Play Box: a sound artefact to approach sound experimentation in the classroom. Exploratory study based on an electroacoustic creation intervention in initial teacher training

Abstract

In the current context, we face significant challenges due to teachers' resistance to innovative visions of sound-based music making. These challenges are particularly evident in the initial training of music teachers, who need to learn to integrate technology into their musical practice, especially regarding its use with their future students. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate and analyze the application of a pedagogical intervention design in the subject of Music and Technology, specifically from a perspective centred on electro-acoustic music creation based on sound as a resource in the process of music creation through the use of a sound artefact called Play Box. The study was carried out with 31 students in the third year of the Primary Education programme in the subject of Music and Technology at the Faculty of Education of the University of Valencia. The design of the intervention was divided into four phases: exploration, experimentation, creation and reflection. The results obtained through the emerging categories provided a detailed insight into how undergraduate students deal with creative processes in which sound is at the core of creation. These findings can provide insight into how technology can be creatively introduced into music education, enabling future teachers to develop strategies that facilitate the learning of sound-based creation.