Abstract
Troubadour platform is an open-source personalized and adaptive web platform for ear training. The platform was developed to support music theory classes with automated music-theory-related exercises. In this paper, we present our three-stage development methodology, which incorporated the needs and feedback from both teachers and students to build an engaging music-theory e-learning platform with gamification elements. We developed and evaluated the platform with students of the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana. The students of the 1st and 2nd year of the programme were split into two groups—the control group used the traditional way of learning, while the test group augmented their learning with the Troubadour platform. The evaluation results show an increase in exam performance and corroborate the platform’s user experience as one of the key reasons for the students’ engagement.
Highlights
Music learning takes place in a variety of formal and informal education processes, from elementary and high schools, to specialised music theory and instrument courses
Exercises in music theory and ear training are usually done on paper, while computers or mobile devices are rarely used as a tool for practice
There is room to provide support for music theory practice with suitable information and communication technology (ICT) tools, which would increase the engagement of students and enable them to study more often and outside of the classroom, with immediate feedback about their performance
Summary
Music learning takes place in a variety of formal and informal education processes, from elementary and high schools, to specialised music theory and instrument courses. Exercises in music theory and ear training are usually done on paper, while computers or mobile devices are rarely used as a tool for practice. There is room to provide support for music theory practice with suitable information and communication technology (ICT) tools, which would increase the engagement of students and enable them to study more often and outside of the classroom (e.g. at home), with immediate feedback about their performance. We focus on e-learning tools in music theory, the development of an open-source platform, which includes gamified ear training applications. ICT tools are already used to support classes, most often the support is given through various learning management systems (LMS). Teachers use the LMS to maintain two important aspects of their interaction with the students—the management of the learning materials, The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Cristina Rottondi
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