The Information Highway As A Tool For Music Education

by Terry Nigrelli

With all the hype about the "Information Highway" you might be a little bewildered by a lack of information. In this column I will try to shed a little light on the subject. I will also suggest ways you might use a computer with a modem as a tool for teaching and researching music.
A personal computer with a modem is an extremely versatile communications device. A modem is a device that enables a computer to send and receive data over ordinary phone lines. With the appropriate software your computer will dial a phone number and connect to another computer with a modem. This connection allows you to transfer files or messages to colleagues in another building, another state or another continent.
Much of the current buzz in the computer world is about the Internet. The Internet is actually a collection of computer networks connected to each other. Sound confusing? Well just picture a university campus where all the computers are wired together. Any student or faculty member can send messages or transfer files to anyone else connected to the network. Now imagine that campus wired to another campus and another and so on. Many businesses and public school systems are also connected. It is relatively expensive to maintain a direct connection to the Internet so most private individuals have dial in access only.
With a PC and a modem you can also connect to a Bulletin Board System or "B.B.S." A B.B.S. Is sort of a meeting place where people can post messages to other users, upload and download non copywritten programs. You can also get information and help on a variety of topics. Most B.B.S.s are small, local and specialized to a particular computer brand or special interest area. These usually consist of one "host" computer with one or more telephone lines to allow users to call in and log on. There are several large commercial B.B.S.'s like "America Online," "Compuserve" and "Prodigy." These on-line services may have thousands of access lines. They provide access to manufactures, publications, special interest "forums." Users can also send E-mail and participate in live chats for a fee starting at about ten dollars a month. Shareware and demo software programs are available for downloading as well.
Many B.B.S.s, including the big three, are connected to the Internet and allow E-mail to be sent and received to anyone else with an Internet address. I correspond by E-mail to several former students who are away at colleges. Full Internet access is provided by a handful of higher priced services. This allows "File Transfer Protocol" or "FTP" and other means of access to computers connected to the Internet.
You may still be wondering how all this can help you teach music. Here are a few implementations worth investigating. You can subscribe to "newsgroups" or "mailing lists" dealing with particular topics such as clarinet, ancient music or jazz. These newsgroups consist of a number of people who correspond about the given topic. When you send a message to a newsgroup everyone who subscribes to that newsgroup receives a copy. I subscribe to the "trombone" and the "brass instruments" mailing lists. I receive several messages every day. I read them and occasionally reply if I have a question or something to add to the discussion. I sometimes save the messages on my computers hard disk for future reference.
You can also do research on everything from Gregorian chants to Miles Davis to heavy metal. Many universities have files available for anonymous downloading. This means you don't need a password to get in. These files may consist of text articles, dissertation abstracts, full length thesis' , pictures, sounds, MIDI files, scores and or video images. The number and variety of these resources are growing rapidly.
A student can create a musical composition on PC, save it as a standard MIDI file and upload it to a student in another state or country. This student can add a part to the arrangement and transfer it back to the origin al source for further editing. This type of remote collaboration is exiting and promotes the idea of music as a universal language.
In the near future we may see technology so widely available as to allow students to participate in live interactive master classes with musicians and music educators. Perhaps we may even have automatic live foreign language translation. How about live remote chamber music performances? Each member of a string quartet could be on a different continent and the audience could be anywhere on the globe.
Communications technology is a powerful and versatile tool. Music educators can use it to expand their resources. Students can use it to collaborate electronically, gain knowledge and broaden their awareness of music. I wish you many happy miles on the Information Highway.

Terry Nigrelli is instrumental music teacher in Bay Shore, NY. He also works as a freelance trombone player. Terry holds a B.S. from Manhattan School of Music and a M.S. from The Juilliard School.