The Symposium for DTM Educational Application

International Exchange of Japan and Spain
Tokyo - 7/27/95

(LEAD)

Here we introduce the part of Symposium:

List of participants

Sakamoto(SA): Last Oct. in Barcelona, there was an international conference to discuss how to utilize PCs in to school education. At that time, I've heard from Mr. Busquets who is now here, that there are 200 schools in Spain already using PCs positively in Music Education. Because of this, I have started thinking to commence an international act of Music Education that both Japan and Spain exchange information of computer aided education developments as well as to know each others music background which grew under totally different cultures. This Symposium is aimed to be a trigger of the plan.

Busquets(BU): The former education system in Spain, the compulsory education was given to the age from 6 to 14, and most of schools did not have Music teachers. In 1990, new laws of education was established. Now the compulsory education is given to the age from 6 to 16, and all the Elementary and junior high schools have the music teachers. In Spain, there are Public Schools, Private Schools supported by government, and Private Schools. The teachers who will make presentation today are all from Public Schools. Information Education Program (P.I.E.) is managed the Ministry of Education in Catatonia Government. This organization consists two main frames which are Music Education and Information Education, they established the computer music education system into 136 schools in Catatonia autonomy. They have also held the computer education course for teachers, as well as making special education programs using PCs and musical instruments. In addition, they distribute the copies of software which have been developed by school teachers.
Equipments which we currently using are PCs, MIDI Interface and Synthesizers, together with the software "Ballade", "MUSIC" for small children, some schools are using Multimedia CD-ROMS. There is software called "sonor" developed by Logo language, too. PIE also has their own "homepage" in Internet, so it is possible to get the information from everywhere all over the world.

Flores(FL): My presentation is "Learning Basic Musical Concepts by Computers". For example, we show students a part of Beethoven Symphony scores on a computer, but the score has some mistakes such as beats or pitches. Students listen to the music and playback the score and correct it. The purpose of this exercise is to understand basic concept of music like notes or rhythms. For teachers this way is easier to teach than without DTM system, and for students it is more fun and interesting.

Buisan(BU): I would like to explain "Analysis of Musical Theme Using Computers". The purpose of this is to develop the ability of analyzing musical theme in students. Firstly, students listen the tune of "lslands" composed by Mike Oldfield. Then we give them its score which is once divided into each bars and then put together changing its order intensively. Students check it and recognize how it is incomplete, and they edit it as a theme into PCs. After selecting most resembled tones of the tune in synthesizer, they playback it. Then by comparing it with the original tune of "lslands", they complete their editing work.

Royo(RO): My presentation is "DTM as a Musical Creation Instrument. Composition and Performing music is a kind of creative expression and it is as important as other expressions of art. However sometimes music education tends to have more priorities in listening or skill of playing musical instruments. I believe the task of we, music teachers, is to enlighten and develop the ability of creating music in students. In teaching, we use the tune called "Kalenda Maya" by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (12th Century). The first exercise is to listen to the tune by CD. We playback the tune by computer watching the score on the computer screen to learn how to read the score and to analyze. Then we select suitable percussion sounds for the tune using DTM or create totally new tunes with the form of A-B-B'-C-C' which we found out by analyzing "Kalenda Maya".

SA: In Japan, 100% of Junior high schools and 67% of Elementary schools is equipped PCs, but users per one unit are 100 person in Elementary schools and 20 persons in Junior high. It is not still enough ratio of installation comparing to the schools in U.S., 10 person per one PC.

BU: In Spain, we are much less level of PC installation. 100/. of Junior High owns PCs in Catalonia, but they are all very old models. Elementary schools have more modern equipment but only 40% installation, and less equipment in terms of music education systems. After visiting japanese school, I feel the purpose of computer aided music education in Japan is very much resemble to Spanish ones, it is to learn the basic concept of music or composing of songs. On the other hands, I felt two big differences, too. One is that Japanese students have already had music education since they are in elementary schools. In Spain, students can learn music only after Junior high schools. Another point is that the equipment of Japanese schools are much more modern than the equipment of Spanish schools.

Katakuse(KA): In my town Hirakata city, our school is the only one who has one PC for one student. Other 19 schools are not yet in this level. In our school, the PC usage in music is mainly aimed at composition, not so much at basic music studies. The idea of using PC in Spain as an education tool, we are also consider in the same sense.

RO: One of the purpose of PC music education is to train the students well-skilled in music listening and let them have interest in music. PC itself is a tool which attracts children and interests them like playing games. It also can be a tool for teachers which enables us to create own teaching method or printing complete scores. PCs also enable us to explain music with sound effects, re-write score freely and instruct children the basic concepts with visual images. For the students PC can be the self-learning tool.

Kakuta(KK): I feel, when listening the works of Spanish students, the style of music is somewhat alike as the ones of Japanese students because they are in the same generation. It would be excellent if we could exchange the works of students like this time in the future.

BU: Visiting Japanese schools, I felt that the students have got enough basic education of music. In Spain, most of students are lacking basic knowledge of music.

Takiura(TA): I feel teachers in Spain have firm faith in instructing music. In Japan, during 9 years of compulsory education, we have 600 hours in total for music lesson, but I don't think there is big differences in music knowledge of both students even if Spanish students start their music studies from Junior high schools. In my classroom, I teach students mainly composition by computer. They can manage it rather easily by using PC, but paradoxically, this is the demerits of PC. I reflect on my classroom that I should start to give composition lessons after students learned enough basic of music. Though it is difficult to let students have enough knowledge, by using PC, the lessons can be much more interesting and efficient.

FL: In my case, 1 put more priority in teaching music theory than composition. Without basic knowledge of music, it is not easy to compose good songs.

KA: I have a different point of view with Mr. Takiura in how to use PC in the classroom. In our city -Hirakata, the installation of PC is only allowed in specified PC rooms. Each teachers of Music, Technology, Science and Mathematics discuss the time allocation to use PC classroom at the beginning of the school period. Now each grader uses PC room for two months. For studies of Music theory, I didn't feel it very necessity to use PC because I like to teach theory by myself, so I have decided to use the PC classroom mainly for composition lessons.

SA: Using PCs in music composition, one can make excellent songs easily, however it is helped a lot by PC, in fact. So how should we make fair evaluation of musical ability actually?

RO: Grading the students' works done by PC is very difficult. I put more importance on how much the students are utilizing their knowledge in the composition. As for the evaluation I do not judge only by myself, but asking other students' opinion as much as possible.

KA: In my case, I try to see how they can express themselves in their works, so I don't care whether the tune is meet the ordinary sense of ready-made music. If I said to students "why you do not to make this part like that" just in short, then he would reply "lt is your sense, teacher, not my sense". When I grade their works, I check how the students put their enthusiasm to the works.

SA: This is very important subject. "whether there should be evaluation in the education of ART or not".

TA: As a teacher, it is impossible to avoid grading. If there is a student who have a certain confidence with his work, I put an importance on grading how he uses his talent for the work. When there is some theoretical conflict in their work, I give the student some advise carefully so that it does not interfere his creativity.

KK: I must confess I am not a music teacher. I'm a science who also teaches DTM. Evaluation of the works are made in the Science class as well, but it belongs how the students make use of their knowledge of music learned in the music class. I want to avoid to get the students to hate music because of DTM. I have an intention to let them enjoy music, for example, by bringing back the floppy disc home which contains his own tune. I want to teach DTM not as the technological thing but as the one which brings children more fun in his life by making music through it.

BU: Honestly speaking, I'm also not a music teacher but a government official. I think the most important thing is to develop the students' creativity through DTM education. Concerning artistic evaluation, we should deal the points separately which we can evaluate and can't.

SA: Well, at the last, let's talk about how teachers in both countries can keep the international relationship of Spain and Japan.

TA: Concerning information exchange, it is very effective to utilize PC network for data exchange, it would like to improve my educational method which will lead students to recognize the different culture.

KK: During the pre-meeting, t gave some SMF data which contains Japanese folk songs such as "So-Ran Bushi" or "Kokiriko Bushi" to Spanish teachers, t think this kind of simple exchange of data would be a first step.

BU: It might be one of the best idea to use Internet for exchange information. Internet can be the total solution of distance and time between two countries.

RO: Since the DTM system have been installed in my class, my way of instruction has changed drastically. Because of PC, t have changed my position as an instructor of music to cooperator of students to develop his/her creativity. Despite the distance we have between two countries, the interest of children are similar. and also might be interesting to exchange the music which they are regularly listening.

SA: Music is the world language which has no need to interpret. Internet can realize the information exchange between Japanese schools and Spanish schools in the future. The works of children will fly across in worldwide. As once schools were a tight of local culture in the past, Internet might be a light of modem culture in the future.

Thank you very much.