Engaging with Popular and Participatory Cultures: Implications for Music Teaching and Learning by Tobias, E., Box, C., Johnston, N., & O’Leary, J.

In this panel we (a music teacher educator and three doctoral students) address our engagement with popular and participatory cultures to develop understanding, skills, and dispositions related to such engagement for K-12 and higher education. We demonstrate how new musicianship and musical engagement situated in participatory and popular cultures can inform contemporary approaches for music teaching and learning, broadening beyond garage band-focused approaches to address popular music and culture in music programs. We discuss key principles and concepts related to participatory culture and transforming or recontextualizing music in terms of 1) musical engagement; 2) musical learning; and 3) future practice. NOTE: The resources on this website only pertain to my portion of this panel presentation. 

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8-bit Composition Unit? Composing for Old School Video Games

Students are highly motivated by video games as they can spend dozens of hours playing each week. What if educators could channel this motivation into composing by allowing students the opportunity to compose to old school video games? This presentation demonstrates a variety of 8-bit musical experiences that integrate technology, theory, history, composition, and performance with 8-bit video games.

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From Large Ensembles to Video Games: Technology in Music Education

In the past couple decades, instrumental education has evolved relatively very little in comparison to technology. Understanding how to augment music education through technology is vital to the growth of our field. This presentation provides some suggestions for using technology in instrumental settings to expand possibilities for both performing and teaching.

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