Simba stands at the bottom of the gorge and, over the next 10 seconds, as the viewer is whisked to the top of the precipice where the wildebeest and hyenas stand, the accompanying music becomes more tense and forceful.

After analysing the scene and the score from Disney’s animated blockbuster The Lion King, the Year 10 students at Presdales School in Ware, Hertfordshire, think how they would go about composing their own piece of music to complement the scene.

But instead of having to guess whether their composition precisely fits the length of the scene, software called Logic Audio, made by Emagic, displays the notes on the monitor and lets students adjust the duration, as well as many other aspects of the sound. The software also allows a variety of sounds to be layered.

Presdales’ music teacher Paul Burrell says it is a very contemporary approach that reflects what happens in the music industry. “It’s the flexibility of the system that is the key, and it gives pupils an insight as to what a professional composer might be doing for a real film using technology,” he explains.

Paul was trained in composition and has found technology increasingly useful to him as a composer. He has been keen to ensure his students learn these skills and see how important computers have become in music composition.

According to Paul, it is the quality of sound that music technology makes possible that is the most compelling reason for schools to invest in this area. “Although it is expensive to set up, it is also pretty good value when compared to the cost of traditional instruments these days. The equipment is a very good investment for the creative potential it unlocks in pupils,” he explains.

The school has not abandoned traditional instruments, which are found in one of its two music rooms. The other contains keyboards and related technology, including a system from Carillon, which makes purpose-built audio computers.

Paul read a review in an audio magazine last year and decided to investigate its potential. The purchase cost a couple of thousand pounds - money well spent in his view, because it allows very high quality digital recordings to be made and recorded on CD.

The quality of the recordings and the talents of Presdales’ choir have been high enough for tracks from a school CD to be played on Classic FM and Radio 3.

Paul is adamant that technology has not affected the importance of traditional skills in music and has demonstrated that it is much more than a novelty.

Thinking along similar lines, the Holy Trinity School in Crawley, Sussex, has decided to embrace technology in what head of music, Jane Sutton, describes as a “big leap of faith”.

It has gone from having three computers to boasting pound;40,000 worth of equipment in a long-overdue new music block, in which two rooms are equipped with a KAAN (Keyboard and Audio Network) system.

Jane says it means pupils no longer have to share a keyboard and can work independently. The system divides each keyboard into two and, with headphones, two students can play their half at any pitch and in any instrument.

However, they can also play with another person or as part of a larger group without having to move around the room. “It gives total flexibility to each pupil as well as letting them combine in all sorts of ways,” Jane explains.

In her view, students are not asked to share a piece of paper in art, so they should not have to share in music either.

Holy Trinity is one of the first schools to install KAAN, which also allows music files to be shared and lets teachers monitor students and record their performances. Although the system was only installed a couple of months ago, it is proving popular with both teachers and students and Jane believes it is already helping to improve pupils’ compositions. Another room at the school houses 15 computers with their own keyboards, and a range of soundcards and music software.

While older students are benefiting most from the technology, Jane says the aim is to start with Year 7 so that all will know how to use the computers and sequence when they reach GCSE level. She also expects more students to take music as a GCSE and even A-level subject in coming years.

It has ended an era in which many lessons were conducted in the hall. “Students had to battle to hear themselves play. It’s so much nicer for them now,” Jane says.

A state-of-the-art eight-track digital recording studio is the other element of Holy Trinity’s new approach to music. Like Presdales’ facility, it allows high-quality recordings to be made on computer or minidisc. Jane adds that the school hopes to further make use of the equipment by offering music technology as a subject.

She is not worried that students have unrealistic expectations of the technology. “It’s just a way of getting more satisfying results from what they can already do,” she says.

Carillon Tel: 0800 085 0452www.carillondirect.com KAAN from Counterpoint-MTCTel: 01903 538 844www.counterpoint-mtc.co.ukkaanhome.htm Logic Audio from Sound Technology plcTel: 01462 480000www.soundtech.co.ukemagiceducationindex.htm Holy Trinity School Tel: 01293 423 690www.holytrinity.w-sussex.sch.uk Presdales School Tel: 01920 462 210www.presdales.herts.sch.uk