To DAW or Not to DAW, That Is the Question
As a musician who still uses printed music and a pencil to annotate scores, stepping into the world of DAWs was like stepping into Wonderland. There were various reasons why I did not even want to learn about DAWs. I used to think that many aspects of technology were “cool” but not practical enough to justify the huge amount of time, energy, and attention they require. Since I am a classical and traditional music performer, I was never sure how someone like me would benefit from knowing how to use DAWs. As teachers, however, I can see many benefits. The music industry is heavily infused with technology, and bringing this into the classroom can make music lessons more engaging and relatable. However, engagement alone should not be the goal. As Newmann, Marks, and Gamoran (1996) argue, “even highly active students can produce work that is intellectually shallow and weak”:
“…reform efforts focused on active learning may lead down an illusory path where student participation in activities can become an end in itself, regardless of the intellectual quality of students' work. Resistance to student-centered teaching may be due in part to teachers and parents who have already sensed this problem. To address the skepticism, educators will need to show both that new approaches to pedagogy are grounded in high intellectual standards and that practice faithful to the standards actually enhances student performance.” (Newmann, p. 281-282)
How can I address this as an educator? DAWs seem fun, easy to learn, and accessible. You do not need physical coordination, music theory, or aural skills to be able to create something with them. However, the risk of music technology becoming an end in itself is something to be mindful of. We should also remind ourselves of the particular musical context most closely associated with DAWs:
“Will and Ethan choose to teach music technology through popular and dance styles because these styles feel most authentically native to the medium. They do this for the same reason that piano teachers use Beethoven, that wind bands use Sousa marches, and that choirs use gospel songs. Samplers “want” to create collage- like techno and hip-hop. The TB- 303 “wants” to make Acid House. The TR- 808 “wants” to make trap beats. Ableton Live “wants” to make nonlinear semi- improvised music.” (Kuhn and Hein, Electronic Music School, 2021, xviii)
Therefore, it is crucial to understand the kinds of learning outcomes that the use of DAWs is likely to promote.
In a matter of weeks, I went from having zero experience with DAWs to creating music with Ableton, Logic Pro, GarageBand, and Soundtrap. I can confess that, especially the last two, were really fun to work with. From opening the software to creating a soundtrack takes only a few minutes, and there are thousands of options to explore. Given the abundance of loops and samples, one needs only a few seconds of musical material to start creating music. As a musician, creating something with these DAWs felt convincing because I understood my materials well. I knew what I was doing with harmony, melody, bass lines, and so on. However, thinking about my Year 7 students, who use the same materials but have a very different understanding of them, makes me a little cautious. For them, it might feel like just another game or another app. As a music educator, I want to see music learning take place rather than technology learning becoming an end in itself. However, as Kuhn and Hein argue, “since many students have no previous musical experience, a sense of discovery is a practical necessity as well” (xviii). This is particularly relevant in the context of a Year 7 music class.
Getting back to my personal reflection, if I were to rank the four DAWs I worked with in terms of user-friendliness, my order would be: Soundtrap, GarageBand, Logic Pro, and Ableton. Even though everybody talks about Ableton as the industry standard, I found it to be a dry and somewhat intimidating piece of software. In reality, it is not as complicated as it first appears, especially if one understands the basics of sound and music production. However, I did not find its graphic design particularly inviting. That said, I would be interested to see how my students respond to these different platforms. The younger generation may find complexity engaging and inspiring. Cost is also an important consideration. Given that Ableton and Logic Pro are relatively expensive, while GarageBand is freely available on Apple devices, GarageBand has a clear advantage in a school setting.
I’ll write more about DAWs once I have more to share.
References:
Kuhn, W., & Hein, E. (2021). Electronic music school: A contemporary approach to teaching musical creativity. Oxford University Press.
Newmann, F. M., Marks, H. M., & Gamoran, A. (1996). Authentic pedagogy and student performance. American Journal of Education, 104(4), 280–312.