The Digital Student - challenges and opportunities using the computer as main instrument in music education in Sweden

Teachers in the aesthetic program in upper secondary school in Sweden have identified that there are great opportunities and challenges in teaching and working with students who have EDI as their main instrument. From a student perspective it has relevance to being part of meaningful music education developing their musical identity. Students playing EDI can explore an array of electronical musical styles and develop high-level techniques using their unique electronic music system configuration. This research project aims to generate knowledge about what teaching about and in EDI means for teachers and students in the aesthetic programs as well as teachers and students in the music teacher training. In this full-scale research project university researchers collaborate with teachers in upper secondary school, teachers and teacher students in teacher education in developing both scientific knowledge and EDI teaching guidelines. The project is relevant both from a professional and research perspective as there are relatively few studies and little knowledge of EDI as part of music teaching. However, there are parallels drawn from the related research field music technology (King, Himonides & Ruthmann, 2017). The design of the study is based on Educational Design Research (McKenney & Reeves, 2012), meaning that the teaching and its outcomes are examined and analyzed through a number of iterative cycles. Interventions in classrooms are combined with interviews, music labs, regular meetings in the collaborative research group for analysis of teaching, methodological discussions and processing of relevant research and teaching material. The project has not only generated a scientific understanding of what EDI means in the current context, but also contributed to the development of concrete teaching models based on research and proven experience with relevance to the school system, teacher training and the research community. Presenters are university researchers and teachers in addition to teachers in upper secondary school.