Integrating Technology and Collaboration into Elementary Music Classrooms: The Inspiring Work of Shawna Longo

Shawna Longo is a General Music (Music Technology) teacher and Arts Integration Specialist at Durban Avenue School, Hopatcong, NJ. She is also the author of the book, “Integrating STEM with Music,” published by Oxford University Press. Shawna’s passion for music and technology integration began when she built her own curriculum for 6th grade students at a middle school. Her focus on student voice and choice became the foundation of her approach to teaching music.

Shawna believes in providing students with multiple experiences with each musical element and plenty of time to independently try what they have learned. Shawna believes in providing students with “different portals of entry for the same goal”  Her curriculum focuses on students’ musical literacy with dedication to rhythm, form, texture, timbre, articulation, dynamics, meter, pitch, and beat. She also incorporates technology, visuals, and meaningful movement breaks to make the learning experience more engaging.

Shawna’s dedication to music education and integration of STEM has continued to grow and develop with her as she is currently now bringing her knowledge to what she refers to as “Little Land” teaching Pre-K through 1st grade with the same attention to STEM and collaboration. Shawna’s experiences have led her to create STEAM-based electives and bring co-teaching to the forefront of her curriculum. Her current concerts, more along the lines of showcases, demonstrate all the amazing things her students have been able to achieve in their unit, providing them with multiple opportunities to reach the same goal: becoming musically literate and life-long music lovers and musicians.

One of Shawna’s tips for teachers looking to incorporate more technology into their classrooms is to use Chrome Music Lab, a free and accessible tool that allows students to compose and visually represent changes to rhythm, texture, timbre, pitch, and more. This one tool is extremely accessible to students, and in tandem with her lessons helps to give students experiences on the fundamentals of music. She also advises starting small and building from there, with one class and one lesson at a time. Introducing more effective technology has also been able to take her students from struggling to voice their opinions to being confident in their composing choices. 
One other piece of advise this author can recommend is to grab Shawna’s book which can be found on amazon here–

Shawna Longo is an inspiring teacher who has paved the way for integrating technology and collaboration into elementary music classrooms. Her focus on student voice and choice has created an engaging learning experience for her students, making them more musically literate and confident in their composing choices. Teachers looking to incorporate more technology and STEM into their music classrooms can learn from Shawna’s experience and start small, with one class and one lesson at a time.

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