Risks and prromises of ICT for Music Education

Abstract

This article discusses about the conditions influencing the usage of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the music classroom. Peter Webster (2002) considers three circumstances allowing or restraining how ICT is employed in music education: (1) technological development; (2) availability and integration; and (3) a constructivist approach being followed for teaching and learning. I will discuss a fourth feature: the similarity between the musical concept supported both by ICT and the school curriculum. I will develop these four circumstances and provide illustrations from a European context. In the ending, I will conclude that the potentiality of teaching materials that use ICT for music education by can be jeopardized for global and economic interests beyond schools. ICT is more than being proficient using technologies, but also being an active reader of mass media productions. Teachers should be aware of both potentials and risks to promote  reflective listeners and thinkers rather than reproductive listeners and consumers.