USES OF AUDACITY (AUDIO EDITOR AND RECORDER) IN INNOVATIVE MUSICAL EDUCATION AND COLLABORATIVE CREATION

Abstract

The present study is based on our experience and observations as a university lecturer teaching Musical Education and Teaching Methods for Music as a discipline. We have found that students enrolled at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, with a specialization in the Pedagogy of Primary and Pre-school Education, having German as language of instruction, need additional activities in order to develop the competences they need in designing audio-based musical lesson plans. In this respect, we have explored many options in order to find the most up-to-date and appropriate means to carry out our research, which led us to Audacity, a free multi-track audio editor and recorder. Among the most important objectives of this research we can mention making effective use of the Audacity program to create novel audio materials such as sound stories; developing students' ability to design and carry out musical activities based on audition; developing and strengthening teamwork as a learned competence, in creating an educational product that uses various information technology and communication means. Last but not least, developing creativity and imagination in students is another major objective of this study. To achieve these objectives, we decided to use Audacity, an open source audio editing and recording software, as well as other forms of communication, throughout the first semester of the academic year 2014-2015. Our work udertaken during the 14 weeks of academic training has shown that Audacity is an extremely useful tool in creating new means that make audio-based listening activities much easier. In addition, combining several software to create integrated activities has enabled students to openly express their creativity in a variety of ways, both individually and as groups.