Review - Experiencing Music Technology - 4th Edition
David B. Williams and Peter Webster have recently released the 4th edition of their incredible publication, Experiencing Music Technology, published by Oxford University Press. This book is a MUST HAVE for ANY music educator who is looking for a go-to resource on the what, why and how of integrating music technology into their music instruction.
I have been a huge fan of both David & Peter since I first met them about 20+ years ago at an amazing, but small, conference called NSMIT - the National Symposium for Music Instructional Technology (now defunct). In my opinion, they are the two pillars of technology in music education and very influential to my career, and countless others. It was my extreme honor to have been asked to write the Foreward for this 4th edition. So why should you buy it?
The book is organized into seven “Viewports” which are fundamentally music technology categories of software, hardware and resources. Each Viewport is divided into several Modules (23 in all). Each Viewport has Project ideas that are perfect for middle & high school music technology courses, as well as an overview course at the collegiate level. One of my favorite aspects of the publication are the Asides that appear throughout. These are essentially tips and things to consider based on the authors experiences.
One of my other favorite aspects of this book is that it puts music instruction at the front and center of everything. Each Viewport and Module begins with a why? Why study DAWS? Why incorporate notation software? Why study synthesis? It is also the most comprehensive guide to all of the various aspects of music technology available to music educators today. Nothing is left out - no easy task. It is also wonderful that this book has had so many editions. Usually it’s a one and done scenario and the publication is quickly obsolete. Because so many folks love EMT and the work that David and Peter have put into it over the years, it keeps getting updated.
There are TONS of useful illustrations that break down all aspects of hardware (from microphones to mixers to keyboards to EWIs), software (notation, DAWs, and instructional software), internet resources and pedagogical strategies. I HIGHLY recommend picking up this 4th edition and adding it to your professional library today.