How to use technology on a budget?

“How can you use technology in your music classroom if you have no, or only a few, digital instruments?“

That’s a question I get at least once a year from my first-year Music Teacher Education students.

Usually, it comes with a remark that schools simply don’t have the budget for a classroom full of synthesisers or 30 computers with a DAW.

My answer to that question can roughly be divided into three categories:

• Content
• Organisation
• Budget

Budget

I’m fully aware that schools don’t have unlimited budgets — and some unfortunately have very little to spend.

Some budget-related suggestions:

• Ask your school management if there’s a budget for technology. If the school has an investment budget, find out what they need from you to support a proposal. You’ll likely need a plan with a cost estimate that explains what you want to buy and why — what the added value is for both the school and the students.
• If there is a budget, consider spreading your purchases over several years to distribute the investment.
• If your school is part of a larger network of schools, consider buying technology jointly to share costs.
• Remember that investing in digital technology is no different from investing in traditional instruments. A xylophone easily costs €250–€500 — for the same amount, you can often buy one or more digital instruments.
• There’s a lot of free music technology available in the form of apps. If your school already has devices (computers, tablets, Chromebooks) — or you can use your students’ own devices — you may not need any extra funding.
• Some technology providers offer schools discounts that you can benefit from.
• Look for funding opportunities: communicate your needs as a school, seek sponsors or private partners, organise a fundraising event, or approach the parent association or local municipality.

Content

The main tip I want to give you is this: make sure the technology you choose doesn’t become a one-trick pony — something you can only use for a single assignment or a single occasion. It’s a pity to have an “expensive” device that only comes out of the cupboard once a year.

Organisation

Let me get straight to the point: you don’t need thirty devices with apps or thirty digital instruments to use technology with a class of thirty pupils.

Some organisational suggestions:

• Design group assignments where each group only needs one device. In a class of thirty, you’d only need six devices.
• Create activities that use technology collectively — meaning you only need one device or app for the whole class.
• Design tasks inspired by a specific technology, but that don’t actually require it. In other words, let the technology inspire your teaching, but find ways to achieve similar goals without it.
• Organise your lessons so that technology use becomes part of a carousel or circuit: one group works with technology while others do different (non-digital) tasks.
• If your school allows it, encourage students to bring their own devices and apply the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) principle.

In conclusion

If you have other tips or would like to discuss this topic further, feel free to get in touch.