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Cognitive loads and the empowering effect of music composition software

An investigation of music composition software in classrooms was used to study some ways in which open software can support problem solving and thinking. Students of different abilities and ages were observed doing music composition with the software in a variety of teaching contexts. The observations, and the resulting compositions, often showed a level of sophistication in musical structure which could not have been achieved unaided. A number of explanations are considered for this: it is argued that an explanation based on cognitive loads is most convincing in this case. The removal of cognitive loads does nothing positive to help students, but simply gives more space to think by transferring low level cognitive burdens to the software.