Music and eJay: An opportunity for creative collaborations in the classroom

This paper draws on results of a research project InterActive Education: Teaching and Learning in the Information Age (see www.interactiveeducation.ac.uk). The overall aim of the project was to examine ways in which new technologies can be used in educational settings to enhance learning. Research was carried out across a range of school subjects: English, history, geography, mathematics, modern foreign languages, music and science. Within this paper we report on the work of two teachers within the same primary school who devised an initiative to support the development of composition skills of children aged 10 and 11, using Dance eJay software. We explore the ways in which collaborations took place between the pupils, arguing that eJay provides a rich mediational tool where creative outcomes are negotiated. We suggest that the computer workstation provides the mediational means by which all pupils – whether or not they possess formal instrumental skills – can be creative, working within a musical style in which they are culturally located. Furthermore, we propose that the teacher is central to the creative–collaborative process and suggest implications for teachers when planning for creative, collaborative work in the classroom using music software such as eJay.