In Rehearsals, BYOD Doesn't Have to Be the Enemy

A little while back, a director wrote a post in the Facebook Band Directors' Group asking about policies regarding cell phones in the band room.  From some of the responses, you would have thought she was asking about something much worse than a piece of technology that both directors and students alike carry around without a second thought.  Many heartily embraced banning the devices altogether and some even advocated suspensions for first offenses.  I do understand that some were working within their school or district rules, but many were not.

I get it.  I’ve been in rehearsals and concerts where phones have gone off at highly inappropriate and inopportune times.  I’ve caught students texting and playing games in class.  However, our first thought as educators should not be a punitive one.  With the further implementation of Bring Your Own Device policies (BYOD) and more schools going 1:1 with mobile devices, we need to adapt, not put our heads in the sand.

Technology is not going anywhere and modeling its responsible usage should be high on the priority list for all educators.  There will be hiccups and students who abuse the privilege, but that shouldn’t mean the complete avoidance of all devices.  Instead, we should look at it as another opportunity to help students learn responsibility with their technology.  

Way back in the day (or 10-15 years ago) I paid almost $70 for a tuner that would actually pick up my piccolo when I practiced.  A few years later, I bought a Metrotuner for $40 that not only worked with my piccolo, but had a metronome and a single tone generator too! Technology improved and offered a less expensive but higher quality option.

The same is happening with phones and other mobile devices.  I use the Tunable app on my phone and the Tonal Energy Tuner on my iPad on an almost daily basis with my band classes. My new favorite one for students is Bandmate. Not only was it developed by a band director, it's FREE and shows the note on the staff which is a huge help for young brass players. I encourage students to have this app open and on their stands every day.

Junior high student uses Tunable app.

It’s been amazing to see students take greater control of their musicianship.  A lot of the mystery has been taken out of the concept of tuning for my middle school students. (Before you start voicing concerns about relying solely on the visual for tuning, we tune by ear first and then I give them time to check their accuracy with their devices.)  Students are looking at my score for tempo markings before sectionals because they have easy access to a metronome and aren’t fighting over the one the band owns.  

Instead of outright bans and harsh negative consequences, why not work with students to create an acceptable use policy for your ensembles?  Most students have a good grasp of when it is and is not appropriate to use their phone, they just don’t always choose to follow.  By including them in the decision making  process, you’ll be helping them take ownership of their technological responsibilities.

We need to stop looking at phones and mobile devices as a noisy and annoying enemy and embrace their usage.  We’re rapidly reaching a point where the students we’re teaching will never have been alive during a time when smart phones were not available. Banning such a powerful tool is a futile effort when working with students who use their devices as a natural extension of themselves.  If we want to remain relevant, we need to find ways to utilize it as the tool it’s meant to be and, in turn, help our students develop responsible digital citizenship.

There are many other ways to utilize individual technology in rehearsals. What are some ways you encourage responsible tech usage in your band and music rooms?