About a year ago, a graduate student and I were lamenting the complete lack of free software in the “Technology for Teaching” section of Music Educators Journal. I theorized that this had to do with the review process (namely, that developers must send NAfME a copy of their software for review, which non-commercial developers are unlikely to realize, and who rarely have a physical copy to send).
We approached the editor with the idea to review some free software, and I’m pleased to report that the resultant review of Audacity I coauthored with Nick Jaworski can be found in the latest issue. In the 500-word limit we were able to discuss the merits of free software, suggest potential projects, make a few specific recommendations, and hopefully not scare off teachers. One small step…
Matthew Thibeault 