Stabilizing the Stopgap: Technological Solutionism and the Social Construction of Music Education Technology in Underfunded American Schools 58 views

This sociotechnical research investigates the inequitable distribution of music education in American public schools and the role of technology in shaping how that inequity is addressed. It analyzes the ONE Smart Keyboard, a digital piano with app-integrated learning features deployed at Southwark Elementary, a Title 1 school in Philadelphia, through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation's Keys of Inspiration grant program. Using the Social Construction of Technology framework, the study examines how four relevant social groups—adult consumers, school administrators, students, and the philanthropic sector—construct competing interpretations of the keyboard that converge into a stable closure around technology as an appropriate response to underfunding. Drawing on Morozov's concept of technological solutionism, it argues that this closure is ideologically partial, naturalizing the conditions of underfunding rather than challenging them, and that the technology's stability in American schools is conditional on the continued emaciation of public arts funding. The technical project focuses on the design and development of an affordable hybrid piano forte capable of teaching beginners how to play independently while preserving the tactile realism of an acoustic instrument. Using a cam-based key mechanism, the 3D-printed prototype replicates the mechanical profile and resistance of a real piano key, while Hall-effect sensors measure strike velocity to produce dynamic electronic sound. The keys incorporate embedded LED lights to indicate when to play, and a self-playing mechanism allows students to see how pieces are meant to be performed and to play duets. By integrating instruction directly into the instrument and reducing reliance on dedicated music teachers, the project aims to make music education more accessible to students in under-resourced schools.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

Music Education; Defunding of Education; SCOT; Social Construction of Technology; Digital Piano; Self-Teaching Piano; Hybrid Piano; Cam Mechanism

English

2026-05-08