need to adopt a much broader understanding of technology than what we usually learn in school. An appreciation of all forms of technologies that support musical behaviors can not only help us to understand our experiences of music but also to anticipate educational challenges, including the challenge of preparing young people for jobs or careers in music that have yet to become defined.