- Home
- A-Z Publications
- Journal of Music, Technology & Education
- Previous Issues
- Volume 5, Issue 2, 2012
Journal of Music, Technology & Education - Volume 5, Issue 2, 2012
Volume 5, Issue 2, 2012
-
-
Freedom to create in the cloud or in the open? A discussion of two options for music creation with digital tools at no cost
More LessA challenge for teaching and learning in compulsory school music education, is how to make pupils learn music even between school lessons: To let processes of musical creativity and learning exist in a continuum in the pupils’ lives rather than just disparate moments in the few music lessons offered. The advance of digital technology combined with the availability of computers for the majority of pupils could present some solutions to this problem, but each solution have their own flip sides too. In this article two possible solutions are presented from a pragmatist perspective: One solution consists of a memory stick with a complete open source operating system complete with software for musical and media learning, production and composition, while the other solution is concerned with Web 2.0 solutions with software running via the web browser. The two solutions have pros and cons regarding didactical impolication, ethical and philosophical implications and legal implications that are important for any music teacher to take into account.
-
-
-
Across the great divide
Authors: Julian Brooks, Joanna Brooks and Pierre Alexandre TremblayFree Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) is licensed to allow users the freedom to copy, reuse, study and develop the software. As a term which efficiently encompasses both ‘free software’ and ‘open-source’ models, FLOSS may offer music practitioners and researchers the opportunity to develop and use such software without becoming mired in a particular stance. In this article, parallels between FLOSS and experimental music are explored, with a view to highlighting their compatibility. Through reflection on the recent composition, recording and distribution of three text scores, this article examines how the application of a FLOSS framework may assist with such work in an academic setting and how FLOSS tools might be utilized in such settings in the future as they become more prevalent, more reliable and more stable.
-
-
-
Open-source software projects in music education: Stakeholders, structure and the development cycle
More LessOpen-source software (OSS) projects are relatively unexplored territory in music education research and practice. In contrast to commercial software development, OSS projects are informally organized and free in terms of administration and control. Developers contribute in several ways according to their own will and whenever they want. In music education, the possible OSS project stakeholders can vary from independent developers to researchers, schools and commercial companies. The structure of this multifaceted collaboration scheme can be very diverse and complex. This article will present a case from a sponsored music educational open-source project that developed a mobile phone-based music software for children. The characteristics of collaboration, project structure, roles of different stakeholders and open-source licensing from this project will shed light on different aspects and characteristics of OSS development in music education. As a conclusion, an iterative process model for OSS projects in music education will be drawn.
-
-
-
An open-source approach to music education through jam2jam XO
More LessThis article examines the philosophy and practice of open-source technology in the development of the jam2jam XO software for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) computer. It explores how open-source software principles, pragmatist philosophy, improvisation and constructionist epistemologies are operationalized in the design and development of music software, and how such reflection reveals both the strengths and weaknesses of the open-source software development paradigm. An overview of the jam2jam XO platform, its development processes and music educational uses is provided and resulting reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of open-source development for music education are discussed. From an educational and software development perspective, the act of creating open-source software is shown to be a valuable enterprise, however, just because the source code, creative content and experience design are accessible and ‘open’ to be changed, does not guarantee that educational practices in the use of that software will change. Research around the development and use of jam2jam XO suggests that open-source software development principles can have an impact beyond software development and on to aspects of experience design and learning relationships.
-
-
-
Abunch, a tool to teach live electronics in pre-college music education
By Hans RoelsThis article proposes an outline for a live electronics course in pre-college music education, examines whether open source music software is suited to teach live electronics and finally presents Abunch, a library in Pure Data created by the author, as a solution for the potential educational disadvantages of open-source music software.
-
-
-
Creativity-centred design for ubiquitous musical activities: Two case studies
This study is among the first that attempt to define a methodology for creativity-centred software design in educational contexts, more specifically for musical activities in ubiquitous settings. We propose and apply a set of design techniques – the Ubimus Planning and the Ubimus Design protocols – as alternatives to experimental procedures that leave out relevant aspects of social and procedural dimensions in educational research. Two workshops were conducted to assess both technological and domain-specific requirements for support of creative musical activities. The first workshop was conducted with music teachers and school teachers that had no formal musical training. The objective of this workshop was to assess domain-specific requirements for musical creative activities by educational staff. The second workshop focused on technological support for tool development by non-musicians. This workshop yielded two software projects that involved user evaluations of creative processes. Participants in t e corresponding user studies included both musicians and non-musicians. The Ubimus Planning protocol served to raise important questions regarding technological usage by musicians and naive subjects in educational contexts. Non-technical approaches, such as those proposed by traditional soundscape activities, may not be suited for introducing non-musicians to sonic composition. Naive subjects may respond better to technologically based approaches, such as those used in ecocomposition.The Ubimus Design approach proved to be effective to test the usability of musical tools at early stages of development. Prototypes were implemented and usability studies were carried out by undergraduate IT students within a three-week time slot. Sharp differences were observed in the type of requirements expressed by musicians and non-musicians regarding creativity support tools. Nevertheless, both groups of subjects assessed the use of software prototypes within exploratory musical activities as being fun and expressive.
-
Volumes & issues
Most Read This Month
