A Timeline of Music Education Technologies

This chapter analyzes the birth and evolution of educational technologies for music learning, from the origins of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in the late 1950s to the present times. While following the main advances in educational technology in general, the main focus is on the history of the various approaches to music education: from the first computerized system for the assessment of sung melodies in 1967 to contemporary websites for music creation, collaborative composition, and experience sharing. The transformation goes from early platforms inspired by programmed instruction, through intelligent tutoring systems, to learning analytic technologies for providing adaptive learning environments. At the same time, the growth of computational power allows for human-computer interaction styles other than mouse and keyboard, calling into play virtual and augmented reality, motion sensors, and tangible interfaces.