ABSTRACT
Digital audio workstations (DAWs) have transformed the way people create music in amateur spaces and school classrooms. Rapidly developing technologies have made DAWs increasingly affordable, portable, and easy to use, and they are well-designed to facilitate collaborative creative projects that transcend geographical, temporal, institutional, and economic boundaries. This chapter reviews the literature on creative applications of DAWs in school music programs and identifies effective practices for K-12 music educators and music teacher educators who wish to explore technology, composition, and songwriting through learner-centered sound recording projects. The chapter includes a brief history of sound recording leading to the development of the DAW, classroom designs, and model projects. DAW technologies and approaches may help music educators transform classrooms into studio spaces that leverage the creativity and musical interests of diverse populations of learners within their schools, through global partnerships among students, artists, songwriters, and music industry professionals.
