It is very important to me that authentic musical experiences remain intact in my music program. I believe that students must have the opportunity to experience music apart from digital media, and with the technologies that are constantly developing, the classroom may become their only route of exposure to real instruments, musical performances, recordings and scores.

That said, I also think that it is important to show my students how music affects them. The iPod has presented a new way for them to connect to my class. It has been a great addition to the curriculum. The storage capacity lets me keep a variety of music on hand to use as examples in class discussion. If I am able to connect to a system like iTunes, I can access a number of compositions and recordings. Unfortunately, this specific program has a limited selection of classical music.

The new technology serves as a hook to get students interested in listening to new kinds of music. They can keep a record of the performances and discussions that we hold in the class. I’ve also used the iPod in conjunction with the Garageband program to help students learn about the mechanics of music by having them produce their own music.

What is most important to me is that my students are listening to music. The iPod is a great tool for this use. Anything that encourages students to take music from my classroom out into their own worlds is an essential product, in my eyes.

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