Case Study

Amplifying Student Voice: How Stefani Langol Transforms Music Teacher Preparation

July 25, 2025

When students create their first beat, something changes. You can hear it in their voices: the confidence, the ownership, the pride. This is what Stefani Langol sees happen every day in her music education courses, where future teachers discover how Soundtrap and creative technology can reach every student.

The Educator Behind the Innovation

Stefani Langol brings two decades of experience preparing music educators at the college level. Her students include undergraduates fresh out of high school, graduate students expanding their skills, and in-service teachers seeking to modernize their programs.

“I started using Soundtrap in 2012 when it first came around,” Langol recalls. Even then, she recognized that online platforms would become essential—not just as backup plans, but as primary pathways to student engagement and creative expression.

Her philosophy centers on accessibility: “Traditional music education has for a very long time been in need… this idea of providing creative space for students needs to be part of the everyday music education curriculum.”

I started using Soundtrap in 2012 when it first came around. Even then, I recognized that online platforms would become essential.

Addressing the Real Challenge

Many music programs inadvertently exclude students who don’t fit the traditional ensemble model. Students without notation literacy or instrument access often find themselves on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, teachers struggle with a critical question: How do you maintain musical integrity while creating space for every learner?

Langol sees this challenge clearly in her work with educators: “Teachers are coming with more experience with [digital tools], but they still need to know, how am I going to do this with my students, and how am I going to scaffold it, and how am I going to keep my students engaged?”

The Creative Solution That Works

Soundtrap paired with Shed the Music’s Elements curriculum addresses these gaps directly. “The project-based structure allows for individual and differentiated growth with students. It’s scaffolded in such a way that it allows for that kind of flexibility in the classroom,” Langol explains.

The combination creates something powerful: creativity that connects to core standards. Students don’t just make beats; they develop musical understanding, collaboration skills, and confidence that transfers across subjects.

The project-based structure allows for individual and differentiated growth with students. It’s scaffolded in such a way that it allows for that kind of flexibility in the classroom.

What makes this approach different? It meets students where they are while building toward deeper musical literacy. “Students who are not encumbered by [traditional notation] and are supported in their creative exploration—they do want to know more about that literacy. They do want to know more about music theory.”

Seeing the Transformation

In Langol’s courses, she witnesses teacher transformation firsthand. When educators allow themselves to be vulnerable in the creative process, it changes how they approach their own classrooms.

The fact that they’re willing to have the vulnerability to explore it… they find out something about themselves.

“The fact that they’re willing to have the vulnerability to explore it… they find out something about themselves,” she observes. This personal discovery translates directly into classroom practice. Teachers who rediscover their own creativity become more flexible, more willing to try new approaches with their students.

The ripple effect is profound. Students in these teachers’ classrooms don’t just learn to use technology; they learn to express themselves authentically. “At some point, it evens out… they can be talking with language to each other,” whether they started with ensemble training or digital creation.

Process Over Product

The process is so, so, so important. That’s what you take into your life in other ways.

Langol emphasizes something crucial that often gets lost in traditional music education: the importance of creative process. “We’re in a very product-driven world. But it’s so important to keep an eye on the process first.”

This shift from performance pressure to creative exploration changes everything. Students can iterate, experiment, and discover without the fear of “messing up the product.” The timeline becomes fluid, allowing for genuine musical growth rather than rushed preparation for the next concert.

“That’s what you take into your life in other ways,” Langol notes about the creative process skills students develop through music technology.

Looking Forward: The Critical Role of Authentic Creation

Having students make their own music and understanding not only how to make music, but how it makes you feel is so critical.

With AI-generated music becoming mainstream, Langol believes authentic creative expression is more important than ever. “Having students make their own music and understanding not only how to make music, but how it makes you feel is so critical.”

She sees Soundtrap and similar tools playing an increasingly vital role in helping students understand the human element of musical creation, something that becomes more valuable, not less, as artificial intelligence develops.

The Bigger Picture: Media Arts Literacy

Langol’s vision extends beyond music classrooms. She recently served on Massachusetts’ media arts literacy standards committee and sees the future in interdisciplinary approaches. “Media arts literacy… it is music, it’s art, it’s writing, it’s coding. It’s all of these things.”

This aligns perfectly with district priorities around career readiness and 21st-century skills. When students create podcast soundtracks, compose for video projects, or design audio narratives, they’re building competencies that matter across subjects and careers. These types of projects are included in the structure Elements curriculum.  

What This Means for Your District

Langol’s experience demonstrates that Soundtrap isn’t just another music tool; it’s a platform for amplifying student voice across the curriculum. When implemented thoughtfully with structured curriculum support, it addresses key district challenges:

  • Student Engagement: Reaches learners who struggle with traditional formats
  • Standards Alignment: Builds literacy, collaboration, and critical thinking skills
  • Teacher Support: Provides scaffolded implementation without overwhelming educators
  • Equity: Ensures every student can demonstrate what they know

Ready to amplify student voice and media arts in your district?