Adding, Not Replacing: Using Roland AIRA Compacts to Extend Musical Learning in Primary School

Clear Intentions From the Start

The guiding principle was simple: I was not using the AIRAs for a term. I was using them where they made musical sense.

My goals were to:

• Reinforce the musical focus already embedded in each year level
• Support and extend students’ creativity
• Introduce a new tool that genuinely added something to their musical thinking
• Create meaningful engagement for students while others rehearsed end-of-year performances

Term 4 in the Southern Hemisphere is always busy. End-of-year concerts, graduations and rehearsals can easily fragment learning. The AIRAs became a way to keep music-making purposeful and connected, even when the class was working on multiple things at once.

Preparation Matters

To make the experience successful, preparation was essential.

Before the devices went anywhere near students, I:

• Picked up the AIRAs early and completed a full recreate on each device myself
• Ensured I had amplification and correct cabling to demonstrate clearly
• Prepared an amp or powered speaker for whole-class listening
• Set up a microphone with the correct female XLR to ¼ inch lead for the Roland AIRA Compact E-4

That groundwork made demonstrations smooth and gave students confidence in what they were hearing and seeing.

Year 6: Songwriting, Chord Progressions and Looping

Term 4 for Year 6 is centred around songwriting. Students write an original song for their graduation, which creates a natural challenge: not everyone is actively involved in songwriting at the same time.

The AIRAs solved that problem elegantly.

While some students refined lyrics and structure, others worked on recreates, contributing musically without being sidelined.

A key focus for Year 6 was the Roland AIRA Compact J-6, particularly for students who did not play chord-based instruments like guitar, ukulele or keyboard. The J-6 made chord progressions tangible and audible in a way that connected directly to songwriting. This aligned closely with ideas explored in Hannah Hepworth's episode of Music Teachers In International Schools (MTIIS) podcast, which informed the structure of the unit (listen to the episode here).

The E-4 became an unexpected highlight. Simply placing a microphone in front of students changed their willingness to try speaking or singing lyrics in time over a chord progression. It lowered the barrier to participation.

I also used the E-4 to introduce looping, using the song Wish from Sing Up. After a demonstration, students were invited to try it themselves. One class, in particular, turned this into a spontaneous and powerful jam. Students immediately grasped the idea of building layers and creating a “band” as one person. This was especially meaningful given their prior experience of music being largely whole-class singing or playing. Looping became a new lens on something they already understood.

Years 3, 4 and 5: Supporting the Finale

For Years 3 to 5, Term 4 is dominated by preparation for the whole-school Finale performance. Students work in small groups on different performance items.

The AIRAs were particularly effective with the production team. Their involvement usually intensifies closer to the concert, which can leave gaps earlier in the term. While other groups rehearsed, the production team engaged deeply with recreates.

We worked through recreates of Birds of a Feather and Save Your Tears, before creating our own recreate of Last Christmas. This final step was crucial. It shifted learning from following instructions to applying skills creatively.

Years 3 and 4: Blending Technology and Instruments

In Years 3 and 4, there was no designated production team, but Last Christmas was a major focus. This year level includes a strings group, which created a rich opportunity for integration.

We:

• Played the song together as a class, combining strings and classroom instruments
• Used the play-along as a shared reference point
• Created our own recreate using the AIRAs, guided by what students already knew musically

Technology did not replace instruments. It sat alongside them, extending the sound world and the students’ thinking.

A Consistent Learning Progression

Across all classes, the learning followed a clear progression:

1. See, Think, Wonder and Explore
   One or two lessons of open exploration with the AIRAs. This was invaluable for formative assessment. It revealed students’ vocabulary around technology, prior experience, and who was already creating music at home.
2. Whole-Class Recreates
   We worked through one or two recreates together, pausing frequently. Instructions were repeated, modelled and reinforced. Independent use was not realistic at first, as music technology was new for these students. Birds of a Feather was the most successful recreate across year levels.
3. Choice: Instruments or AIRAs
   Students could stay with the AIRAs or move back to traditional instruments. In Term 4, this flexibility mattered. We could “mash up” new sounds with familiar ones, particularly through Last Christmas.
4. Create Our Own Recreate
   This final step shifted ownership to the students and consolidated learning in a musical, not technical, way.

Rock Band: Taking Risks Live

The school rock band was working on Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, which opened up a perfect opportunity to use the E-4 with vocalists.

We experimented with recreating the iconic synth “ooh-ah” sounds at the start of the song using live vocal effects. In rehearsal, it worked musically. For performance, the students decided it felt too exposing.

That decision mattered. The technology offered the possibility, but students retained agency over whether to use it publicly. That, in itself, is a valuable musical outcome.

What This Reinforced

The biggest takeaway from this experience was that technology works best when it is introduced in service of musical thinking, not as an end in itself.

The AIRAs:

• Reinforced existing musical concepts
• Extended students’ understanding of structure, layering and harmony
• Created meaningful engagement during busy performance periods
• Valued students’ existing skills while opening new creative pathways

Used thoughtfully, they became another instrument in the room. Not a distraction. Not a gimmick. Just another way for students to make sense of music.