Emerging Technologies in Elementary Music

Welcome everyone! 

My name is Michele Kellerman and I teach K-5 Elementary Music in the Kansas City area.  Luckily I teach in a school district that strives to have a technology-rich classroom environment.  In my classroom, I have a PC, Smart Board, document camera, my iPad mini, and about 10 pairs of headphones.  Okay, so it's not exactly technology-rich, but it's way better than we used to have.  Gone are the television, overhead projector, and projector on a rolling cart with a 15 foot power cable.  I no longer have to keep everything on a thumb drive to take back and forth to each of my three schools.   Our district's networking capabilities allow me to just log-in at each classroom and have all of my materials and music ready to go.  Add to this our 1:1 iPads for 3rd grade and up, my classrooms have made jumps and leaps into 21st century ideals, but I still have a long way to go in implementation.

In my dreams, I imagine a music technology lab for my students with piano keyboards, notation software, games that teach music, and individualized pacing.  Perhaps even different stations for exploring other instruments and even a mini recording studio.   I would love to see a collaborative environment where students are valued and included.  When we're not getting ready for a concert or music program,  I would like to be more of a facilitator than the 'sage on the stage'.  While the technology lab is probably not realistic in my schools at this point, it all comes down to giving students opportunities to explore, create, and connect to things outside of themselves.

I believe technology can really help to open up the possibilities for music students.  In the 'olden' days, we sat in chairs with a songbook and sang.....all the time.  While I am a vocal major, and singing is still vital and important in music education, I really want to help my students expand their minds and be open to new possibilities.  Therefore, I am on a mission to explore all the ways the technology I have can be used to my students' benefit.  (It doesn't hurt if it's fun for me too!) 

Please join me in my technology trek as I strive to explore where elementary music education can go in the 21st century.