From Virtual to Actual: Video Games in Music

Education

Ann Clements, Ph.D., Associate Professor

School of Music

acc13@psu.edu

Flickr: Twelves’

Flickr: TGKW’S

TLT Faculty Fellows Connecting points of intelligence, insight, energy, and knowledge-sharing across PSU and beyond.

Project 1 Project 2 Project 3

Music Participation….Why do people do music?

1)understand the nature of musical creation in terms of performance, consumption, and preference,

2)explore how music is transmitted, or taught and learned, within the confines of culture, and

3)seek the underlying meanings of musical practices and musicianship within the context of culture through ‘everyday’ musical interactions.

What is of interest to me…?

My research journey…

The World

My Community

My Basement

Four Important Points

1. Games are nothing new in music education.

2. Video games are the media of choice for this generation.

3. Games shape not only what we learn, but how we learn.

4. Video games breach the gap between in-school and out of school musical doings.

Games In Education

More than Meets the Eye…

Defining games in education…

Gaming – Social Interaction Theory (Vygotsky, 1978)

– Social Learning or Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977)

– Constructivism (Bruner, 1966; Jonassen, 2006; Papert, 1998)

– Situated Learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991)

Games in music and music Education are nothing new!

The presentation and genre of games has changed.

Fun games AND Serious games- MMPO -CoTS -Created L and S

How games are studied…

Kurt Squire Constance Steinkuehler

Jim Gee

Guitar Hero Research

Project 1 Project 2 Project 3

Gaming’s Effect on Music Education

Imagined and Virtual Musical Communities(Clements, Cody, and Gibbs, 2008)

We believe this is due, in part, to the success of guitar based video games. Video 1

Musical gaming may be influencing students’ perceptions of their personal musical ability and may even be changing what it means to be musical. Video 2

Across the country there has been a surge of enrollment in middle

and high school level guitar classes.

Musical Notation Demonstration

Video

Transcribed from Guitar Hero World Tour

Musical Notation

Transcribed from Guitar Hero 3

Project 1 –

Nonmusical Element

Inability to create new music sounds/tunes within game play.

Guitar Hero - World Tour Music Studio

Additional Instrumentation in Game Play• Lead Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals

Music Studio• The ability to input original compositions• Lead guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, and Drums• The creation of Guitar Hero based notation for playback by others

GH Tunes• The ability to share original compositions with others via the Guitar Hero platform

Virtual to Actual: The Use of Gaming as a Means to Broaden Pre-service Music Educator’s Perspective on Music Education

Clements, Cody, and Stubbs (2009)

Purpose: An action research study to introduce undergraduate music education majors to

the video game Guitar Hero - World Tour© in order to:– expand students knowledge and perception of video game use in the music

classroom and – to create sound pedagogical musical arrangements within game play to assist their

future students in transitioning from virtual guitar playing into actual guitar playing.

Guiding Questions:

1. Will use of musical video games alter pre-service music educators’ perspectives about the validity of gaming as a means for musical engagement?

2. Is it possible for pre-service music educators to create simple musical arrangements within game play to guide their future students toward actual guitar playing?

Project ParametersSubjects:

– two intact 7-week long beginning level guitar classes for music education majors (N=31)

– the instructor of these courses (Ann Clements),– a member of the Penn State Educational Gaming Commons who was on hand to

assist with the technology and to take reflective field notes on the process (Chris Stubbs), and

– a music theory instructor with musical gaming experience and professional level guitar playing skills who served as an outside observer (Tom Cody).

Traditional/FolkBasic guitar pedagogy and playing including I, IV, and V chords in the keys of G, D, A, and various strumming patterns.

RockThe formation of rock bands, including the arrangement of popular music using informal learning techniques.

VirtualThe Guitar Hero© Project.

Traditional

VirtualRock

Procedures1. A pre-experience questionnaire to determine their familiarity with video

game use and to explore their perspectives of musical gaming uses in educational settings.

2. Two in-class training modules on the use of Guitar Hero – World Tour© on a PlayStation 3TM with special focus on the Music Studio component.

3. A two-hour evening programming session in which the students were divided into small groups and given the task to choose a simple 2-3 chord song they can play on guitar and to arrange and input their selected song into the Music Studio. Each group was asked to create a:

1. Lead line (melody)

2. Rhythm line (chords)

3. Bass line (root), and

4. Drum line

4. An hour long performance of traditional materials, their individual rock band arrangements, and demonstration of the Guitar Hero © projects.

5. A post-experience questionnaire to determine their perspectives of musical gaming use in education.

Pre-Experience Perspectives

It was discovered that these particular groups of students played video games fairly infrequently.

– 5 students had never played any games in the Guitar Hero © series.

Their initial perspectives about the use of gaming in the music classroom, or any classroom setting, were mixed.

– less than 20% of students indicating a possible use for gaming in education– only 2 students reporting having ever used games as part of any class

 "No, I really don't feel we should use video games! I feel like kids just waste time when they should be reading, or practicing in my case. (sic)”

"No, because there are many better ways teachers can get students involved in class than just having them play video games.” 

“I’ve played musical video games previously, and I know they can be challenging, but games are more about getting together with friends than actually learning anything.”

Students

Pre-Experience Perspectives

The instructor had some trepidation going into this project about her comfort level using this form of technology, the ways in which music students might view the use of gaming in this setting, and the extent to which students would be open to trying something new.

“I was afraid that there would be technical glitches. Even after hours of practice, I am still finding difficulties within the game and am struggling to determine if this is the best way to introduce students to the uses of gaming in education.”

“These are School of Music students who have dedicated much of their lives to perfection in their (music) studios and I fear that this will be viewed as simply entertainment that has no place in formal education.”

INSTRUCTOR

Examples of Student Work from Field Videos

VIDEO 3

Post-Experience Perspectives

After their experiences playing and creating within the game structure, perspectives appear to have changed– 94% of students reported that it is important for future teachers to understand

games and the ways in which youth interact with them. – 97% ranked the Guitar Hero© assignment as highly motivational in terms of

guitar learning. – 87% of the reported a desire to use musical games in their future teaching.

“Not only is it interesting to compare this with learning beginning guitar, but as future educators many of our student's musical backgrounds in music WILL BE Guitar Hero and this can give us some perspective on what to expect and also to start thinking about what steps to take.”

“I really feel that there are lessons being taught in the game that apply to music teaching and learning. The motivational factor alone is enough for me to want to understand video games better and find ways in which I can incorporate them into my teaching.”

STUDENTS

Post-Experience Perspectives

INSTRUCTOR

VIDEO 4

Formal and Informal Instruction

“The class quickly became informal. The students were learning and teaching one another as is often seen in the (musical) creation processes of professional or community musicians.”

“The students have really come together through this project. I have seen them transform from instruction seeking to class leading, a transition I didn’t expect to see… not only are they excited about playing, they are excited about the possibilities the technology is providing in terms of their future teaching.”

Post-Experience Perspectives

“This whole process has been reminiscent of my experiences as a middle school teacher – when the music classroom was a general hang out for students.

Not only are the students enjoying the process, they are enjoying each other. Music has once again become ‘cool’ and inhibitions and competition, which are common place at the collegiate level, have faded.”

Instructor

Song Construction Instructor’s Observations

There were numerous technical difficulties during each recording session that hampered students’ progress.

• controlling the tempo and audible click track

• lack of familiarity with the PlayStationTM and Music Studio program

• controllers falling asleep from inactivity

• the lack of ability to edit recorded sound at the level most students had experienced using professional level recording programs.

Video 5

Conclusions

1. Will use of musical video games alter pre-service music educators’ perspectives about the validity of gaming as a means for musical engagement?

– As evident by the data collected, it appears that even the most simple uses of gaming in educational practice can have a positive effect on the perceptions of pre-service music educators.

2. Is it possible for pre-service music educators to create simple musical arrangements within game play to guide their future students toward actual guitar playing?

– Due to the technological difficulties within Music Studio, it does not appear to be practical at this time to create meaningful lessons within the program.

• This is not to say that pedagogical ties between virtual and actual guitar playing

are not present, simply that the technology has yet to be developed within the game to allow for the precision needed to make arranging meaningful and consistent.

Educational Music Gaming: Pre-service and Middle School Perceptions

Clements & Stubbs (2010)

Project 31. What are the perceptions of preservice music educators and middle school general music

students to a musical gaming project?

1. Is it possible to create meaningful music and guitar lessons for middle school level students using Guitar Hero?– Intermediate level guitar preservice teachers created a new song in GH World Tour– Lesson plans combining virtual playing and real playing were developed– Preservice students taught the lesson over a two-week period in a local seventh grade general music

classroom.

Preliminary results– The preservice teachers interest in using Guitar Hero as a teaching tool lowered from second study, with

only 68% responding that the game enhanced their teaching.– 94% of middle school students ranked this activity as one of the most “enjoyable” they had experienced in

music class.– A strange dichotomy between the perceptions of the preservice and middle school students regarding the

worth of video game use in the classroom.

TLT Fellowship: Musical Play

1) Research project on Musical Play- Comparison of traditional form of musical play and new

form including video game technology- 10 children ages 3-15

- 4 play dates, 2 “in home” and 2 in the EGC Lab

- Traditional Musical Items- Balls, jump ropes, hand clap games, chants, instruments

- Musical Video Games

- Blog and Movie

Movement

Uses:

• Warm-up movements in rehearsal

• Physical demonstration of beat/pulse

• Dance/movement in general music settings

Details:

•Cost – under $30.00

•Classroom appropriate

•No dance pad needed

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Theory

Uses:

• Individual or class

• Rhythm & pitch building skills

Sample 1 Rhythm

Sample 2 Chords

Uses:

• Individual in front of class

• Rhythm & pitch building skills

Sample 1 - Pitch

Sample 2 - Chords

Uses:

• Individual or class

• Rhythm building skills

Sample 1- Beat

Theory Continued

Uses:

• Individual or class

• Rhythm building skills

Sample 1 Chorus

Sample 2 Robot

Sample 3 Mix

Uses:

• Individual or class

• Rhythm building skills

Sample 1

Singing and PlayingUses:

• Individual or class

• Playing and/or singing skills

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 1- Maestro

Sample 2 - Bells

Sample 3 - Instruments

Sample 1

Composition

Uses:

• Individual or class

• No points, score, or ability to “win”

•Free arrangement and composition

Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3

Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9

Thank you!This presentation was supported by the

TLT Faculty Fellows Program http://tlt.its.psu.edu/faculty/fellowship

and the

Educational Gaming Commons Engagement Initiative Program

http://gaming.psu.edu/

Check out our Blog!http://blogs.tlt.psu.edu/fellows/

Clements Fellowship Projecthttp://ets.tlt.psu.edu/wiki/Children%E2%80%99s_Music_Play

Thoughts to ponder…

Every time we succeed in creating an additional, genuine culture of musical involvement in the schools, we expand our relevance, our value, and our claim to be a basic subject capable of serving all students rather than only a small minority.

… Opening ourselves to these possibilities allows our profession to become all it is capable of becoming, to serve all the students it is capable of serving, to demonstrate by its actions that it is worthy of the full support of its culture rather than trying to coerce that support by endless pleadings for a program attractive to few.

(Reimer, 2004)

Thank you!This project was supported by a grant from the This project was supported by a grant from the

Penn State Educational Penn State Educational Gamming Commons.Gamming Commons.

The PSU Educational Gaming Commons is The PSU Educational Gaming Commons is creating a community of users who will support creating a community of users who will support

both physical and virtual infrastructure to both physical and virtual infrastructure to promote the broad impact of gaming within the promote the broad impact of gaming within the teaching, learning, and research environment.teaching, learning, and research environment.

For more information please see the following website:For more information please see the following website:

http://gaming.psu.edu/http://gaming.psu.edu/