Introduction. The music subject in schools is currently undergoing a transformation through access to digital tools that allow students to compose and arrange music without prior instrumental knowledge. The digital tools are in the coming curriculum equated with the previous musical instrument, and offer a unified platform for creative creation and recreation.
Background. By learning different tools, different ways of communicating are offered and different content comes with the tool inquestion. In a music didactic context, the content to be learned is closely associated with the need of mastering the specific tools. In comparison with a more writing-based school subject, the textbook usually constitutes a content. The students then don´t need to mastering new tools as literacy. As a music teacher, you are faced with the choice of choosing tools that has potential for rich content and understanding of musical symbols and building-blocks. The curriculum (Lgr11), in this case regarding school years 7-9, states three main areas of goals in the subject of music, which are respectively about creating and making music, learning the tools and concepts and putting music in a context. If students have to choose between several different meaningful tools, less time is given to engage themselves in the music's symbols, genre and subject-specific concepts. Traditional musical instruments are complicated tools, not least because they require students’ practice to be able to be used with fluency.
Method. In interviews with a teacher who are at the forefront of transformed teaching, qualitative patterns emerge that explain the function of digital tools of music in school. The aim is to discuss the importance of choosing an entrance in music education that is close to the students' pre-understanding and that increases their knowledge of the music's content.