Never mind the technology, where’s the learning?

I was not much good at music in school. Mind you it was not the sort of education that students and pupils get today, and although there are greater opportunities for young people to learn an instrument, many are still self-taught, or are motivated to teach themselves. In the last few years the internet has supported this, and in particular the growth of YouTube where thousands upon thousands have found an audience for their growing talent. At a recent session with International school teachers I used the YouTube Symphony Orchestra competition as an example of talent can be empowered in individuals by collaborative ventures without the individuals even meeting. The mash-up of the entries is inspiring:

Part of the process of teaching yourself is to listen to the expert and mimic how they do something, then practicing and practicing until you get better. For those learning an instrument video and music on the web enables access to these performances in ways not possible before. Here’s one example:

There are even some games and software that promote this mimicking, such as Guitar Hero, but few have developed software which helps develop the ability to play ‘by ear’. Capo is therefore different, it slows down the music without distorting the pitch so that each note can be heard distinctly. As learning moves more and more to the individual, no doubt digital technology tools will emerge that support these self-learning modes.

Tags: self-taught, personal learning, capo