In this week’s podcast, join Ashley Kowach, last year’s podcast producer, as she interviews past contributors and current staff members Alyssa Wroblewski and Lydia Kilian on ways technology can be implemented in music education programs. Topics discussed include virtual reality, apps, and wearable technology. Learn how educators can implement these technologies in their lessons and how administrators can best support this integration.

Transcript

Intro: Hello AMT-Lab Listeners. This is Ashley Anderson Kowach, Chief Technology Manager of the Arts Management and Technology Laboratory. On today’s episode of the AMT-Lab Podcast Series I sat down with Alyssa Wroblewski and Lydia Killian, two contributors to the AMT-Lab platform, to discuss their research on emerging technologies in music education. Enjoy!

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Ashley Anderson Kowach: I'm here with AMT Lab contributors Lydia Kilian, and Alyssa Wroblewski, who are focusing their individual research on technology integration in education.

Welcome, Lydia.

Lydia Killian: Hi Ashley. I'm a first year Arts Management student here at Carnegie Mellon. I'm interested in the arts education space, and I'm doing research on how to integrate technology into music education, specifically looking at student assessment through technology and really customizing the learning experience.

AAK: Great. And I'm also here with Alyssa, Alyssa Wroblewski. Hi, Alyssa.

Alyssa Wroblewski: Well, hello there. I am also a first year MAM and I have a background in orchestral operations and personnel. And my research topic is on VR and funding it for educational spaces.

AAK: Great. Thank you so much for joining me today to talk about your research topics.

And let's just get in. I'd like to start by getting a brief overview from each of you about your individual research tracks. So, Alyssa, you're focusing primarily on funding and availability of VR technology in schools, correct?

AW: That is correct.

AAK: Alright. And, could you briefly walk us through some of what you have found so far?

AW: Okay. So, some of my primary research has just been getting to know VR, in general. I had a chance to head over to Sorrells library at Carnegie Mellon and try out some of the VR equipment over at their office hours. And it was just a fun way to just explore and try out the Tilt Brush or Beat Saber, like a couple of the video games there or even just explore around Google Maps and their 360 video angles. So that was a lot of fun. So, what I had to do was take this information that that I gained within VR, figure out other way, that other ways that it's been currently being used in schools and education. And to try to figure out if there's other ways, other than grants, that we can fund VR. And over all, I think what I'm doing for my final research right now, is trying to justify the cost of VR, especially in terms of other technologies that are currently available in schools, such as smart boards, iPads for every student, or laptop carts. So, I'm trying to justify not only how we can fund VR, but how cost effective it can actually be, and the implications for how it will be useful in education.

AA: Okay, great. Thank you. And Lydia, likewise, you're researching various available technologies that music teachers can employ for their students. Could you tell our listeners about a few of the technologies that you've found so far?

LK: Sure. So, in my research, so far, I've come across four major kind of buckets of technology. So, the first one is apps. So, there's a lot of types of apps that music teachers can use, they can help with creating assessment for the students and also customizing their learning experience. So that is at the level they need to be at. So, some of those are Note Rush, Flashnote Derby, and Rhythm Lab. So those work on finding pitch, or rhythms within the music. There’s also ones that you sightseeing, or help to enhance learning other skills. Another major category is AI technology. So that would be through the program Smart Music, and more recently, I've started looking into another program called Tonara. And these two programs use AI technology to detect pitch and rhythm when a student is playing. So that helps to create instant feedback and it can also be sent to the teachers so that they can help create more accountability when they're away from the student, and helping with their… really to encourage them to practice more during the week.

Another interesting type of technology is wearable technology. This one I don't think would be quite as easily applicable, but it's interesting to know about and could be something that takes off in the future. There is one program called the Music Jacket, which a student can actually wear and it gives that (inaudible) tactile feedback as they're playing. So they can know if they're bowing correctly, and help them to create like the best technique as they’re learning an instrument.

AAK: Great. Thank you.

AW: If I can just interrupt for a moment because I noticed within your particular article that you mentioned Smart Music, and this was actually something that we used in our music department, whenever we would have performances called Promenade. This was back over the at music department at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. And every Thursday, we would all gather together to have individual performances or soloist, or chamber groups, anything that a student happens to be working on. And, every once in a while, there would be say a horn player, any brass anyone player, unfortunately, this doesn't work as well for string instruments, but it would be accompanied rather than by a piano by a program called Smart Music instead. And, basically smart music would be able to follow along with the soloist in real time. And it would… almost sounds like the piano was right there playing, like the pianist was right there playing along with them. But so, it was one cool way to actually see that in action.

AAK: That's cool.

LK: Yeah, there's a lot of different ways that that the program Smart Music can be used. So, for a company, also to just break out individual parts, if you're in an ensemble to hear, you know, who might be having a problem and also putting parts together when students working on their own, but it's for an ensemble piece, allowing them to practice with the other parts, if they're not there; kind of like you were saying with accompaniment. So, there's a lot of interesting ways to integrate that, I think, into the classroom.

AAK: That's really cool. So, Alyssa, this next question I have is for you, but it is based off of something that Lydia mentions in her paper. So, I'm glad that you brought something else that you noticed in, because we'll just stay on that theme I guess. Lydia talks about how the practical application of the technologies is going to hinge on an educator’s understanding of those technologies and how best to incorporate them. So, for VR in the classroom, especially in areas where funding will be a major factor in the ability to obtain VR in the classroom, what do you see is the best way for teachers to gain the knowledge or experience to make this an effective tool?

AW: Oh, goodness, let's see. I would say it is difficult to fully understand VR, unless you try it out for yourself personally. And this was the experience that I did, within the library for sure.

I would say that unless a teacher has the means to try it out for themselves, to get a feeling of what exactly the VR technology is going to be like that it's otherwise going to be difficult to incorporate into the classroom. In a lot of cases, actually, there are some programs that are pre- available that are pre-built for classrooms. So, most of the time, if a teacher is able to bring that into their classroom space and bring it into their curriculum, then the program is already there, and students will just be able to simply try it out, simply explore around. But of course, the teacher needs to get involved as well, and to really like, get in there and understand the program and figure out like, how the students will interact with it, how the students might potentially break the program.

AAK: So, are there any like, in your research have you found… Are there any sort of, I don't want to say conferences, but any kind of conventions maybe, that would be for this new space in education, where technology and education are overlapping? So that teachers can get like a hands-on experience or like tutorials, or how to best utilize these things in their classrooms. Because I'm seeing this, if this is a growing space, that might be something that either already exists or might need to exist in the future for teachers to get the training that they need to make these effective educational tools. Otherwise, it's, it's a gimmick.

AW: I have to be honest with you, I have not seen that appear in a lot of my research. And the reason for that is potentially… well, because I might be missing that in my research, but also because they may not quite exist yet.

AAK: Yeah.

AW: There is one part of my research that I did find, and this was brought up to me when Kamal Sinclair came to visit and speak with us regarding some of the VR applications that she's using to help out with different programs. The one panel that she appeared on, and you can find this on YouTube, actually, this panel is called the Games for Change. This is more along that gamification, and using video games and inspiring social justice, inspiring change and inspiring

technology building…I would have to do a little bit more research on it, to be honest with you. But that was one thing that I did come across that certainly teachers might be able to look into, and maybe grab a few ideas from there.

AAK: Great. Thank you. So, Lydia, kind of the same format, as far as the question goes, it's something that I recognized or found, and Alyssa’s paper. So, she's recognizing in her paper, that availability of technologies will be dependent on the school's ability to purchase VR. And maybe the best approach would be to have more of a communal lab instead of individual sets for each student. What do you suggest would be the best approach for public school music teachers to access some of the technologies that you've identified?

LK: I think there's some interesting examples, which I'm going to elaborate more on in my final paper, of some schools that have partnered with some technological companies like (inaudible) and they've created like a keyboard lab, which uses very small keyboards that are not very expensive, along with iPads to help students learn how to play the keyboard, and then hopefully… I think the teacher that was presenting the programs said she hopes her students will eventually use Garage Band to compose and that it's kind of like a platform to really build their music skills off. And there's other examples of how some schools have been able to use these resources to build these labs up. So, I think maybe those sorts of facilities in schools that can have those resources, could work as like a community center for other schools to learn from to provide trainings.

One of the big things is that I think a lot of teachers don't know how to incorporate technology into the classroom, because apps are not very expensive. There's a lot of ways you can do that. A lot of most, a lot of places have smart boards, and you can incorporate that. I'm also looking into more digital instruments like a MIDI controlled guitar, which is only like $200. And you could just purchase one and then use it in a classroom. But a lot of the… one of the biggest barriers is kind of like you and Alyssa were talking about earlier, not having the professional development, and then the knowledge and the confidence to start integrating those into the lesson. So, I think that is one of the biggest things that school districts or nonprofits could really help to, help in integrating this technology and is just through professional development and really connecting these teachers with the knowledge to integrate these technologies into the classroom.

AAK: Right. Now, I'm very curious to know whether or not these professional developments exist. I want, I want to find out. So yes, Alyssa.

AW: If I may. You know, it's interesting, because something that just popped up in my research as well, in comparing a lot of the current technology that's appearing in classrooms versus some of the very affordable music technology that you talk about in your paper. Some of the technology you mentioned, like may cost around like, say, 200 – 300 dollars, whereas with smart boards… one smart board alone can cost from it 2,000 – 5,000 dollars. And you are lik… we've been starting to see that in every classroom space in public schools. And institutions like Carnegie Mellon. So, that can add up to quite a bit very quickly. And you're talking maybe about a one-time purchase of 200 - 300 dollars for one student like…even though like that could add up, there's still so much technology costs that do not cost a lot, but still adds such an amazing benefit, like smart boards do.

LK: Yeah, and I think one thing I am focusing on more, as I, in the final part of this research, is just how the technology can create a more customizable experience for each student. It's hard for one teacher to 30 students to really meet each student where they're at in the learning process. And so that $200 per student, and maybe not even that, can really provide

a more personalized experience allowing them… to allow the teacher to be more effective in the classroom. It can really be a strong resource for the teacher and the students.

AAK: Great. So, you both have kind of actually already answered this question, but just to sort of round it out. Are there any other resources that you're discovering in your research that could be helpful for educators that are interested in moving into either of these spaces? Aside from what you've already mentioned?

LK: I would say there's, there's a lot online, there's a lot… like one, like we already mentioned one downfall is there don't seem to be that many… that much emphasis on technology integration, in terms of professional development. But there are a lot of teachers that are spearheading these initiatives. So, I think just learning from best practices. There's a lot of blogs that just have information on apps, you can use the national, the national… the NAM - E

AW: The National Association for Music Educators,

LK: Right. So, their website has a lot, there's a great info-graph, of why to use technology and people writing, teachers that are currently teaching in the field, writing about how they've successfully integrated these technologies. So, I think, just really taking it upon yourself to do that research, and then following best examples, connecting with people in the field. And then hopefully, eventually, there will be a more systematic professional development space for teachers.

AW: Yeah, and the more like, we make those connections, and the more we head towards the future and more technologies develop, then the more that we can implement them in classrooms and head towards a brighter future because…

AAK: Right, so basically, it's just recognizing that there needs to be more of a need for it, for there to be more people wanting to…

LK: I think also…

AAK: Or vice versa…

LK: realizing the benefits of it…

AAK: Yeah,

LK: Is that a lot of people think that… think of technology, this was kind of me going into the research, thinking of the technology as using a way to engage the child. Like, I think of apps and kids, I you know, I, I teach music, and I see my students with their apps coming into, before their 30-minute lesson, they're using their iPad, and then they get done and they go wait for their sibling, and they go back on their iPad. And so, they're just like attached to this. They think, “Oh, well, they, they're motivated by that”. And so how can you use technology to do that. But I think it goes beyond that. And just looking at how it can enhance the goals of the teacher and the goals… like really defining what those goals are, and seeing how it can mean, how technology can enhance that and allow the teacher to better achieve those goals.

AAK: Well, thank you. That's all the questions I have. Are there any other last comments that you care to give our listeners before we sign off?

LK: No, this was great. It's interesting to hear about VR, because that is one area I haven't explored, having gone through this like range of different technologies. VR is the one that I didn't really look into, so I think it's interesting to hear your perspective of integrating VR into the classroom.

AW: It's certainly interesting. It's very new in the educational space for sure, and it is going to definitely grow. And we're predicting that it's going to expand. There's even a quote by Dr. Skip Rizzo, that it's going to be “as commonplace as a toaster is to a household”.

AAK: In the classroom?

AW: VR the classroom, yes. Like in that comparison sense and in general. Like Dr. Skip is talking about, like VR in the house, in the household. But if it's becoming like this commonplace in the household, then imagine what it's going to be like in the classroom.

AAK: Right. And if you think back, well, if I think back to when computers were first brought in, they were definitely more in the educational space than they were as a home computer. So, I can see maybe VR going that same route, potentially, where it's the… it's recognized for its educational power first, and becomes so ubiquitous in that sense, that it then becomes what we… if our kids are using this as a device to learn in the classroom, then they need that device at home to continue that learning. So, the that's an interesting, interesting way of…

AW: Oh, yeah. And it certainly develops too. I mean, I remember like, back in the day when I was in high school, when they first introduced laptop carts to classrooms, and then every student will be able to take a laptop, bring into their desk and work on whatever they need to work on. Yeah. And now from what I understand that has actually transformed into it, back in my old high school, like that's transforming to every student is assigned a tablet or an iPad with a pencil of some sort. And then teachers are able to use online forums to assign them homework and students can turn in their homework that way. So, it's interesting to see like how that's developed. And it will be interesting to see how it's going to further develop with VR, with all sorts of other technologies, like especially in the music and arts classrooms.

AAK: Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much. This has been great.

AW: Not a problem!

LK: Thanks Ashley

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Outgoing Message: Thanks for listening to the Arts Management and Technology Lab podcast series. You can read more the intersection between the Arts and Technology at www.amt-lab.org, or you can listen to more interviews and discussions and our podcast series on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play or Stitcher. Thank you for joining us.

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