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Interactive music video games and children's musical development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Lily Gower  and
Janet McDowall
Lily Gower
Affiliation:
Department of Education and Children's Services, South Australian School for Vision Impaired, 1B Duncan Avenue, Park Home, South Australia, Australialily.gower@sasvi.sa.edu.au
Janet McDowall*
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill, South Australia, 5072, Australiajanet.mcdowall@unisa.edu.au
*
Corresponding author: Janet McDowall.
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Abstract

Interactive music video games are a readily available, mainstream technology but they are not generally seen as educative tools. Nor are they established within school teaching and learning environments. This study investigated children's use of these games from a music education perspective. Nine children, aged 9–11 years, and two specialist music teachers each participated in an individual semi-structured interview. The child participants were drawn from four metropolitan schools and the teachers were from different metropolitan schools. Results indicate that the games may help to develop some music skills and knowledge and that the games are of high interest and importance to students. The music teachers acknowledged the potential of interactive music video games to be incorporated into traditional music curriculum but they each expressed a belief that ideally the technology needs further development, including a greater capacity to compose and create using the programs. These findings suggest that, based on constructivist learning theories, there may be a place for these games in music education.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 91 - 105
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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