Gamification

Technology

In our experience, a student's passion for the instrument and their approach to practice is significantly shaped by the guidance and mentorship provided by their teacher. To improve in musical mastery, "a student must get sufficient feedback... something a teacher would typically do" (Nguyen, 2020, p. 106). Based on our findings, students have a positive classroom experience characterised by notable improvements in and a sense of optimism about their potential.

However, a single 30-minute weekly lesson can sometimes hinder this connection. Technology offers an opportunity to bridge this gap and "diminish the distance in time and space between the student and the teacher outside of the lesson" (Wagner, 2016, p. 144). While technology and gamified experiences will never replace the teacher-student relationship, they have the potential to strengthen it by connecting students and teachers during their practice sessions.

As Wagner (2017) describes, digital technology can serve as a conduit that connects students with resources and guidance from their teachers throughout the week. This is a paradigm shift that recognises the potential of technology not as a replacement but as an enhancement to the teacher's role in guiding students towards musical excellence.

At-Home Tutor

The "Define" stage showed that students often fail to practice at home because of a lack of understanding of the content. However, Pesek et al. (2022) highlight the potential of technology-driven solutions, stating that students can be guided through e-learning systems.

The concept of an "at-home tutor" emerges as a complementary tool for practice a structured framework for students (Pesek et al., 2022). There is also potential to provide students with immediate feedback on their performance as highlighted by Chen (2020). Moreover, it aligns with Wang's (2023) perspective, emphasising the creation of engaging and interactive learning materials for home use.

By leveraging technology to provide guidance and feedback, students can engage in self-directed practice and potentially receive timely guidance while at home.

Why Gamification

Motivation and satisfaction are integral components of effective music education. As Rife et al. (2001) suggest, "Satisfaction acts as positive reinforcement, which provides the intrinsic motivation necessary for children to continue to participate in private music lessons" (p. 22). Satisfaction frequently graces our classrooms. As students master a scale or successfully perform an entire song for the first time, an expression of pride and contentment emerges on their faces. The attainment of satisfaction through musical achievements serves as a potent motivator, akin to the motivation often observed in video games (Nguyen, 2020).

At our school, we play a game involving Pokémon cards with younger students to keep lessons exciting. Students who previously struggled with distractions have demonstrated increased interest and concentration during lessons with the game.

However, this gamified learning experience cannot be taken home as it relies on the teacher's input and specific materials. Therefore, it is valuable to examine the findings of researchers who have explored gamified practice.

Birch and Woodruff (2017) found that gamification had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward practicing technical elements. Moreover, research by Nguyen (2020) highlighted that in-game elements such as gold served as motivating factors students, with the majority of participants expressing motivation through these game elements.

As demonstrated by Pesek et al. (2020), students who utilised gamified platforms achieved higher test scores and accelerated learning compared to their non-gamified counterparts, and that gamification "proves to be useful to speed up the learning process" (p. 97100).

Peasant (2020) found that incorporating gamification elements into music education software has the potential to significantly benefit musicians' development. He his findings underscore that gamifying experiences can harness extrinsic motivation while simultaneously influencing intrinsic motivation.

Gamification Elements

To effectively incorporate gamification, an understanding of its core elements is essential. Existing literature on gamification in music education offers valuable insights into commonly used elements within this context, providing a valuable resource for guidance and inspiration.

Peasant's (2020) research found uses of badges, points, leaderboards, levels, feedback, progress bar, achievable goals and rewards, challenges, and competition. Birch's (2013) gamified platform saw the use of story, replay-ability, recognition, social sharing and player agency. Pesek et al.'s (2022) customised eLearning portal employed direct feedback, scoring, levels, leaderboards, avatars, and badges.

Samat et al. (2022) conducted a systematic review to categorise gamification elements applicable to music education. We will leverage this list and the elements previously discussed in the literature to explore how these concepts can be applied effectively within our context.

Example Elements

A weekly progress bar that fills up as students complete daily exercises. This visually tracks their weekly practice commitment and motivates them to maintain consistency.

Achieving mastery in specific exercises or meeting daily practice goals can earn students virtual badges. For example, a "Technique Master" badge for nailing a tricky technique exercise.

Set a term or year goal aligned with student's achievement plan in the form of a boss battle. For instance, "Perform Fur Elise at the EOY concert".

Assign Experience Points (EXP) for various practice tasks. Students gain player levels with points earned.

A weekly practice leaderboard, showcasing instrument-based teams with the most EXP. This encourages competition and cooperation at the same time.

Include multimedia elements, such as interactive video tutorials or audio recordings of songs. Students can watch/listen or play along with recorded tracks to enhance their skills.

Develop interactive practice modules where students actively engage with exercises. For instance, they might need to answer questions related to music theory or identify notes in a musical passage

Offer immediate feedback after each exercise. This can include a score or comments on areas for improvement.

Conclusion

Gamification will be a significant component of our PracticeQuest solution, enriching students' at-home practice experiences and fostering motivation.