Imagine if music class were a video game.
Learning scales would earn students points. Mastering a particularly difficult piece would be the equivalent of the big-bad 鈥渂oss鈥� they鈥檇 have to defeat to move on to the next level.
And most importantly鈥攖hey鈥檇 be having the time of their lives learning music.
That鈥檚 the idea that guides 2013 Masters in Music Education alum Ashley Brandin in her music classroom at Platt Middle School in Boulder every day.
鈥淕ames are a great environment because they promote experimentation, learning from your mistakes and choosing your own path,鈥� said Brandin.
But the lifelong gamer and music teacher doesn鈥檛 literally bring gaming into the classroom.
鈥淚 take structural elements that keep kids motivated or engaged and find ways to incorporate that into my teaching,鈥� she said.
Those elements鈥攅xtra tasks or goals outside your everyday playing鈥攁re not required. As a video game player and music student, you鈥檙e motivated by points, badges, power-ups and other intrinsic motivators to go beyond what鈥檚 being asked of you.
That鈥檚 what makes them so fun, said Brandin.
鈥淗aving it be optional is incredibly important, because in games, you always have the choice to not play," she said. "No one鈥檚 making you.鈥�
Brandin鈥檚 theory is catching on among educators and gamers alike. In January, she presented her research on incorporating the principles of gaming into teaching at Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) South, a huge convention on gaming held in San Antonio that is becoming increasingly academic.
Brandin said, while some subjects in school lend themselves easily to the concept, music is a unique case.
鈥淲e have a structure to the way our class unfolds," she said. "Usually it鈥檚 rehearsal, and there鈥檚 not really a way to change that. And often kids don鈥檛 want that to change because it鈥檚 already different from the rest of their classes.鈥�
That鈥檚 why Brandin thinks it鈥檚 important for music teachers to modify the structure of their lesson plans鈥攏ot the content.
鈥淥ne of the downfalls about edutainment is that it often asks teachers to change what they鈥檙e teaching," she said. "But changing the presentation is where we can be more engaging.鈥�
Brandin鈥檚 done that in her orchestral music class by creating a series of achievement-oriented challenges for students to undertake on their own time.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e divided into four different categories,鈥� she said. 鈥淧erfunctory, exhaustive, difficulty and exclusionary.鈥�
Perfunctory
These achievements introduce students and video game players to the rules, reassuring them when they鈥檙e doing the right thing.
鈥淎t the beginning of the year, kids can feel like they鈥檙e making a lot of mistakes and get embarrassed,鈥� said Brandin. 鈥淏ut if you make mistakes in the beginning you have a better chance of success later on.鈥�
Some examples of perfunctory challenges include telling the class a musical pun or bringing in a music-related drawing for Brandin to place on her door鈥斺�漚nything that breaks the ice and creates a connection and a safe environment for them to learn in,鈥� she said.
Exhaustive
Learning all the major scales or memorizing all of your flashcards are good examples of exhaustive achievements. Brandin says her students will often choose to attempt more challenging exhaustive achievements to push themselves to get to the next level.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e presented with choices and opportunities to demonstrate your competence, which motivates you to keep going,鈥� said Brandin.
Difficulty
Achievements based on difficulty are all about students pushing themselves creatively. Notating songs by ear or playing a scale in two octaves are examples.
鈥淚 had one sixth grader notate 鈥楾he Final Countdown.鈥� He did a great job and he was the one who chose to do this more difficult song,鈥� Brandin said. 鈥淎nd there are obvious relevant musical skills embedded in that, but he had a fun time doing it as well.鈥�
Exclusionary
By their very nature, exclusionary exercises鈥攖rying to be the best at something鈥攃an be competitive, so to avoid that, Brandin focuses again on creativity when encouraging these projects.
鈥淚n a game, you can receive a badge for playing a game for a long time鈥攍ike 12 uninterrupted hours鈥攐r on a unique day鈥攍ike Labor Day. It's unique, but not necessarily difficult,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 had one girl create a superhero identity for Beethoven. Because he was deaf, he could feel tremors in the earth whenever there was danger," said Brandin. "He would fly around on his harpsichord jet pack to vanquish his enemies with his violin tomahawk."听It was so cool because she learned about Beethoven, but she and her peers could also relate to this superhero.鈥�
The common thread in all these achievements is self-selection by students鈥攁nd no grades.
鈥淭hat way, they feel OK about making a mistake and working their way through it,鈥� said Brandin.
During her time as a master鈥檚 student at the , Brandin says she learned to employ the same experimentation in her research that she encourages in her music class.
鈥淚 researched all this stuff about games and education and was so excited about it, and I kept waiting for someone to write about it or give me a manual,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I learned that you can鈥檛 wait for someone else to do something that excites you. If you鈥檙e interested in a specific facet of education, just try it."
鈥淢uch like when you鈥檙e playing a game, the worst thing that can happen is that you try something innovative and it fails," she said. "But there鈥檚 always another level鈥攐r another period in the day鈥攆or you to try again.鈥�
Image courtesy of Kirsten Boyer Photography 2015.
