Collaborating and creating on music technologies

Across all UK secondary school subject areas the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed the nature of learning. Music education now includes the use of digital tools, such as programmable keyboards and computers, as key learning and music making instruments. Despite such usage there is relatively little understanding of the kinds of musical experiences and interactions such instruments might support. This research note discusses the outcomes of a series of studies that explored the processes employed by 42 young people (30 dyads, 12 triads; 11–17 years) when using a pre-recorded sample software package called eJay (http://www.ejay–uk.com). The results provide an overview of the kinds of collaborative creative thinking process the young people engaged in, and how important the processes of discovery and exploration were to their shared discussions. This research note briefly examines the importance of understanding open-ended tasks and computer supported collaborative creativity for learning.