Music Software Uses at School. The French experience

Transcription

1 147 Music Software Uses at School. The French experience Jean-Marc Thiebaud Steinberg France A use of computing applied to the musical education in France was born in the 80 s, when sequencers and programs for musical creation appeared. Twenty years later, this concept has been fully integrated by the overseers of national education in our country. Today, informatics tool is daily used in the music classes, no matter the school grade. Musical Education, in France, is governed with a pyramid-shaped system, huge measures taken by the Ministry General Inspector of National Education. Then, about thirteen academic overseers over the territory (each one of them is a music teacher into his school) have to relieve the national agreements into their regions. It concerns schools curriculum as methods and tools, witch are going to be used into the music learning at school. Pieces bellow, from main sites of Ministry of National Education, sum up in few pages how our main national overseers consider Multimedia and informatics tools integration into Music lessons taught in every schools, no matter the school grade, on our territory. This technologies gathering s name is T.I.C.C.E.. T.I.C.C.E. and Musical Education TICCE (technologies of information, communication and creation for musical education) are modern technologic resources make available for teachers and student to bring to perfect teaching by integrate these technologies, chiefly digitals, nowadays incontrovertible. A lot of Musical Education teachers integrated Informatics technologies to their pedagogy because of innovation they represent into active educational methods, which aim is to develop creativity and inventiveness of students. By linking a computer to a sound synthesiser, managing this with sonorous creation specific software, or organising musical events, teacher and his students get immense musical possibilities. There are many use s domains are: creation of incredible sounds, discover of contemporary musical universe, approaching of language and forms, creation or accompaniment of songs, practice of language by project s educational methods and musical invention Because of the specificity of project and of few students, voluntary, workshop of Musical Education artistic practice is as well a use s domain of musical infor-

2 148 M.O.D.E.M. Music open distance exchange model matics. After being MIDI, computer became Multimedia gave an exemplary dimension to informatics sounds. CD s and Web Site offer a lot of documentary media for musical study (data bank about music history, live music, world music, compositors, creation studio, etc.). Download on Internet network allows meeting several quality documents, as MIDI files, opera images, synopsis, musical analysis, instrument or ethnological studies Information s and communication s technologies have a huge place in Musical Education, searching for project and creation. A very long way Twenty-five years of digital technologies at musical education service! It s the age, the one which allows us to meter the travelled way since the micro computing appears, the actual environment state, his equipments and practices, at last the several and fascinating prospects that we have to invest to develop today and tomorrow a modern musical education. In which time the first huge mechanism aiming schools establishment equipment and training teachers are born in the 80 s, sounds and music take a very small place on machines from those days: it s only because of a sickening programming that user can listen a featureless melody, or more exactly a succession of sounds without any musical feels Fortunately appears quickly MIDI norms, and the first computer able to use this one. This communication s protocol between two digital equipments aiming sonorous production allows sharing tasks out: synthesizers have to give quality sounds, computers have to manage them. Of course, this logic is nowadays still available, improved by computer power s growth, quality and variety of useable software, and wealth of available sounds. Present dispersion of digital audio management technologies add another dimension to these possibilities and, from now, only some things escape from an adequate use of musical informatics. Through this period, musical education with help from informatics left diggers and discoverers of pedagogy, to reach the time of wide-ranging diffusions of daily technologies uses. For it, step by step, appeared standard pedagogy diffused into a lot of establishment. Since 1996, programmes of primary school, secondary school and high school let a huge place to this new tools uses, which treat a lot of school activities. Help to vocal practice, analyse tools for interactive listening, each education objectives can benefit of this original contribution. Evidence of these teaching s assets (supple methods, adjustable and diversified, visual and auditory configurable supports) never should hide the main didactic objectives: Technologies are helpful for vocal repertoire learning, which aim is to develop the vocal technique of students, as experimentation and emotion from a collective performance of a huge repertory. Technologies improve listening practices, which aim is still the learning of a cultivation based on huge piece knowledge and on hearing competence development.

3 Music Software Uses at School. The French experimenting J.M.Thiebaud 149 Technologies allow music languages training, which aim is always to learn process to appreciate music listening. From education to teaching, coherence of TICE uses in Musical Education Informatics integration in academic disciplines goes over incitation that their presence represents into school programs. On this point, musical education is a model: from primary school to university, informatics use is improved. As a consequence, computing is in any level of musical teaching, standing for an other way for pedagogy. Informatics tool can be considered as a very fast multimedia driver. By one simple click, we can listen different sounds files, (MIDI or sampled), or access to sounds extracts from an audio CD with an exactitude of a thousandth second, without delay. These possibilities are very effectual for listening work. In the same way, students, with the help from sequencers software, can discover different sonorous layouts into musical pieces, the framework, the orchestration For vocal teaching, informatics tool does not only allow band s accompaniment, but as well faster polyphonic teaching. Self-centered, teacher can edit his own scores, but also realize high quality documents for students. Furthermore, Internet access supplies undeniable assets. Teacher, by connecting to the network, can share files with his partners, download realization on academic hosts. Often alone, he access to a new sharing space, also improvement. As a consequence, it seems to be natural to witness new school informatics program creation: 1996 for secondary school, 2000 for high school, and 2002 for primary school. Primary school: It (artistic education, i-e Visual Arts and Musical Education) enjoys contribution of diversified and new pedagogic tools. It allows students to explore possibilities from computer and his tools, in accordance with age and ripeness. his tools: help to visual or sonar creation software; montage; aesthetic or documentary use; Internet. Secondary School: Topical technologies (computer, sounds generator, keyboards, CD, Information and Documentation Center) are working hand in hand with traditional tools, creating students improvement. Concepts relatives to musical language are enhanced by using these technologies: Colours: by easier manipulation of sound s constitutive physical data, specialized software contribute ripening perception of these parameters. A colour can be divided into different parameters (envelop, attack, sustain, fall, depth,

4 150 M.O.D.E.M. Music open distance exchange model frequency), no matter it is separated or associated colours. Time: sonorous events organization specialized software (sequencers) offer several ways to consider this parameter. Pounding, BPM, length, growth, reduction, repetition, superimposition, and displacement are examples of privileged applications. Space: those software, with specific features, are pointing up spatial repartition of sonorous events; volume can be moved, transposed, inversed, added, overlaid, cancelled. Shape: everything about a pattern repetition and his development can be enhanced; formal structure can be isolated, modified, controlled and immediately listened. Graphic possibilities of these software are widely privileged; it require a very large television screen, connected to the computer. Interplay and immediately sonorous translation suggest a huge experience domain. Functions of these equipments requirement, this contribution of actual technologies enkindle two different ways, similar or not: Only one workstation is needed for teacher, to discover notions, A second one, base a fuller equipment, allows students proceeding creation and invention activities. Building short project allows teacher and students to share feelings, concerning original sonorous contexts. Using musical technologies through the different steps of education help students familiarizing with each one of the different art expression methods. At the end of secondary school, students are able to understand the huge place of new technologies, no matter the musical life level: contemporary music, popular music, pa system, radio, TV, movie-making, etc. By the way, teacher will have to learn new technologies through several facets, MIDI sequencer, audio digital edition or multimedia introduction. High School: Information and communication technologies (TIC) are playing a growing role into the educational process: every domain is using it. Artistic domains are resorting it by two different ways. Same as other domains, it needs TIC for searching, collecting, ranking information; to communicate. Autistics domain uses information and communication technologies as an assistant for creation (TICC). Like this, helped conception and realisation by computer are stepping, e.g.: in music, with computer s software and synthesizer, to fuse and transform preset musical propositions, or reach musical creation practical. The creative possibilities of these tools will be particularly sought. In the music or computer room of the premises, edition MIDI software or digital audio will allow individual and independent work. Other skill required at the end of the final year, the student is able to develop a musical material aid of his voice, his instrument or tools offering by the new technologies. Then, at the end of his 4 years university study, the candidate at the external

5 Music Software Uses at School. The French experimenting J.M.Thiebaud 151 CAPES stream musical education and singing choral have to realise an arrangement including the eventual use of one musical computer station equipped with sequencer score editor, sound generator, keyboard with MIDI norm. The June 2002 session, first year of implementation concerning the new terms of the competitive examination, saw the 80% of the candidates accompany their voice with mixed instrumentarium (acoustic and computing). Like this, at each teaching level, the musical computing is an offering possibility for the teacher and the student, it s a complement and not an alternative to the traditionals tools. A so beautiful future! The musical education, tomorrow, will lean for a significant part on the conceivable of these technologies. As such, the specialised room equipment always has to comprise, next to a keyboard and a quality audio broadcast system, a musical computer station interfaced to a video projection system. On the other side, the students will be able to use themselves appropriate tools which, are more and more developing near the needs of the national Education, will be directly conform with the education plan whose teachers, always, will keep the responsibility of the elaboration and control procedure. At last, we can note the interest given by the region with a measure of autonomy to respond to the specifics needs of the academic discipline artistic when these one register with a solid education plan. By the profits realised by the technologies at the musical education, our academic discipline established itself at the TICE state-of-the-art development in the school education. This delivery d ac-tice will provide to everybody standard information for, either to pursue in this passionate way concerning the pedagogy of the musical education based on the actual technologies, or to establish their knowledges and references to define an equipment plan which allow them to access it. Note: Extracts from French Ministry of National Education website: Especially Educnet and Académie of Nancy Metz, Pedagogic use of TICE, Academy of Rennes, IPR & IET. Original textes, with the nice authorization from writers: Vincent MAESTRACCI Attendance Officer of National Education Etienne GÉGOUT TICE correspondent Jacques FERCHAUD - IA-IPR Jean-Marc Thiebaud Steinberg France