Music education, in some form, goes aback as far as apprenticeship 
itself. While sometimes disturbing for legitimacy, it nonetheless has 
had its champions. Added recently, as technology has flourished aural 
education, abstruse applications advised accurately for the teaching of 
music accept been developed. While abundant of this technology is 
advised primarily for the classroom there are programs advised for the 
apprentice to advance in the home, admitting bound to those accepting 
with a home computer and internet access. 
The teaching of music in the American educational ambience dates aback 
1838 if Lowell Mason alien singing classes to Boston grammar schools. 
Active music appeared in fits and starts over the next fifty years but 
was never included during the academy day; rather, it was relegated to 
the ranks of extracurricular activities. About the about-face of the 
century, active music began to see some accepting into the classroom, 
admitting generally was able by those blooming in the breadth of music 
education. Moreover, little if any acclimation of the chart or music 
abstract existed. (Rhodes, 2007) 
Near the cessation of World War I the above of academy music began to 
increase. This was due primarily to veterans who, afterwards accepting 
been musically able in the assorted account branches, began to ample 
music teaching positions in the schools. Band, however, was still 
admired as an extracurricular activity. (Ibid)
In 1907, the Music Supervisors National Appointment or MSNC, (now 
accepted as the Music Educators National Appointment or MENC) was 
organized to abutment academy music. In 1912 a angle was fabricated to 
include, as accepted subjects, a amount of music activities including 
choruses and accepted music. Bandage was included - but at a abundant 
lower priority. Later, however, at the Cleveland MSNC appointment in 
1923, Edgar B. Gordon stated, 
"The top academy bandage is no best an accidental academy action 
prompted abundantly by the advance casework of a top academy abecedary 
who happens to accept had some bandage experience, but rather an 
adventure which is assigned to a audible abode in the academy agenda 
with a circadian chic aeon beneath a able adviser and with acclaim 
accustomed for satisfactory plan done." (Ibid) 
In the above year, and acceptable due to the admission in both accepting
 and importance, Carl Greenleaf (then arch of C. G. Conn Ltd.) helped 
adapt the aboriginal National Bandage Contest in Chicago. Later, in 
1928, he directed the Conn aggregation to accord to the founding of the 
National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan and after accurate 
publications advised to abutment bandage directors. While these 
endeavors may accept appeared somewhat egoistic in ablaze of his 
position with Conn, they nonetheless helped authorize academy bandage as
 a cogent allotment of academy curriculum. (Banks, 1997) 
Despite a gradual, while still limited, accepting of active music aural 
the academy curriculum, account cuts accept generally concise or even 
abandoned these programs. Further, with the contempo added accent aloft 
"teaching to the test" due to the pressures of No Child Larboard Abaft 
(NCLB) and agnate accessory requirements, abutment for the admittance of
 music in schools has amorphous to wane. Michelle R. Davis, in 
"Education Week," declared "The federal No Child Larboard Abaft Act is 
bidding abounding schools to cut aback on capacity such as amusing 
studies, music, and art to accomplish added time for account and 
mathematics..." (Davis, 2006) This is a lot of adverse because that the 
abstraction of music, abnormally active music, has accepted to be benign
 for all accepting - even accretion their adeptness to acumen and 
problem-solve. 
Many theorists accept contributed to the acclivity of music as axial to 
education, or at the actual least, approved that attached the academy 
ambiance to the "Three R's" is short-sighted. Howard Gardner accepted 
his "Multiple Intelligences" approach with the compassionate that 
accouchement do not acquire identical propensities for learning. Not 
abandoned do they accept differing capacities for acquirements but 
accept differing capacities for acquirements in abounding areas. These 
areas, as he explained, are the capricious intelligences of which he 
speaks. Originally anecdotic seven intelligences (of which music is 
highlighted) he articular two accurately (linguistic and 
logical-mathematical) as "the ones that accept about been admired in 
school." (Gardner, 1999, p41) Obviously, Gardner accustomed that the 
educational arrangement was not extensive all accepting - abandoned 
those that could "do school" well. Gardner did not absolute his study, 
of course, to the simple actuality of assorted intelligences but 
approved that a accustomed being can be able in added than one, enabling
 those intelligences to collaborate one with the other. He explained 
that, "there are added means in which altered intelligences can affect 
anniversary other...one intelligence can arbitrate and constrain the 
others; one intelligence can atone for another; and one intelligence can
 activate another." (Gardner 2, 2006, p219) He added acclaimed the 
advantages of a agreeable intelligence by answer that "...a able 
agreeable intelligence may advance a being affianced in a linguistic 
assignment to be added acute to the adroit backdrop of accent as 
able-bodied as its meaning." (Ibid, p223)
While abounding may accept that music and the abstraction thereof is 
associated primarily to that which is heard, it is aswell accompanying 
absolutely carefully to mathematics. Dahlhaus, absorption Rameau 
declared that "music had its origins in the Pythagorean proportions; 
(i.e., music is a mathematics)." (Gargarian, 1996, p137, 138) Regardless
 of whether or not one agrees with the approach that music is algebraic 
in toto, there should be little altercation as to the relativity of 
music characters to mathematics. Indeed, introducing the coordinate, or 
Cartesian, even appears to aid the new music apprentice in compassionate
 the accumbent (x), and vertical (y) axes of music notation. Simply 
stated, the accumbent (x) arbor on the music agents relates to 
continuance while the vertical (y) arbor relates to pitch. This, of 
advance is a absorption aloft Gardner's above approach of intelligence 
interaction. 
There is added affirmation that active music abstraction is advantageous
 for the student. In 1995, Gottfried Schlaug, et al, arise a study, 
"Increased Corpus Callosum Admeasurement in Musicians" wherein they 
declared an admission in neural fibers beyond the Corpus Callosum (CC), 
accidental to its enlargement. They added were able to actuate that this
 admission in fibers/CC admeasurement was attributable to active music 
study. (Schlaug, et al, 1995) Obviously, the apriorism can calmly be 
fabricated that, if there is greater cross-talk amid the two hemispheres
 of the academician (specifically, the larboard - anticipation to be the
 analytical, and the appropriate - anticipation to be the creative) the 
aftereffect would be a being with a greater, added creative, analytic 
ability. 
Reflecting aloft Gardner's theories, as able-bodied as those of Schlaug,
 et al, it should abruptness no one that others accept accepted links 
amid music and added skills. Bahr and Christiansen in their commodity 
"Inter-Domain Transfer Amid Algebraic Skill and Musicianship" arise 
allegation demonstrating that accepting who had advised music approved 
above accomplishment on algebraic tasks provided there was some 
structural overlap with music. (Bahr, Christiansen, 2000) This 
"structural overlap" could be about anything, including the accord of 
adding measures or addendum into fractions, apropos angle to frequency, 
or, as aforementioned, establishing the hotlink amid the alike 
(Cartesian) even and the music staff. 
With this added analytic ability; this added acquaintance of algebraic 
concepts, it would not be a admirable bound to accept that music 
accepting ability accomplish able-bodied with classroom technology. 
Indeed, music accepting should be accepted to do at atomic as 
able-bodied as added accepting with attention to technology. If that is 
true, again the next footfall would be to accept that they would do 
abnormally able-bodied with technology geared abnormally to them. 
Somewhat recently, technologists, acquainted a absence of 
technologically-based music applications began to advance computer 
programs for music education. Music approach websites began to appear, 
abounding accepting been produced by, and affiliated to, symphonic 
organizations. Others accept been produced by agents and alum accepting 
either as allotment of coursework or conceivably for their own use (and 
anyone adulatory to advance the application). A quick seek of the 
internet reveals that there are absolutely a amount of accessible 
abstruse accoutrement produced and arise for the music student. There 
are alternate music games, in-class keyboard music approach 
applications, endless online angle and accent websites, and, conceivably
 a lot of powerful, applications accepted as "computer assisted 
instruction" (CAI)" accurately for the music classroom and student. In 
January 2005, Steven Estrella arise the allegation of a abstraction 
demonstrating how music agents in the U.S. acclimated music technology. 
Among his findings, he apparent that about twenty percent of the 
analysis participants acclimated some anatomy of CAI as allotment of 
their instruction. The analysis added apparent that the absolute 
software appliance was "SmartMusic." (Estrella, 2005) 
SmartMusic is a teacher/student alternate appliance acceptance accepting
 to practice, at home, with a actinic bandage or agreeable 
accompaniment. The affairs can also, with an included microphone, 
almanac the student's efforts and brand them appliance accent and angle 
data. The apprentice can anon see their after-effects and can retry if 
they wish. The recording and the accompanying brand are again emailed to
 the student's teacher/director and automatically entered into the 
teacher's database brand book. The affairs includes accessories for 
about thirty-thousand compositions including bandage and orchestra 
adjustment book pieces. (Nagel, 2007) While aboriginal reviews of the 
affairs were mixed, the aggregation that produces SmartMusic, 
"MakeMusic," was allegedly acknowledging to teacher/consumer complaints 
and suggestions. The affairs requires that the home adaptation be 
installed on the accepting own computer and, in beforehand versions, 
installation, setup, and microphone adjustment were problematic. In the 
latest version, SmartMusic 11, abounding of these issues were addressed 
either by simplifying the action or with added user guides. (Whaley, 
2008) 
For the classroom, SmartMusic holds a abundance of applications. The a 
lot of basal functions of the affairs cover a displayed tuner and 
metronome. (A music classroom with an alternate whiteboard can 
accomplish able use of SmartMusic's utilities.) The abecedary can again 
play a pre-recorded adaptation of a section to be advised and, while the
 accepting are arena along, can instantly almanac them absolute of the 
pre-recording for after playback. The affairs aswell includes fingering 
archive for all instruments so a quick analysis for the accepting 
conceivably defective added apprenticeship is calmly accomplished. Keys 
and tempi can be afflicted easily, if necessary, and if a individual 
aerialist wishes to play with a pre-recorded accompaniment, that 
accompaniment, "listening" to the aerialist via a microphone, can chase 
the performer's changes in bounce - not clashing what the aqueduct of a 
symphony orchestra would do in a reside performance.
As important 
and able as SmartMusic is in the classroom, its a lot of able appliance -
 and the primary purpose for which it was advised - is that of a home 
convenance and appraisal tool. There are in fact bags of accessories and
 scales included in the software as able-bodied as bags of music titles.
 Once the accepting accept subscribed, downloaded (or installed from a 
CD), and set up the home adaptation of the program, the abecedary can 
architecture arena assignments which the apprentice again accesses at 
home on their own computer. 
Playing through a microphone to the program's accessory gives an burning
 beheld and aural response; while the recording of the student's 
accomplishment is played, their actual addendum are displayed in 
blooming while mistakes are displayed in red. The apprentice can adjudge
 aloft and set their own tempo, again convenance with the 
computer-generated accessory as abounding times as they ambition 
above-mentioned to recording for a grade. In short, the apprentice is in
 ascendancy while at home. Accepting accepting admission to broadband 
internet and a analytic abreast computer can absolutely apprehend the 
abeyant of the affairs - as able-bodied as their own. (Rudolph, 2006)
But what of those accepting not advantageous abundant to accept a computer at home - let abandoned internet access? 
Obviously, the ability of SmartMusic would be abundantly absent on those
 accepting after a home computer or internet access. The amount of the 
home adaptation is small, and some districts accept even provided the 
cable chargeless of allegation for their students. (Nagel, 2007) 
However, can districts accommodate a applicable computer and internet 
admission or all of its students? 
David Thomas declared that schools accept fabricated abundant advance in
 the addition of computer and internet access. However, that access, for
 disadvantaged students, charcoal at school. (Thomas, 2003) Thomas added
 quoted again U. S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige: 
"We charge to abode the bound admission to technology that abounding 
accepting accept alfresco of school. There is abundant added we can do. 
Closing the agenda bisect will aswell advice abutting the accomplishment
 gap that exists aural our schools." (Thomas, 2003) 
A 2007 abstraction in New York appear that amid seventy and eighty 
percent of accepting accept computers at home. (Traber, 2007) One 
ability advance that the absolute numbers cross-country are in fact 
abundant lower. 
There are abounding music accepting abased aloft school-provided 
instruments, adjustment books, and even apparatus food such as reeds and
 valve oil (usually provided out the teacher's own pocket). These 
accepting are already abaft their added flush counterparts and cannot 
allow clandestine lessons, let abandoned a applicable computer and 
internet access. These are the accepting who could account a lot of from
 a affairs such SmartMusic. However, as advantageous and able as 
SmartMusic is, it cannot by itself arch this "digital divide" that still
 exists. 
Educational technology holds abundant affiance for the apprentice artist
 but until a adjustment for candid admission is discovered, asymmetric 
accomplishment will persist.