DERBY, Connecticut—As every fledging musician knows, you can't get better without practice. Few of the students who enroll in Brandt Schneider's music classes have pianos at home, however. Derby High School, serving 650 students in grades 7-12 in the Naugatuck River Valley, doesn't own a large collection of instruments, either.

Last year, thanks to a grant to fund equipment, students used handheld computers with keyboard attachments to practice their music lessons. The idea was to give students "immediate feedback on their musical choices," Schneider says. As the enthusiastic music director explains, "The program screen displays a small music staff and a two-octave musical keyboard. Students can press a key on the virtual keyboard. The corresponding note will be displayed on the staff, and also in alphabet form (A, B-flat, etc.). The tone will also sound."

For Schneider, the technology had added appeal because "it hits on three different learning styles." Auditory feedback means learners hear the pitch they are touching on the keys. Visual cues let learners see the note displayed on the staff. Tactile learning is engaged when a student presses the key to hear the sound.

Derby High offers students a variety of ways to make music, including small jazz groups, band, and a recording studio. Since Schneider arrived at the school six years ago, he has built up the number of performing opportunities to include 15 different ensembles. One of the most special is the Derby High Choir, composed of students who face challenges such as physical disabilities, family poverty and learning English as a second language. These are the students Schneider chose for his experiment of using handheld computers to assist learning.

Handhelds allowed these students to learn basic music skills at an individualized pace. "Many students are good [music] readers already. Others work a bit slower," Schneider says. Access to handhelds also meant that music practice became portable; students could go anywhere to get familiar with a new piece of music. Then, they could come back to the music classroom "to incorporate the real piano and sight reading." Portability proved a big benefit, says the teacher. "Students can use the portable keyboard anywhere, which is an immense benefit to vocal singers learning songs." Handhelds helped students meet a variety of national music education standards. "Students sang their parts; students read their music; and students 'played' an instrument—a handheld computer," says Schneider.

Schneider is no newcomer to using technology in the music program. His students have developed a Web page for the music department and use technology to record performances. They also developed the official Web site for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra*, complete with program notes and schedule information.

Although there remain a few bugs to work out of handheld computing in the classroom, Schneider sees great potential for this new technology. "It offers a low-cost, portable, and best of all, a 'cool' way to communicate curriculum to students," he says.