One of the many traits I admire in teachers is that when most of them discover that they don't have the tools to get a job done, they improvise rather than give up. Resourcefulness seems a prerequisite to becoming a successful educator. Most music technology lends itself to this way of thinking. When you have a good tech tool, naturally you want to learn to use it as intended, but it also pays to experiment and be willing to take the path less traveled on.

Consider, for example, 2-track audio-editing programs. Normally, we use them to master stereo mixes (say, for CD production or the Web) and to create instrument samples, special effects, and loops. But in “Lesson Plan: Teaching Song Form” (p. 28), Michael Fein shows us how to use an audio-editing program to teach musical form. That was surely not what the software developer had in mind, but it's a great idea.

Similarly, PG Music's Band-in-a-Box is most often used by composers to make rough versions of new songs, and by performers as an accompaniment aid for rehearsal and live performance. In “Tips and Techniques: Teaching Drum Patterns” (p. 32), however, Scott Watson shows us how this versatile program can be used to teach kids how to compose percussion parts. In our other “Tips and Techniques” column (“Classroom Performance,” p. 30), Don Muro shows us creative ways to use inexpensive gear — maybe even equipment you already have — to create a simple, practical system for monitoring live keyboard ensembles without using a lab controller.

To top it off, Jim Frankel has delivered a virtual tour de force on how to accomplish a tremendous amount in the classroom when all you have to work with is a single computer (see “The One-Computer Classroom” on p. 10). Whether preparing your materials, doing administrative work, communicating with parents and the community, or teaching in the classroom, you can do far more than you may think with resources that are limited.

As you get to know a technological tool, experiment with it. Play around and try different things. Think about ways that even a minor feature might help you to solve a problem, get a point across to your kids, or create fun and interesting teaching materials. Using a software feature in an unusual way isn't going to break the program, so go for it! For instance, Sibelius's Auralia is an ear-training program, but Frankel uses its tuning feature to teach intonation to his instrumental-music students. It doesn't matter whether the creators of Auralia intended the tuning feature to be used that way; it works.

Finally, high-tech tools and good-old low-tech creative approaches are productive partners. Check out how teacher Janet Rudd of PS161, New York City, prepares her youngsters to go into her modern keyboard lab by using a simple staff drawn on the floor with indelible ink (see “VH1 Saves Grade-School Music,” p. 18). Sure, Rudd has access to a 16-station keyboard lab, but it's her creativity and willingness to take advantage of all tools at her disposal that makes the difference.