FIG. 1: Teaching Music with Technology is an excellent introduction to the pedagogical uses of music technology. It provides nearly 200 classroom-tested teaching strategies.

A critical factor in ensuring successful teaching of music technology is having great resources. But technology books, unlike magazine articles about technology, quickly become obsolete. Oftentimes, an author submits a manuscript as much as a year before the finished product finally hits the shelves, and the technology advances that are made between a book's initial submission and its publication can cause it to lack up-to-date information.

Fortunately, there are at least four outstanding books about music technology for educators that remain virtually timeless. Whether you are an expert who has had years of experience or someone who is just getting started, make sure that you have the following books on your shelf.

Originally published in 1996 and now in its second edition, Teaching Music with Technology by Thomas Rudolph (GIA Publications, 2004) has long been a favorite of music educators who use technology in their classrooms. The book, which costs $34.95, is an excellent introduction to the field, providing nearly 200 classroom-tested teaching strategies (see Fig. 1). Rudolph is a frequent MET contributor and the president of the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME). He is also a district director of music, a middle-school teacher, and an instrumental-music instructor.

Teaching Music with Technology is an ideal textbook for college-level courses that are about music-education technology. The book comes with a CD-ROM for Mac and Windows that contains projects, sample lesson plans, Web-based activities, and sample pages from related publications.

Its greatest strength, however, is its readability. Rudolph explains essential music-technology concepts in a comprehensive and approachable style that readers of all levels of expertise will find refreshing.

Teaching Music with Technology is organized into 17 chapters covering topics such as Internet basics, technology terms, MIDI, digital audio, software, keyboard-lab setups, administrative applications, curriculum integration, copyright law, and securing funding for music technology. Each chapter is presented in a similar format, with a concept, links to the MENC national standards and National Education Technology (NET) standards, terms, practical teaching strategies, and ways to select classroom-appropriate materials. There are software reviews, a chapter summary, and personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout the book.

At the end of each chapter are review questions and CD-ROM-based projects and activities that reinforce the concepts presented during the chapter. The book's many useful illustrations include diagrams of lab setups and pictures of the various technologies discussed.

Chapter 7, “Notation Software,” illustrates the structure and style that Rudolph uses throughout Teaching Music with Technology. The first thing he presents are the MENC and NET standards. He suggests which standards you can address using technology in the music classroom, a feature that can help you greatly to effectively incorporate the standards into your teaching. He then gives a brief history of notation (scoring) software from 1984 to the present, describes the types of notation software (from entry-level to advanced), and discusses guidelines for selecting appropriate software for different educational needs. An excellent chart gives an accounting of the available notation programs, with Web links for downloading demonstations.

Although Rudolph mentions specific titles and compares their functions, his text will remain relevant for years because he focuses primarily on using notation software in the classroom. While features change over time, his lesson ideas and music-technology concepts will remain valid.

Chapter 7 highlights 16 teaching strategies, covering everything from creating student work sheets to arranging MIDI files for use with a performing ensemble. He gives a step-by-step guide for creating notation files in any notation program, complete with great time-saving tips.

I have used Teaching Music with Technology as the required text for my Introduction to New Technologies in Music Education graduate course at Teachers College, Columbia University, for the past eight years. My course focuses on the integration of music technology into the music curriculum, and Teaching Music with Technology is the perfect text for that purpose. Starting with the first edition in 1996, and now using the second edition, I have had nothing but success with it. My students consistently praise the book for its unassuming style and its multitude of practical teaching strategies.

FIG. 2: Experiencing Music Technology is a -comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of music technology.

Experiencing Music Technology (Thomson Higher Education, 2006) is the most comprehensive guide to music technology for educators available today (see Fig. 2). Now in its third edition, the 467-page book sells for $73.95. Written by music-education pioneers David Williams of Illinois State University and Peter Webster of Northwestern University, the book is encyclopedic in scope and is the perfect resource for music educators looking for an in-depth source.

Experiencing Music Technology differs from Teaching Music with Technology in that the former shows how to use each of the technologies, and the latter discusses their pedagogical uses. The books complement each other and make a great pair. Experiencing Music Technology's companion DVD-ROM for Mac and Windows has many hands-on tutorials that are specific to the software discussed in the text.