Abstract
Since the early years of the public school system in the United States, music education has been an important aspect of a well-rounded curriculum, to raise new generations of musical talent and to provide extracurricular activities for children. However, with the rise of new technologies and distractions for children, as well as the lack of affordable options, it is becoming increasingly hard to receive ample musical instruction. My capstone project addressed this problem by creating a musical instrument which was affordable, intuitive, and entertaining for music students. Specifically, we designed an electronic keyboard that could be 3D printed, with light up keys and a compact, novel trigger mechanism. The keyboard had an easy assembly process, without the need for any specialized tools or industry expertise. The lights could dictate when the students should press the keys, which could make the task of learning piano both easier and more enjoyable. At all levels of musical instruction – large classrooms with many students learning at once, one on one tutoring, or self-teaching – our design could deliver better results and more investment, at a lower cost and to many more students.
Because of other significant societal factors leading to the decline in musical education, it is important to consider not just the technical specifications, but also the societal elements of the technology of musical instruments and musical education. To address these factors, I utilized the framework of Actor Network Theory (ANT), as defined by sociologists such as Bruno Latour, John Law, and Michel Callon to analyze the Detroit Public Schools and their decisions on education and music between 2009 and 2016. By understanding the motivations and connections within a smaller network deeply, lessons and parallels could be applied to the larger US educational problem. ANT defines networks that are comprised of both human and non-human actors which form to accomplish a goal. Each actor was itself a network comprised of other actors.
To conduct this research, I studied the rules that defined the network (laws and bureaucratic structures) and tracked the series of events in the case by reading media reports and third-party investigation reports. I also monitored the activities of keystone actors within the network to see the effects of their actions. The network of connections between the actors was uncovered, and the motivations that led to key decisions were revealed. The school district was a network comprised of students, teachers, parents, local and state governments, and the laws themselves, which had the goal of educating the children of Detroit. During the period from 2009-2016, the network had its goal redefined by consecutive Michigan governors, who utilized emergency managers to carry out their policies in Detroit education. The emergency managers were able to remove or replace many actors from the network, which redefined many of the ways it functioned. Additionally, a law that related school district funding to the number of students enrolled lead to a feedback loop which encouraged parents to leave the district, further reducing the budget. The emergency managers tended to target music education for their sweeping cuts because of the extensive costs of the programs and the lack of standardized testing on the subject.
The results of the research paper were able to inform design decisions for the capstone project by including considerations for budget and departmental cuts, teacher layoffs, excessive use of substitute teachers, infrastructure issues, and the lack of dedicated music rooms in public education. By addressing these considerations, the keyboard could become a more viable design for use by public school teachers.
