Music School in a Digital World

Written By Sasha Ishov

As music educators shift back to fully in-person, synchronous music instruction, what happens to the hardware and software (sometimes reluctantly) used during the pandemic? What lasting impact will remote and hybrid instruction have on the future of music education?

I’ll be the first to admit many moments of tech burnout in the last few years. We’ve heard colleagues say something along the lines of: “All this tech is a burden! Just a bunch of IT headaches and extra workload, and plus, back in my day we didn’t need any of these tools.” Now that my teaching has somewhat returned to normal, I’ve found it useful to reexamine my workflow in order to remain open about learning new software.

The digitalization of education has been embraced by academia executives, highlighting tech’s potential to “enhance quality, equity, and efficiency in higher education.” This shift presents an opportunity for educators to explore fundamental design elements in teaching environments, including the role of technology in communication and achieving pedagogical results.

These last few years of teaching have been a constant period of trial and error, an experiment in altering workflows mid-course within a web of layered crises (somehow finding time to finish a doctorate in the midst of all that…). My experience teaching music theory, aural skills, and flute remotely throughout the pandemic also happen to be my first years teaching at the college level.

Now that my own teaching has more or less stabilized in a a “new normal,” I finally have time and space to unpack what actually happened over the course of the last few years. Part self-assessment and part documentation, my goal is to capture how the last 5 years of classroom teaching (first in-person, then remote, then hybrid, and now once again in person) have shaped my approach to technology within course design.

This is the first in a series of articles covering my practice and philosophy towards educational music technology. It is by no means a definitive guide, but is a snapshot of what my tech set-up and overall approach to digital tools looks like as of early 2023.

My hope is that music professionals (and other educators, leaders, and industry professionals) take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore fundamental design elements in our work: the look and feel of our teaching environment; the way technology mediates communication; and the ways mindful use of digital tools can achieve pedagogical (and practical) results.

“Back in My Day”

My first encounters with musicianship and music theory were very typical: theory emerged as a by-product of the music I was learning. Formal theory training began later, in high school, followed by very coursework during my undergrad. Thousands of hours of small group instruction were further supplemented by individual practice, sitting at the piano with a workbook.

There’s something to be said about using old-school methods to teach (and learn) music theory: pen and paper, a keyboard, and your voice. Written theory concepts are introduced in-class and via textbooks and lectures, which are then practiced individually outside of class. Students already know how to practice, thanks to many years of instrumental or vocal training they have already gotten. Within the conservatory system, students are incentivized to do whatever it takes to get something right, inspired by a combination of internal goals (I want to get better; I am curious about this material) and external expectations (I need to get a good grade; I want to do well in front of my colleagues).

This is an enormously privileged perspective.

Who I Teach

In my experience teaching outside of the conservatory system, many of my students aren’t focused on music as a primary professional goal. At UC San Diego, I often teach students who haven’t had the privilege of private lessons. As an educator, I understand that my department is not equipped to prive the same resources I had while a student.

It’s unfair and unreasonable for me to assume my students have the same time, space, and resources to devote to to individual music theory practice, not to mention the fact that their musical goals might be fundamentally different.

This does not mean that I don’t hold my students to a high standard, nor does it mean they are not willing to practice. In fact, I’ve often found that those with less musical experience are some of my hardest working, most open-minded students, taking my course out of a genuine desire to learn something new about music.

I am NOT a Theorist

I primarily identify as a flutist, and specialize in 20th and 21st century acoustic and electroacoustic music for solo and ensemble. I’ve had the opportunity to teach musicianship, aural skills, and music theory while pursuing my doctorate at UC San Diego. While our department attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and experience levels, the majority of students are in general music appreciation courses that don’t require prerequisite knowledge.

The courses I teach span a wide range of levels: from MUS 1 (zero prior musical training, MUS 2 (instrumental experience but not necessarily written theory knowledge), all the way up to MUS 101 (equivalent to a first-year theory course at a music conservatory). I’ve taught these courses fully remote, hybrid, and in-person, accommodating a range of synchronous and asynchronous attendance.

The reason I teach theory stems more from structural reasons than something actively pursued. Like many other music departments, courses need to be filled and I happened to meet the minimum requirements to teach it (sometimes we need to teach things we don’t know about, more on that some other time…).

That being said, I have loved my time teaching theory, and there’s something to be said about the experience of taking a musicianship or theory class from someone who doesn’t identify as a theorist. Some of my favorite skills to teach are the ones I found to be tricky myself, connecting lesson topics to my experience performing music.

Creating Extra Work

I acknowledge that for many, the thought of adding more elements to their technological toolkit comes down to time: more things to set up = more things that can break. The pandemic demonstrated how easily an already challenging workload can become overstretched when asked to manage multiple modalities.

Adding digital tools to the music classroom aren’t meant to replace practicing, but instead achieves three things I have found to be invaluable: (1) Streamlines my preparation and simplifies documentation, (2) Increases student engagement and communication (between me and them as well as among them); and (3) Amplifies opportunities for additional practice, alleviating some access and time restrictions on practice.

My mission is to maximize the opportunity my students have to connect: with the course materials, with their classmates, and with the world around them. I have a responsibility to use any and all tools achieve this goal. Given today’s digital reality, I belive this includes a robust understanding of how music education technology expands pedagogical possibilities.

Featured
Author: Sasha Ishov
Author: Sasha Ishov

Singularly devoted to both challenging and advancing flute repertoire, Sasha Ishov is an innovative flutist specializing in 20th and 21st century music.

His practice engages with issues of design in the practice room, classroom, and the concert hall. He writes about the the intersection between interface design, pedagogy, and electronics.

Click here to learn more about Sasha.

Sasha Ishov
Previous

Music Theory Lecture Tech