Across the country, technology is broadening the role and applications of music education. Dr. Faulconer's curriculum development work is also being used 1,700 miles to the northeast by the Boston-based New England Conservatory of Music. Funded by the GE Foundation and the Nahant Educational Foundation, the conservatory is working with Johnson School, a public K-6 school in Nahant, Massachusetts, to refocus a traditional curriculum around music education.
New curriculum uses technology as a jumping-off point from which to continue to teach the basics.
It takes musical tones, converts them to digital format and then sends them across a wire to another synthesizer or a computer for playing, storing or editing. A notation program allows music to be converted quickly into written notes, scales and keys. It significantly reduces the time it takes to transform a piece of music into publishable work. They allow a musician to save a series of notes and then layer other notes on top of it. The sequencer allows one musician to build huge, orchestral sounds.