Page 8 - CJJan23

Creative Music Making with Technology

in the Choral Classroom

by David Haas and Seth Pendergast

David Haas is director of choral activities at Iowa City DAWs into the choral classroom. Of course, new technolo-
West High School and a PhD student in music education at gies do not need to be integrated simply because they exist.
the University of Iowa. haas.david@iowacityschools.org Still, choral educators might consider if DAW-based creative
projects represent an opportunity to extend or deepen stu-
4
Seth Pendergast, PhD, is assistant professor of music ed- dent learning in their classroom. Therefore, the purpose of
ucation at the Colorado State University School of Music, this article is two-fold: (1) examine how creative music mak-
Theatre, and Dance. seth.pendergast@colostate.edu ing with DAWs might support learning in the choral class-
room, and (2) explore several practical DAW-based project
examples for the choral classroom.
Of the many technological innovations available to music First, we will explore general recommendations for find-
teachers, Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) represent one ing and utilizing a DAW suited to the needs of your students.
of the most powerful and flexible tools to support creativ- Second, we will present a few guiding principles for integrat-
ity and performance. Many readers are likely familiar with ing DAWs into the choral classroom. Finally, we will share
DAWs such as Garageband, Audacity, Soundtrap, or Log- three practical project examples—including instructional
ic Pro. These software applications enable users to record, videos—that may be useful to enhance your instruction.
edit, and mix multi-track recordings on computers, tablets,
and phones. The increased availability and affordability of
DAWs have opened space for many students and educators Choosing and Learning a DAW
to exercise musical roles outside the domain of the typical If you are considering DAW integration in your classes,
performer or conductor. For example, during the pandemic, first decide which DAW best suits your needs. If you are
some choral directors used DAWs to create virtual choirs just beginning to explore DAWs in your classroom, we rec-
1
when in-person singing was impossible. Students themselves ommend web-based DAWs like Soundtrap, Soundation,
may use DAWs to arrange, record, and produce their own or Bandlab. These DAWs are accessible from virtually any
music. In general, recent research suggests students and mu- computer with internet access because they run within a web
2
sic teachers alike are interested in integrating creative music- browser (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and operate on rea-
3
making with DAWs into classroom instruction. sonably priced cloud-based subscriptions. Web-based DAWs
Given the increased interest in these platforms, it may be might be appropriate for schools with either limited com-
important to explore how teachers might effectively integrate puter access (e.g., one or two shared computer labs or laptop

ChorTeach Volume 15 • Issue 1 8 Fall 2022