Does gamification make music education child’s play?
Chances and innovation in technology have shown us the advantages of online education. These advantages can be used to tackle the weakening interest in music education.[1] Technology has always been important in comparison with the exploration of the global future of music. Take for example the endless variety of homemade tutorials about music that are to be found on Youtube. These suggest that people are busy with the participation and the sharing of informal musical education.[2] Carol Johnson and H. Haweley describe different possibilities to develop musicality. through identity, for example platforms that are focused on common instrumental skills as a result of which social participation in the community is enhanced,[3] and through a curriculum of a skill set, namely seen as online ‘hub’ where students of music can learn in an interactive way through motivation by gamification.[4] The final category is the one I will be using.
For an understanding of the term gamification I’ll use the definition of S. Deterding et al.:
”Gamification” refers to […] the use (rather than the extension) of […] design (rather than game-based technology or other gamerelated practices) […] elements (rather than full-flegded games) […] characteristic for games (rather than play of playfulness) […] in non-game contexts (regardless of specific usage, intentions, contexts, or media of implementation).[5]
A music student also needs an understanding of the practical side, besides procedural and theoretical knowledge as music or musicking,[6] in its essence, remains an activity. One of the possibilities of gamification is the conversion of musical instruments into mobile apps. This is usually done by simply copying the lay-out of an instrument, and implementing its sounds based on a click-design synthesizer and the correct key- or string- pitch combination. Although it doesn’t have the ability to mimic the complete motoric action of playing an instrument; it does have the ability to create an understanding or stimulate interest of the practical side of making music due to imitating the instrumental lay-out.
Many music teaches use mobile apps to promote music education. Even on the University of Utrecht mobile musical ear training is advised to pass the classes surrounding music theory. More specific, the website www.musictheory.net was advised to practice for solfège. This website simply contains theoretic lessons and assignments in the form of quizzes. However, it seemed to me that music theory could be converted to a mobile application in an attractive manner, after which I went for a search to an app with more elements of gameplay design. In this search I landed on the mobile application Mussila. Unlike other apps, that are just a persiflage of instruments or contain simple music theoretical quizzes, with many similar copies to be found in the Appstore, this app is more playful in design, as it is focused on kids. The game is, when opened, introduced with a cut-scene, in which we see a ‘monster’ on a mountain, probably Mussila, who ensures that all instruments of the kids in an air balloon fall. This motivates the player to play the game as good as possible, just so that the instruments are ‘earned back’.
My main question thus would be: on which way does gamification in Mussila promotes the teaching of music? For this, I would want to execute a critical discourse analyses. Firstly, I would need to check what exactly it is that we mean by gamification and in which way music education if gamified in Mussila. Using research and different point of views about gamification in educational music technology I want to test if the app checks these criteria and if the intended goals of educational music apps are also achieved with the player. Then I want to take a critical look at if we are able to gain even more from educational musical mobile applications than just the aspects that are mentioned thus far. Possibly, there are negative side effects to be pointed out due to the lack of motoric likeness with a real music instrument. How can the replacement of your music teacher with a mobile device promote music training better than just learning a musical instrument and theory under guidance? Or is the purpose of these apps relaxation with positive side effects intended as secondary musical training?
A lot of musical mobile apps are instrument like; looking a lot like toys with game characteristics. Although the clear diversion in design, the apps seems to have overlapping purposes. These purposes seem to come down to a lower entry threshold for music making by presenting expressive musical experiences as a game, with a composition mechanism that focuses on creating flow causing the player to be satisfied, balancing between challenges, education, experience and rewards as it motivates to gain an extended attention span through social and peripheral gamification.[7] Mobile apps implement playful elements of games, while treating expressiveness as primary, while working with a goal-oriented design.
The technological development changed the role of music and music making drastically. This, off course, with the help of the renewed technicalities for recording and broadcasting that shine a different light on musical craftmanship. Gamification is able to contribute tot the stimulation to participate in musical interaction. And so, we look at two different groups of target: the musicians that already have a certain experience with playing a musical instrument and person that never came in contact with creating music whatsoever. Motivation is an underlying aspect for both target groups.[8]
Mussila is described by the creators as ‘designed for kids to provide an introduction in the basic principles of music through a fun game.’ It is clear that they focus on a young target, who, looking at their age, probably never touched the subject of consciously creating music and music theory before. By turning music into ‘a fun game’, the creators hope to motivate kids to keep playing. But how is music theory, in Mussila, turned into a fun game? Or; how is gamification integrated?
First of all, the question arises if we are even able to speak of gamification, as gamification considers the implementation of elements of game design in a non-game context. We’ll see music making as a form of play which off course is to be found back in the expression ‘playing an instrument’. The question, however, arises if music theory, which this app is mainly aimed at, can also be approached as a game. Music theory, and thus music notation, is different than music (making or playing). The notation is not the same as the music or activity and vice versa. The music notation was created to be able to capture the music to pass it on to others. It is functional, while music doesn’t necessarily contains an extraneous function. The music theory could metaphorical be aligned to the rules of a game. It’s not a part of the game, but a tool to be able to play. When elements of play are implemented in this non-game context, we may speak about gamification.
The next step in identifying the game-design elements. According to Deterding et. Al, there are five levels of game-design elements that are shown in table 1. In Mussila the game interface design pattern doesn’t consist of leaderboards, but contains of obtainable diamonds. The diamonds can be earned in the ‘educational’ mode of play that contains of three free categories: ‘instruments’, ‘rhythm’ & ‘melody’. Each category has between the thirty-two and fourthy-five levels that exist of five questions. In each level are thus three stars to obtain and the more stars you have, the more diamonds you’ll get. The levels usually exist of ear training questions. In ‘instruments’ the questions are about guessing the correct instrument. Where the system of questions is turned around every three or five levels. Sometimes, you have to connect the right instrument to a sound and sometimes you’d have to connect the right sound to an instrument. They’ve also added an instruments game of memory. The ‘rhythm’ section varies from four to eight levels following each other, in which is varieted with inking rhythmical sound to notation and linking notation to sound. The ‘melody’-section uses, as expected, the same variety based on the combination melody-notation and vice versa.
Table 1: levels of game design elementen of Deterding et. Al.[9]
When we look at game design patterns and mechanics some levels are bound to time-limits; for example the game of instruments memory. Besides, some levels are not able to be skipped; you’ll only be able to go to the next level, when receiving one or more stars. Through game design principles and heuristics it is made clear that it is your goal to get more diamonds by receiving stars. One star is to be achieved when you get two to five questions right, two stars when you’ve got four right and three stars with five questions right. The player is stimulated to give the right answer by sonic feedback. You’ll hear, for instance, a glissando on a harp and a ‘wooeeeh!’, while a wrong answer delivers a short, monotone sound of ‘error’. This positive feedback is based on different cadences of harmony theory, as a result of which, for example, the positive feedback of the authentic (or plagal) cadence of three stars give you more satisfaction than the one of the imperfect (or half slot) cadence of two stars.
Besides the levels in which diamonds are to be achieved, there are also ‘creative’ modes of gameplay. Such as a DJ and a band-mode. For these modes you’ll be able to buy instruments, clothes and LP’s in the ‘instrument-shop’. You can assign instruments in ten different ‘levels’ to the four main characters within the band mode, whereby they, in cooperation with one of the Mussila ‘monsters’, play a well-known kids’ song. When you tap one of the characters, the musical output is assigned to a miniature keyboard, that you can play. The DJ mode imitated turntables, with changeable LP’s containing samples of four different sound effects; an echo, a bubble effect, a delay and an amp. Next to that, you are able to alter the speed and volume and you are able to add rhythm through percussion. These percussion-instruments are, just like the LP’s, buyable with diamonds. You are able to record your in-app creation; which is later on added to the collection of LP’s available to be mixed. In addition; there is even a ‘mircrophone’-option which lets you record an external sound yourself.
The buyable outfits and accessories are put in the category of game models, as they contribute to the fantasyworld of the children that play the game. By personalizing the characters, they are more comfortable to identify with the characters and thus, are more easily inclined to feel connected to the musical output. This creates a feeling of proudness and confident, that they get out of playing the game, which promotes their musical progression during regular music lessons.
The player is stimulated to complete the music theoretical levels by offering more musical freedom in the ‘creative’ mode. Unlocking more of these possibilities in this more creative, freer form of gameplay, present the realistic musical dynamics of education. When you create a stronger base of rhythmical, instrumental and melodic knowledge, improvisation and music creation will be easier for you. With this, the player is indirectly motivated to participate in musical interaction. The combination of music notation and lines of melodies help the player to understand scales and usual intervals. This understanding, then, can be practiced in band-mode by using the miniature keyboard. For rhythm and the combination of notation applies that the player learns which note values within a certain measures are possible and how they rhythmically sound. This rhythm can then be applied in de DJ-mode, whereby the ‘scratching’ of the LP is able to represent the reduced value of notes.
When we look at the multiple purposes that Ge Wang describes in Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music (2016) we could ask ourselves if these purposes, as he states, motivate to expressiveness. The first purpose would be the creation of a lower bar of entry to music making due to the presentation of expressive musical experiences as a game.[10] This corresponds with the purpose of a game to motivate kids to participate in music; by presenting monotone music theory as a game with expressive musicality as reward, accessibility is formed.
The second purpose is to motivate to hold attention by the means of social and peripherical gamification.[11] Wang creates a dualistic separation between ‘core’ and peripheric gamification. ‘Core’ means the integration of gamification in the mechanic which helps defining the experience of play, while peripheric gamification is all about the experience of the interaction.[12] With this, the earning of stars and diamonds could come to mind, but also the unlocked instruments and eventually the result of the DJ-booth that you can make your parents listen to. Mussila, however, doesn’t contain any social gamification. The app doesn’t hold any functions with which you can browse the internet or an external platform that you can export results to. This might be a conscious choice, as the game attracts a young target group and we wouldn’t want them to undesirably end up on the internet or share data that’s unwished for. This peripheric gamification, as shown before, eventually leads to musical expression.
Finally, a balance between the challenges, education, experiences and rewards is longed for to create a flow.[13] The extend of challenge, experience and the intended education mostly depends on the amount of knowledge and training the player already got regarding musical earing and theory. Starting kids might have a tougher or more challenging time reading the staff notation. The educational effects, thereby, really depend on the usage of the app. When it is used as a secondary musical lesson, the education and experience arises through practicing already learned material. When it is used as a primary source of music education, the app wouldn’t be able to meet your needs, as it is too unbalanced due to the lack of theoretical explanation. The challenge would be too big, causing the experience to come to stagnate and the reward inaccessible. And as the step towards free expression grows, the motivation to go on can come to halt as well.
The flow that arises in a right balance of challenge, education, experience and reward while playing videogames, can, according to Carolyn Wagner, be compared to the flow that arises while playing an instrument.[14] While learning a music play you’ll set small goals to create a flow, so avoid boredom within repetition. These goals can be compared to the levels in a videogame, which let you, on short term, focus at specific point, which help you complete the game. For measuring flow, she looks at ‘lived space’, ‘lived body’, ‘lived space’ en ‘lived human relationships’; or the temporary experience of space, body, time and human relationships of ‘energy’ during the play. Enclosed is the actuality of pushing the reality temporarily aside, so the toovercirkel is able to emerge; this is the experience of play as a separated space of experience, with its own rules, that are separated from the normal world.[15] She states, however, that participants in her research, while playing the videogames temporarily moved their mind ‘into’ the game, while repeating play of piano is seen as a activity of work in reality.[16] Flow, the mindset when your body and mind are completely involved in the activity of doing,[17] combined with the toovercirkel, ensure that the physical real surroundings are covered and immersion in the (musical) play is reached.[18] A possible advantage of gamification, thus, would be, achieving a playful flow, instead of achieving the flow of a work-mentality.
The question, however, is if this also applies for non (professional) musicians and young people or kids. If making music is not a source of income, would you consider it as an activity of work in reality? Assuming that non (professional) musicians are able to temporarily move their mind in play, the instrument is able to become an extension of the body. Then, we could state that the flow of a videogame could be compared to the flow of making music. For kids, this experience with flow and immersion could function as a training for a longer attention span.
Eventually, there is not much to note about the observations of Wang and Wagner. Nonetheless, it seems as if they didn’t really take the intended target group into consideration while choosing their case study during their research. The effectiveness of de set goals regarding expression of certain gamified applications are really depending on the information the player already has. Because of this, considering the intended target is of big importance, as the basic music theoretical and practical knowledge of these players could really differ. When the basic knowledge transcends the knowledge that’s to be gained from the app, the challenges are going to be too weak and the creative mode as reward is soon going to bore. The app, eventually, won’t be played and, possibly, even deleted. However, when the players does not know enough, the player will feel lost due to the lack of theoretical help. The app won’t really gain any educational effectiveness. Eventually, the creators of musical educational apps should take the intended target into consideration, while finding a right balance between challenges, education, experience and rewards to lower the entry level of making music to gain an extended span of attention through social and peripherical gamification, without making this a necessity, so that expressiveness become the main goal.
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[1] Johnson en Hawley, “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts,” 2.
[2] Johnson en Hawley, “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts,” 2.
[3] Johnson en Hawley, “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts,” 3.
[4] Johnson en Hawley, “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts,” 4.
[5] S. Deterding, et. Al., “From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”,” in MindTrek no. 11 (September 28-30, Tampere, Finland), 5. http://www.hubscher.org/roland/courses/hf765/readings/Deterding_2011.pdf.
[6] Explanation: musicking is everything surround music making, sharing, listening, watching, searching, etc.. Being busy with music.
[7] G. Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” in New interfaces for musical expression (2016), 5.
[8] Johnson en Hawley, “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts,” 4; Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” 6.
[9] S. Deterding, et. Al., “From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”,” 4.
[10] Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” 5.
[11] Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” 5.
[12] Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” 2.
[13] Wang, “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music,” 5.
[14] C. Wagner, “Digital Gamification in Private Music Education,” in Antistasis (2017): 116.
[15] Johan Huizinga en Vincent Mentzel, Homo Ludens : Proeve Eener Bepaling van Het Spel-Element Der Cultuur (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2010), 26.
[16] Wagner, “Digital Gamification in Private Music Education,” 117.
[17] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention,” in HarperPerennial New York 39 (1997), 8. http://vedpuriswar.org/Book_Review/Leadership_Managerial_Effectiveness/Creativity.pdf
[18] Isabella van Elferen, “¡Un Forastero! Issues of Virtuality and Diegesis in Videogame Music,” in Music and the Moving Image 4, no. 2 (Zomer 2011), 30-33.
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Used Literature
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. “Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention.” HarperPerennial New York 39 (1997): 1-16. http://vedpuriswar.org/Book_Review/Leadership_Managerial_Effectiveness/Creativity.pdf
Deterding, S. et, al. “From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”.” In MindTrek no. 11. Finland: Tampere, September 28-30. http://www.hubscher.org/roland/courses/hf765/readings/Deterding_2011.pdf.
Huizinga, Johan en Vincent Mentzel. Homo Ludens : Proeve Eener Bepaling van Het Spel-Element Der Cultuur. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2010.
Johnson, C en Scott H. Hawley. “Online Music Learning: Informal, Formal, and Steam Contexts.” In International Journal on Innovations in Online Education vol 1, no. 2, 2017.
Van Elferen, Isabella. “¡Un Forastero! Issues of Virtuality and Diegesis in Videogame Music.” Music and the Moving Image 4, no. 2 (zomer 2011): 30-39.
Wagner, C. “Digital Gamification in Private Music Education.” In Antistasis, 2017. https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/antistasis/article/download/24904/29537
Wang, G. “Game Design for Expressive Mobile Music.” In New interfaces for musical expression. 2016. https://www.gewang.com/publish/files/2016-nime-gamedesign.pdf