Music theory and ear training for those who have had little or no experience with it can feel daunting and overwhelming. Teachers feel the pressure of presenting all the content while students struggling with the concepts may begin to feel as though they are behind until they give up. For this reason, microlearning can be a key to further unlocking a student’s motivation for learning in this area. Though many definitions could be applied, Shannon Tipton (a well-known expert in microlearning) explains that microlearning tackles the need of people to learn anywhere and anytime with content that is “simple, short, and engaging” (Defelice & Kapp, 2019, ch. 1). In an effort to incorporate microlearning into the music classroom, I examined the Perfect Ear app, available from both Apple and Android, as one such option.
Meeting Learners’ Needs
Pendergast and Robinson (2020) studied the preferences of secondary students for music education and found that a sometimes teacher-led instruction while also affording the opportunity to study independently with instructor input and intervention is appealing to students (p. 270-271). The Perfect Ear App helps to meet those perceived needs by offering short lessons that can either be supplemental to a class or independent from it. These lessons combined with exercises that feel much like games can help train a student to further anticipate rewarding outcomes to their learning tasks as they experience them, aiding in continued motivation (Keller & Deimann, 2018, p. 81). In the interval singing exercises, for example, students are given not only a score but a brief encouragement along with their personal weakest intervals so they can practice those specifically. By allowing the opportunity for the learner to enjoy their accomplishment and feel successful while also pointing out what may need more work (helping them not feel overwhelmingly bad about it in the process), they may internalize the motivation for future growth (Keller & Deimann, 2018, p. 81).
Miller’s Law and Cognitive Overload
George Miller found in 1956 that in relation to learning, the upper limit of cognitive processing before overload is “seven plus two,” meaning some can handle five new pieces of information while others can handle up to nine—called Miller’s Law (O’Mahoney, 2020, ch. 6). Since some or many in a music classroom may not have a background in theory or ear training, learning can be short-circuited rather quickly. An option like the Perfect Ear app appears to take a person’s limited working memory into account. First, it’s design is simple yet attractive and inviting. Though variety in a learning environment is necessary to battle boredom and invite curiosity (Keller & Deimann, 2018, p. 80), one cannot take it too far. When faced with overstimulation, students may become inattentive and disruptive as they grow more and more disengaged with the material (O’Mahoney, 2020, ch. 10). Each section of the app (intervals, scales, chords, and rhythm) has short theory lessons along with various activities and exercises. Though some of the exercises I tried took a little more effort to effectively follow (especially the rhythm exercises), there was enough variation and levels to keep things interesting and feel like you’re positively progressing.
Success and the Feeling of Control
One added benefit of using an ear training/music theory app like Perfect Ear to help motivate learners is that the technology they are using to access the content (smartphone or tablet) is likely something they have already used extensively and feel successful using. By already feeling that sense of confidence in the tool along with easily digested microlearning content, students can experience a feeling of greater control over their learning goals, potentially increasing motivation to continue (Keller & Deimann, 2018, p. 81). They are able to complete games/exercises repeatedly until they feel more certain about their abilities. Within an interval exercise too, for example, they can repeat an interval to hear it as many times as they like before answering. They have access to the material in the lessons at their fingertips to review whenever they like. Though admittedly limited, there is still a physical engagement with the material that can help stimulate growth and maintain interest (Great Schools Partnership, 2016, para. 9).
Conclusion
Microlearning through an app like Perfect Ear holds great potential for both instructors and students in a music classroom, promoting growth and learning. Giurgiu (2017) confirmed that the results of their study exhibited that smaller pieces of content helped participants to better retain information and better perform (p. 18). The motivation and capacity to learn this new information can be more readily maintained through repetition, accessibility, great design, and more. In addition to that, the app is free with a fully unlocked upgrade for under $5 if needed. Though not the only option available, Perfect Ear is a great choice to begin providing opportunities for microlearning into music theory and lessons in rhythm, intervals, and ear training. However, any way an instructor could implement microlearning into music education would yield potentially wonderful benefits.
References
Defelice, R., & Kapp, K. (2019). Microlearning: Short and sweet. Association for talent development. https://tinyurl.com/pyazyjt8.
Giurgiu, L. (2017). Microlearning an evolving elearning trend. Buletin Stiintific, 22(1), 18–23. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1515/bsaft-2017-0003.
Great Schools Partnership. (2016, February 18). The glossary of education reform: Student engagement. Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. https://www.edglossary.org/student-engagement/.
Keller, J. M., & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, Volition, and Performance. Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.) (pp. 78-86). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134237039.
O’Mahony, Kieran. (2020). The brain-based classroom: Accessing every child’s potential through educational neuroscience. Eye on Education. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-brain-based-classroom/9781000330663/.
Pendergast, S., & Robinson, N. R. (2020). Secondary students’ preferences for various learning conditions and music courses: A comparison of school music, out-of-school music, and nonmusic participants. Journal of research in music education, 68(3), 264–285. https://doi-org.oclc.fullsail.edu/10.1177/0022429420931826.
Blog Response 1
Employing Microlearning in Motivating Music Students
Jsstasyszen's study on Employing Microlearning in Motivating Students was quite intriguing because it brought out so many important points regarding learner engagement. I agree wholeheartedly with the initial premise that teachers are pressured to present entire concepts and sometimes students who are left feeling overwhelmed for being behind and will opt out of the learning tasks. However, as so eloquently proven in the study, microlearning can be paramount to the motivation of students. It may even cause students to decide to learn more about the subject when not being required to do so or may also cause them to complete out-of-class learning tasks.
In today's classrooms it can be hard for…
This was a great read, especially since I work in higher education for entertainment and technology-based degree programs. First, I will have to download the referenced Perfect Ear App – it looks great! I like how this can be in addition to what a student is already learning, or part of the curriculum. It’s incredibly motivating for students to engage and complete exercises outside of classwork, that way there’s no pressure if you get something wrong. Music Theory is such a complex subject that it can immediately intimidate the student. This microlearning approach is genius in how minimal content helps students retain the information. I immediately think of how information is presented to students in higher education. Students in a…
Because I enjoy music, I thought this piece to be really interesting. I was a member of the symphony throughout middle school, and I attended a fine arts high school for my first two years of high school. I took piano lessons while attending the fine arts school. It was quite difficult for me, and there were many instances when I wanted to give up. However, I was able to complete the course satisfactorily enough to receive a B. The method that you described in your blog post was what I used to solve my problem. Although it assisted me in learning to play piano, it also consistently challenged me to master new skills and to tackle more difficult songs.…
I found this case study more informative because, as a community college student starting, I wanted to take easier courses to ease into college life. I strategically took a beginning music elective and quickly realized how hard it was because I did not have an ear for music. The counts with rhythm and beats my instructor pounded out on her desk during quizzes and tests were difficult for me to follow. It was a quarter course, which meant that I had to learn the material much quicker in a shorter amount of time, and this was difficult for me the entire time. As a person, I get overwhelmed and easily stressed when overloaded with too much information at once.
Is…
As a Deaf person who can’t hear, I enjoyed learning about how the Perfect Ear app with different features motivated music students to improve their skills.
Spark the Curiosity and Motivation
According to Treat Music Like a Different Subject (2016), rather than treating music like any other subject, one should create a distinction, so the child sees music as something he or she wants to do. Instructors can be creative to promote students’ motivation to learn and understand the concept of music. Microlearning can be a useful tool to increase learners’ motivation and turn learning into an enjoyable process. The Perfect Ear app provides different features such as sight reading the music, music exercises, create scales by their sounds, chord…