An Australian Perspective: Technology in Secondary School Music

Abstract

Introduction Since late 1960s issues surrounding technology in education have evolved to reflect contemporary times. No longer is emphasis on incorporating computers and technology into education, but on using them efficiently for teaching and learning. This paper will explore how technology has been included in Australian secondary school music curriculum since late 1960s, discussing significant events in recent history of Australian music education, such as arrival of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) in 1982. This overview of history of technology and particularly music technology in Australia provides some context for its present status. The history of present provides a way to understand past. It is used to: Expand boundaries of possible approaches to contemporary problems by using historical investigations to permit thinking of those problems in different ways.... histories of present take as their starting point questions posed in present and seek to make terms through which those problems are currently understood an object of inquiry. (1) The histories of present Victorian curricula can be understood in this context as the making of histories that locate present as a strange, rather than familiar landscape, where that which has gone without saying becomes problematic. (2) This paper focuses on Victoria, a state in Southeast Australia which contains large city Melbourne. Providing an explanation for each state and territory in Australia would be beyond scope of this paper. However, it is intended that this will be a snapshot of status of technology in music education in Australia. Australia does not have a national school system. Instead, state and territory governments have constitutional responsibility for schooling. However, at a national level, strategic policy development and delivery of educational programmes and services are coordinated through Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training, and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). The Commonwealth government works cooperatively with states and territories and non-governmental school authorities in pursuit of national goals that focus on learning outcomes of students and provide a framework for national reporting on student achievement and for public accountability by school education authorities. (3) The Department of Education, Science, and Training (DEST), also provides national leadership and works collaboratively with various states, territories, industry, agencies, and community in support of these objectives. DEST explains their role as: We develop and implement policies to ensure continuing relevance of education, science, and training to contemporary needs and growing requirements for lifelong learning. We also ensure high quality and value for money in delivering Government funded programmes. (4) Some of these national government pronouncements and programs will later be explored as they are relevant to recent past and present inclusion of technology in music education. Technology in Australian music education before MIDI Although this paper mainly considers music technology in secondary schools, it is important to first chronicle arrival of technology in university music education. University composers and lecturers used new technology, helping it evolve, and their effect of their work rippled across secondary school music education in Australia. The Elder Conservatorium at University of Adelaide (5) has an established history and pioneering reputation towards electronic music and music technology. In 1962, Dr. Henk Badings (6) (1907-1987) was first to introduce music concrete and electronic music to Adelaide University. English composer and educator Peter Tahourdin (1928-), who graduated from London's Trinity College of Music in 1952 where he studied composition with Richard Arnell (7) (1917-), became second visiting composer at University of Adelaide in 1964, lecturing in analog synthesis techniques. …