Introduction
Today’s high school students have been referred to as digital natives because they have been exposed to and consumed technology throughout their entire lives (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008). As a result, when designing a classical guitar course for this generation of students, strong consideration must be given to the integration of technology in course content delivery and assessment practices. The effective teaching of classical guitar requires much attention to music theory. The topic can be challenging for the instructor to teach and for the students to learn. This case study discusses the efficacy of using MusicTheory.net, a web-based application designed to teach music theory, to engage students, and produce successful learning outcomes. This web-based application is an example of a microlearning learner engagement strategy.
Micro-Learning
MusicTheory.net is a website that offers theory lessons that can be done on any device that has internet access. The lessons and exercises on MusicTheory.net are free and there is no need for an email sign up or transfer of information. The free online format gives everyone access to the website via computer, smartphone, or tablet. Equitable access to this technology is especially important in low socio-economic populations and demographics when considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on delivering effective education (van Deursen, 2020).
MusicTheory.net covers everything from the five lines of the music staff to key signatures, intervals, rhythm, diatonic chords, and Neapolitan chords. The website includes a skills development component called Exercises that is interactive and customizable for specific areas of improvement or reinforcement. All of the tools on MusicTheory.net are designed to help users understand music theory through mini-lessons that are sequenced for maximum comprehension. This type of mini-lessons and shortened content delivery have been shown in recent studies to increase retention by up to ten percent (Giurgiu, 2017).
Meaningful Goals
Most music students are intrinsically motivated to improve their performance, technique, and note reading abilities (Diaz, 2010). This type of motivation drives students to practice their instruments regularly for hours on end. Music students understand that it is only through their dedication to rigorous practice that they can reach their desired goal of mastering their instruments, and ultimately bring joy to their lives (Keller & Deimann, 2018). As a result, they will endure practicing seemingly mundane exercises and drills. The lessons in MusicTheory.net are presented in a way that is not monotonous but practical, interactive, concise, and informative. Students are able to progress through the levels in the program, achieving milestones on their journey toward mastering music theory concepts on the guitar.
Practical design
The lessons on MusicTheory.net are presented in a slideshow format, which gives the student/user the ability to use a forward or play button to move on to the next part of the lesson. According to Ha & Im (2020), this type of interactive online learning helps to increase attention, curiosity, and interest in the lessons. Students can listen to examples of a lesson or musical passage by clicking on a speaker icon that will pop up if appropriate for the lesson. For instance, if the lesson is on quarter rests, the example might show a measure with quarter notes on beats 1, 3, and 4 and a quarter rest on beat 2, in a 4/4-time signature. Clicking the speaker icon next to the measure would play an example to reinforce understanding of the quarter rest. This lesson design and approach to learning is effective in engaging the visual learner as well as the auditory learner (Gassner, 2014).
Successful Outcomes
One of the most useful components of MusicTheory.net is the Exercises section of the website. Teachers can customize lessons for their students using the Exercise feature. Lessons include exercises for Staff Identification, Staff Construction, Keyboard Identification, Fretboard Identification, and Ear Training. These can be timed and set to various levels of difficulty. Students receive immediate feedback in a pop-up window that shows the user’s score when the exercise is completed. This type of immediate feedback brings meaning to learning, gives the user a sense of autonomy, and helps close knowledge gaps (Aubin, 2019).
A case study involving three high school classical guitar students was completed over a six-week time period. The three students completed exercises that were customized to help them recognize and identify notes on the guitar fretboard. The exercises in the study were created according to the proficiency level of each student. Students had two minutes to identify 20 notes on the fretboard that were randomly generated by the application. Student 1 was a first-year, beginner level student who had been in guitar class for two and a half months. In the exercise for Student 1, the student had to identify natural notes on the first three strings, in first position (from open strings to the fourth fret). Student 2 was a second-year guitar student. Student 2 had to identify 20 sharp, flat, or natural notes on all six strings, in first position. Student 3 was a third-year student. Student 3 had to identify sharp, flat, or natural notes on all six strings up to the 12th fret. All three students showed improvement in their note recognition and improved their time to complete the challenge over the six-week period as shown in the tables below.
Conclusion
MusicTheory.net is an effective tool that can supplement music theory lessons and enhance learning by reinforcing aspects of music theory that have proven challenging for students to fully grasp. The web-based application provides a good example of a microlearning learner engagement strategy. Students can easily access the web-based application from any internet-ready device for free. Customizable lessons provide for meaningful goal achievement, which makes students feel accomplished. Its practical design allows for ease of use and the immediate feedback it provides lets students identify areas where they need to improve. Thoughtful incorporation of music theory lessons from MusicTheory.net in a classical guitar curriculum indicates that it can produce successful outcomes.
References
Aubin, C. (2019, March 8). The Importance of Immediate Feedback in Learning [web log comment]. Retrieved from https://www.smartickmethod.com/blog/education/pedagogy/inmediate-feedback/
Diaz, F. M. (2010). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation among Collegiate Instrumentalists. Contributions to Music Education, 37(1), 23–35.
Gassner, D. (2014, March 6). Exploring Learning Styles: Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Visual [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/search?keywords=auditory%20learning%20techniques&u=50813145
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
Ha, Y., & Im, H. (2020). The Role of an Interactive Visual Learning Tool and Its Personalizability in Online Learning: Flow Experience. Online Learning, 24(1), 205–226.
Keller, J.M. & Deimann, M. (2018). Motivation, volition, and performance. In Dempsey, R.A.R.J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134237039/
Palfrey, J. G., & Gasser, U. (2008). Born digital: Understanding the first generation of digital natives. New York: Basic Books.
Toshalis, E. (2020) 10 Drivers of Student Engagement You Can Use Right Now. KnowledgeWorks. Retrieved from knowledgeworks.org/resources/10-drivers-student-engagement/?gclid=CjwKCAiAtK79BRAIEiwA4OskBiP1bbG8OtMMfC0KK5SBooRy7WqafQRVPW_UGeXXDKtjqu19ngsqaRoCcpYQAvD_BwE.
van Deursen, A. (2020) Digital Inequality During a Pandemic: Quantitative Study of Differences in COVID-19–Related Internet Uses and Outcomes Among the General Population J Med Internet Res 2020;22(8):e20073. URL: https://www.jmir.org/2020/8/e20073. DOI: 10.2196/20073
Relevant to Goals
As our reading pointed out; “Relevance can also be achieved by creating meaningful challenges, especially for people with high needs for achievement, and giving them a measure of control over setting their goals and the means of accomplishing them” (Keller, J.M. & Deimann, M., 2018). This is relevant to the case study in that learning on this app is micro goal oriented. By making the challenges accessible and freely chosen, the student is able to focus on the lessons that correlate with their own goals. This makes learning easier for them because they’re not bogged down by subjects they aren’t passionate about. I’m reminded of when I took guitar lessons compared to when I was in the…
MusicTheory.net accessibility
MusicTheory.net is free for anyone who’s able to access an internet connection, this is great since everything today seems to come with some type of subscription fee. The lessons included are good practice and great for training the brain. When I decided to go to school for music production it had been many years since I had even read a single music note. I started using musictheory.net before my classes started just to refresh my memory. I used it throughout the entire 2 and a half year degree just to keep my brain sharp. You can search and practice with just about anything you can think of with music theory. It’s a great resource to have access to,…
I am someone who has a great appreciation for music and all the genres. This case study for me like a child in a candy store. In this case would be a music store full of instruments and other musical items. This case study provides the reader or inquisitor a clear understanding of technology with music students. Music theory can be challenging for some students with little to no background. This application is progressing in the right direction with the proof given. My undergraduate degree is in music performance, with this program I could’ve been further along in my studies.
The charts in the post provided some great numerical data regarding the application. To physically observe the progression of the…
As someone who is not great in playing music or have the patience in learning how to play music, I was immediately intrigued by your blog. Upon reading this blog, I am motivated to learn how to play the guitar and pass this onto my children who inherited a guitar from their uncle.
Upon reading your blog, I agree wholeheartedly the importance of utilizing this program as a supplemental learning tool. Based on my experience, there is so much information to absorb when learning how to play an instrument. I liken this as learning a new language and can be difficult if the learning is not continuous, therefore this program is perfect for those who wants to learn. In addition,…