The Rise of Technology in Music Education: A Bibliometric Study of a Rapidly Growing Field

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine publications on the use of technology in music education between 2016 and 2025 using bibliometric methods. A total of 1,553 studies retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases were analyzed using Bibliometrix 5.2 software. Performance metrics and science mapping methods were used in the analysis. The results show that the field grew at an average rate of 16.36% per year. The increase in the number of publications, especially after 2020, appears to be due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased research on distance music education. The most influential journals were Music Education Research, Journal of Music Technology and Education, and International Journal of Music Education. China, the US, Spain, and the UK are the countries producing the most publications in the field. But just 7.34% of the papers were written by people from other countries. A keyword analysis shows that the research can be divided into two main categories: educational issues and technical problems. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and deep learning aren't large parts of the market yet, but they're becoming increasingly common in research. Technology in music education is a quickly growing topic of research that involves many different areas. To promote the field's growth, it is suggested that there be more international cooperation and that new technologies be used with educational theory and design more often.