Transnational Collaboration

Abstract

For a number of years, concerns were voiced that the use of technology in learning and in musical practice could provoke isolation and difficulty with social interactions (Crook, 1994; Kusek, 1990). However, time, experience and research have demonstrated that, when well used, technologies facilitate rather than hinder learning as well as musical creation and interpretation in collaborative settings. Although some of these practices evolved before the appearance of the Internet, it is precisely the development of the World Wide Web, and more specifically of what is called Web 2.0, that have led to the breakdown of traditional models of communication, tending toward systems that facilitate interactivity and, consequently, collaborative creation and learning. Basing our work on case studies from an experience in collaborative musical composition using OpenSounds —a platform designed ad hoc for such activities— this chapter addresses some of the topics, focuses and strategies related to collaborative musical creation in virtual settings and, in particular, those offering possibilities for interaction between people in different countries. We shall describe a series of small collaborative musical production projects developed among three groups of students in a secondary school in London (UK) and two groups of undergraduate music education students in Segovia (Spain) using OpenSounds.