Digital Harmony: Finding Opportunities to Best Combine Technological Resources, Music Pedagogy, and Problem Based Learning in the 21st Century Elementary Music Classroom
Abstract: Teachers in the general music classroom have a wide variety of instruction methods to choose from when educating elementary learners. However there is a push to incorporate technological opportunities in every medium to develop 21st century career ready skill sets. Traditionally, the general music room has been a learning environment primarily using of hands on instruments. Problem based learning can incorporate those classroom instruments with technological innovation and create new learning environments. Teachers should identify and develop situations for young learners to use these tools into established pedagogy. As music educators we find ourselves, and therefore our students, so focused on the performance aspect of our medium that we sometimes minimize creating and evaluating in music education. The learning process should be as important as the product. This paper gives proposed suggestions for music educators to generate new learning opportunities for their students.