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Technology Supported Music Education: using colored lights in instruments to provide feedback to beginning generalist teachers

Beurden, Jenneke van (2020) Technology Supported Music Education: using colored lights in instruments to provide feedback to beginning generalist teachers.

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Abstract:Music in primary education is important for children’s development since it builds confidence and creativity, brings variety in the learning methods and it promotes learning about culture. However, primary school teachers often lack competence and confidence in their knowledge, resulting in deficiencies in teaching music. Therefore, (pre-service) teachers educating music to a primary class, typically containing between ten and thirty students, should be supported in noticing if, when, how and/or why a child needs teacher-guidance. This project focusses on the guiding of beginning/pre-service teachers who have to teach children about rhythmic synchronization and entrainment. It does so by developing and testing supporting technology that provides color-based feedback incorporated in the to-be-used instruments. Due to limitations of the COVID-19 situation in early 2020, no real-life user tests could be done using actual instruments. Instead, a simulation has been built that represents a real-life class of students. We test the use of colors as a means to indicate how the rhythms are being played by the children. Variations of colored feedback were filmed and shown to pre-service teachers in a user test. They discussed their opinions and preferences. The main outcome of the user test was that the lightening instruments were fun, motivational, innovative and useful but instruction is needed and some improvements could be made regarding managing chaotic situations and limiting demotivation among the children in case of difficulties. The prototype could be improved by incorporating gamification elements, a clear instruction including how to use the instruments, lesson-plan proposals and difficulty gradations per exercises and making the feedback a bit friendlier towards children. To conclude, the lightening instruments are supportive equipment for the teachers, yet, some adjustments or additions could be made to improve the supportiveness of the instruments in a music class.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Programme:Creative Technology BSc (50447)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/82504
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