Journal of Music, Technology & Education - Volume 15, Issue 2-3, 2022

Teachers were forced to employ a range of information and communications technology (ICT) and music technology in the online context from 2020. This article focuses on an Australian national study ‘Re-imaging the future: Music teaching and learning, and ICT in blended environments in Australia’. In 2021, we collected data using an anonymous survey (N = 105) a limitation, therefore generalizations cannot be made. Findings discuss: What professional learning (PL) experiences did teachers seek to engage with to develop their practice? What aspects of their digital teaching practice did they prioritize and seek to develop as music educators? What types of software and resources did they employ to facilitate their online teaching? Teachers’ insights suggest customized PL should focus on pedagogy, learning design, delivery and assessment to improve student outcomes. The DELP (device, software and tools; environment; learning focus and pedagogy) quadrant is recommended to guide adaptive PL development, with a focus on specific devices, software and tools to support effective professional growth. Reconnecting teachers through PL is critical to enhance their knowledge and skills. These are essential drivers as educational institutions seek to nurture and sustain teacher confidence and competence in the current COVID-19 landscape.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, participants in the old-time community of practice employed readily available streaming and teleconferencing platforms to jam online. Old-time musicians use acoustic instruments – primarily fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass – to play traditional fiddle tunes from the United States, and jams are important sites for both learning and community building. Old-time jams were primarily facilitated using Zoom, Facebook Live and YouTube Live – platforms that allow a leader or small group to broadcast from a single location while other participants play on mute. While these platforms cannot successfully replicate in-person jams, for some players they provided a superior learning experience. This study draws on quantitative, qualitative and participant–observer data to categorize and describe the ways in which online jamming helped old-time players to sustain musical growth during the pandemic. While the inaudibility of individual participants might seem to be a major drawback of these platforms, it in fact benefited developing players in multiple ways. Participants also valued the opportunity to learn from recorded sessions, see and hear more clearly, maintain autonomy over their learning processes, access online resources and meet new challenges. For these reasons, online jams continue to serve as a valuable learning tool even as players return to in-person activities.

The 'Playing Together, Apart Framework' is a framework for understanding communication between musicians in networked music performance (NMP). Previous research has largely focused on technical issues such as latency and synchronization, and this framework aims to extend this research into further understanding of the experiences of, and the communication between, musicians in NMP, and the factors affecting this. The framework is based on duo musicians, working in informal NMP situations, playing acoustic instruments. The framework shows the audio and video communication paths, and the influences on both the transmission and reception elements of the communication chain in NMP. General issues in NMP, such as the rhythmic content of the music, the expertise and experience of the musicians when dividing attention, the use of video and the socio-emotional and professional relationships between musicians, are examined in further detail. This framework is proposed as a basis for further research into NMP, and for expansion and development by researchers.

Today, an increasing number of music educators are incorporating modern technologies, including virtual reality (VR), to train music students. This study aims to examine the effect of VR training on the mastery of the five elements of singing by utilizing a quasi-experimental method and survey questionnaires. Additionally, the study investigates students’ preferences between two teaching methods: traditional training with piano accompaniment and training with VR equipment. The experiment involved 35 first- and second-year university vocal music majors. The study utilized a survey tool and IBM SPSS Statistics to process the data, employing paired t-tests, frequency analysis, regression analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the effectiveness of the two training models. The results indicated that VR training had a positive impact on singers’ mastery of the five elements and associated singing techniques. Furthermore, music students expressed a preference for VR training over piano accompaniment. Consequently, this study addresses a research gap by employing VR in singing teaching and training and introduces a new teaching tool to academic music programmes.

The social distancing reinforcement under COVID-19 seriously limited the opportunities of practising and performing for arts and music performers. While many activities can be transferred online with minimal effort, the latency obstacle in using live streaming audio software negatively affects the musicians and singers in performing or practising online. The researchers sought to integrate both asynchronous and synchronous solutions to mitigate the demand of rehearsal practices. This action research applied and examined the viability of both low audio latency technology and mobile learning applications with amateur choir members. The researchers and participants field-tested and improved the choir’s online practice by using the JackTrip Audio Device (an audio low-latency device), Sight Singing Studio and Practice Bird (two mobile apps). Using current technology, we found that amateur choir singers have opportunities to keep learning and performing ‘together’ while staying healthy from virus threats.

We report our findings of an instrumental case study of the ‘New Musical Instruments Hackathon’, which was hosted by Monthly Music Hackathon New York City. Our article commences with an overview of research literature on hackathons in general and then proceeds with a discussion of research on making accessible musical instruments, which occurs in multiple fields. Following, we outline our methodological approach that employed video-recorded observations and semi-structured interviews to examine how participants displayed and discussed hacking new musical instruments, and how, if at all, they designed with disability in mind. Our findings provide a description of the various activities that took place over the course of the hackathon event, two vignettes that detail the working processes of participants working on projects, and participants’ responses to semi-structured interview questions. While we are situated in the field of music education, our theoretical framework is rooted in disability studies, and our findings from this study may be applicable to those with an interest in the intersection of disability, music and technology. Our analyses and discussion confirm how many of the activities that occurred within this hackathon align with previous research on non-music hackathons; however, there are some notable differences that may be attributable to music hackathons and/or this specific hacking community in New York City. Finally, we make clear the conspicuous absence of design discussions and actions that centre disability and how this issue might be addressed in future research and practice.

This report provides an overview of the organization and content of the International Conference on Music Education Technology 2023 (ICMdT2023), a hybrid event hosted towards the end of the global lockdown in early 2023. Under the theme ‘Unfold the Future of Music Education through Technology’, the Conference attracted 640 academics, researchers, practitioners and professionals from different regions, all of whom participated online or in person to exchange and share their experiences and research projects on various aspects of music education through the use of technology. It included 36 workshops and paper presentations, with topics ranging from digital pedagogies for teaching and learning music online to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and interdisciplinary approaches for music education. Challenges faced by the organizing committee are outlined, coupled with some recommendations for those wishing to host similar events that can improve knowledge exchange and encourage delegates’ networking experiences.