More Than a Classroom: Learning, Leading, and Listening in the Digital Age

When I first started teaching band, my classroom was filled with music, stands, and instruments- and not much technology. As my career has progressed, I have noticed a shift. Students are coming into the classroom much more tech-savvy. Students were coming in craving more collaboration and craving more from my rehearsals than just repetition. As both a music educator and a graduate student exploring digital learning, I have found myself in a unique position to watch how education is changing. Today's classrooms are more than just a physical space with desks and chairs- they are learning environments designed to spark autonomy and creativity, teach collaboration skills, and adapt to the needs of every student. In this post I want to reflect on what that shift looks like, both from my own experience and through the lens of what I’m learning in my studies at Lamar.

To begin simply, classroom layouts have physically changed. The straight rows of desks are gone, being replaced with desks that are placed in groups to allow for collaboration. Schools have flex spaces where students can work outside of the classroom and in the hallways. My band halls have even changed over the years. When I first began teaching, I had one classroom, an office, and 3 or 4 practice rooms. I had a computer, a projector, speakers, and a keyboard. There was no space to send groups out for help from other teachers, so we had to get creative- either by practicing in the cafeteria or outside. Now, I am INCREDIBLY blessed to work in a brand new school. I have a giant band hall, 4 practice rooms in the band hall, an office, and even a sink! Next door we have our ensemble room, which is big enough to teach 15 students. Finally, we have a percussion room that is big enough to house all of our percussion equipment. My tech set-up is quite impressive, as well. I have a projector in the band hall with state of the art speakers and recording equipment. I have a harmony director in the band hall and the ensemble room, and a tv in the ensemble room, as well. I have noticed that the larger space has increased my students' creativity and engagement in our rehearsals. To illustrate this, at the school I was previously teaching in my assistant decided to redecorate the band hall. The band hall was a gray color with no outside light and no windows. She brought in blue fabric to cover the walls, CD's to decorate with, and lamps to provide a better vibe in the classroom. I cannot emphasize enough what a massive difference this made in our classes! The students were happier to be in class, they worked harder, and their attitudes improved. I am so thankful to my assistant for showing me just how much the physical classroom environment matters, and I took that lesson with me to my current school!

My current classroom setup

As I have had to adapt to different teaching spaces, my teaching style has changed, as well. When I first started teaching, I was like any young director- nervous I wouldn't hear what was happening around me in rehearsal- and if I was lucky enough to hear the mistake, I was scared that I wouldn't know how to fix it. I was stuck on the podium. I felt safe there! However, as I got more experience and self-confidence, I was able to get off of the podium and move around in the space. This helped me transition from a teacher-centered perspective to a student-centered perspective. Additionally, this led me to build better relationships with my students, and I found myself wanting to allow them to give me more input on our music we were playing for concerts. I reflected and tried to find spaces where I could give my students voice and ownership in their band classes. (Harapnuik, 2018) The students LOVED it! They loved being allowed to vote on what pieces we were playing, the t-shirt design for that year, and what our band mascot or motto was going to be that year! Technologically, we moved from taking polls by raising our hands, to using google forms to take surveys, to now using classroomscreen (Classroomscreen, N.D.) to gather input from students. Students love being able to use the technology to vote, and I can show them the reports in real time once all of the classes have participated in the surveys. This helps when 1st period votes for something and 8th period votes for something completely different!

However, there is value in doing things the old way- I am currently working on a theory that students do not memorize information based on how they learn it online. I believe that students learn through tactile and old school methods- AKA flashcards. I have created flashcards that teach students note names for our students to use at the beginning of the school year. We have tried learning it digitally in the past, and we have noticed that our students cannot recall note names. My plan for the upcoming year is to have students work with flashcards daily to hopefully increase retention of note names. Stay tuned in August/September to see how this theory works out! All of that to say, technology definitely has a place in the classroom! One musical benefit that technology has provided is practice tracks. This is a recording that students can listen to and practice along with. Back in the day if you were practicing you were just in a room by yourself and you had to guess if you were right! Now students have a recording that they can slow down and practice with, which increases our success in class and performances! I believe that true innovation blends both worlds- old school techniques with new technology.

Which works better for learning note names- digital or old school flashcards? Only time will tell! (Image provided by https://www.yamaha-keyboard-guide.com/read-piano-notes.html)

It is my goal to not only be a strong music educator, but a strong advocate for using technology in the classroom to support ALL learners. We use a lot of gamification in the band hall- using things like musictheory.net, kahoot, blooket, ningenius, etc to teach music theory concepts. This allows for students to learn at their own pace. Students who are more comfortable with music theory can fly through these games, and those that are struggling can get remediation through these games. They support all kinds of learners, and best of all, the students LOVE these programs!

Anyone who has used technology in the classroom knows to expect the unexpected and to be ready to troubleshoot student devices (and your own issues)! One thing I model in my classroom is that failure is a part of learning. (Engelbrecht, 2025) There are many times when our tech lessons just don't go as planned, and that's okay! (Just make sure you have a backup plan!) To help with the anxiety using tech in the classroom can cause our students, we have taught our students how to clear the cache on their Chromebook to help their devices work more efficiently. We also have an INCREDIBLE instructional technologist on our campus- shout out to my friend Amber Robinson! She is always willing to listen to me vent about my technology frustrations and always looks for ways to help and to streamline our processes to make them easier for our students. She is one of my role models when it comes to using tech in the classroom, and I know I wouldn't be brave enough to try new things without her! As I am progressing through the ADL program at Lamar, I'm noticing that my Creating Significant Learning Environments class has helped me with preparing lessons that engage my students rather than just using technology for technology sake. I am now looking at tech as a tool to help teach my students, rather than a replacement for my own teaching.

As a band director, I know that good things don't just happen in the classroom. It takes intentionally, practice, and a willingness to embrace feedback. Those same actions can definitely be used when creating great learning environments for students. Whether I have a flute or clarinet in my hand, or I'm using my laptop to meaningfully facilitate learning with my students, my classroom is becoming a place where my students feel comfortable exploring, connecting to each other, and growing as musicians and people. As I continue my journey as both a teacher and a learner, I'm excited to grow right along with them!

Sources:

Engelbrecht, S. (2025, March 24). Teaching students to maintain their devices. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-students-maintain-devices/

Harapnuik, D. (2018, July 14).COVA. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991

Programs mentioned: Classroomscreen.com Kahoot.com Blooket.com

ningenius.azurewebsite.net

musictheory.net