Is Technology pushing new literacy??

The answer is yes, absolutely. However, it raises a wave of new questions and attaches new values to old practices. One example we used in class is GarageBand, a computer program that comes standard with most mac computers. Upon exploration of this program, I realized it lets people play instruments who don't know how to physically play an instrument. Music thus becomes accessible to far larger portion of the population. Compositions can be created by ear and with a variety of instruments. It is truly amazing, and has the possibility to be a great resource for students, especially for those in rural environments and little access to music teachers and instruments. Although, it does seem that it would be necessary to create a new genre for music composed in this matter. In addition, as a colleague of mine pointed out, "what about performance art?" What about the discipline it requires to learn an instrument? While I think these concerns and questions are valid, I think it is valuable to students to have access to the exposure and exploration of music. It seems to me that for students, learning to "read" and internalize new forms of media only broadens the possibilities for beneficial outlets of communication.