Listen and learn: Research paper Presentations with similar research topics are each assigned to round tables where hour-long discussions take place. Roundtables are intended to be more collaborative discussions about research.
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The music reading process requires many cognitive processes to work in tandem. Music notes on the five-line staff require students to locate which line or space the note is on, decode the pitch name and duration of sound, and decode any editorial markings (e.g., staccato, legato) that inform how the note is to be played. The available visual input must be integrated and processed so the student can audiate, or hear in their head, what sounds the notes represent, like reading written language (Jaarsma et al., 1998, p. 138). Approaching the context with the lens of design judgment (see Nelson & Stolterman, 2012), the design lead altered the visual presentation of music notation guided by Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, which include reducing barriers to decoding symbols (CAST, 2018). Another design judgment involved the addition of color overlays to music notation, which supports decoding of the notes on the staff. In turn, the color overlays make it easier for students to discern the correct pitch to play on an instrument.
Implementation of the paper prototype version of SpectrumPlay also led to an iterative design approach in terms of the text/icon density and icon size. Some students showed a preference for larger music icons with color overlays, or just colors themselves to indicate pitch, equaling fewer visual processing demands. As the library of SpectrumPlay grew, the management of materials became increasingly difficult, indicating the need for an accessible digital solution.
The design approach with the digital iteration was intentionally minimalist to not overburden visual processing and attention demands. The initial goal was to avoid split attention, or what occurs when attention is divided between multiple sources of visual input that need to be integrated together rather than processed in isolation (Sweller, 2019, pp. 8-10). For this purpose, a design judgment was made to avoid song lyrics with the songs as well as written directions on those same pages unless necessary. Other design judgments included omitting the animation of objects or characters on the screen until the effectiveness of the minimalist version could be determined.
Additionally, the characteristics of instructional design theory, as described by Reigeluth (1999), informed the design of this research study. The first characteristic of an instructional design theory is design orientation, which is intended to offer guidelines as to what method(s) to use to obtain a given goal. A second characteristic is the identification of methods of instruction, including the situations in which particular instructional methods should and should not be used. A third characteristic of an instructional design theory is that it can be broken into more detailed component methods, providing additional guidance to educators. Fourth, the methods presented within a given instructional design theory are probabilistic rather than deterministic. In other words, presented methods in an instructional design theory are intended to increase the chances of obtaining a goal, but will not ensure goals will be obtained by students.
To examine the usability and initial feasibility of SpectrumPlay within K–5 general music education classrooms, the following research questions have been posed: RQ1) Does the SpectrumPlay prototype function as intended? RQ2) What are the perceived benefits and satisfaction levels of using SpectrumPlay, according to key stakeholders? RQ3) How can SpectrumPlay be improved from the perspective of key stakeholders? The quantitative and qualitative findings will provide rich descriptive and comparative data to address the research questions.
Description of Methodology
Sample: The pilot study will transpire at one or more elementary schools within a 60-mile radius of a large metropolitan area in the southeast. Elementary music teacher participants will be recruited via email, with pilot testing transpiring in K-5 elementary music classrooms. Measure: Four main sources of data will be collected for data analysis purposes: 1) teacher interviews and focus groups; 2) classroom observations; 3) usability analytics (e.g., heatmaps, time on task), and; 4) survey instruments (e.g., usability scale).
Teacher Interviews. Pilot teacher participants will be trained to use SpectrumPlay. Following the training, teachers will be asked to participate in a 20-minute semi-structured interview. Sample interview questions may include, “How are you planning to use SpectrumPlay in your music classroom? What are the features of the tool that you find beneficial? What problems do you anticipate in using this tool with your students?” Interview data will be recorded with field notes and audio recordings.
Classroom Observations. Classroom observations will be conducted on select days and times when SpectrumPlay is in use. At least one project team member will serve as live technical support during pilot testing, note issues encountered, and assist teachers and students with immediate technical support. Pending human subjects and IRB approval, at least three field visits will transpire with each pilot teacher to observe SpectrumPlay in use. Student use and teachers’ instructional practices with SpectrumPlay will be the focus of interest during observations. Descriptive and reflexive field notes related to the usability and initial feasibility of SpectrumPlay as a classroom tool will be compiled. The researcher will compare expected patterns as reported during the interviews with observed patterns of use by the pilot teachers and students.
Teacher Focus Group. A focus group with participating teachers will be conducted by the researcher using a structured protocol at the end of the study. Questions will focus on using SpectrumPlay (e.g., strengths, problems encountered, perceptions of its ability to support music learning). The focus group will last about 30 minutes and will be audio-recorded for analysis. Teacher responses will be compared to statements made during the initial interview to compare intentions to observations.
Usability Analytics. In addition to classroom observations, the usability of SpectrumPlay can be examined through a user experience (UX) behavior analysis tool (e.g., Glassbox, Smartlook), which can capture user behaviors via heatmaps, click tracks, time on task, and error logs. UX data will be examined for actions like navigation and usage patterns, and time and frequency spent completing tasks.
Survey Instruments. Usability data will be supplemented with data from the System Usability Scale (SUS), a valid and reliable measure of perceived usability (Sauro, 2011) in the form of a short, ten-item questionnaire. Teachers and student participants will be given the opportunity to complete the SUS at the end of the pilot study.
This research was internally funded by the authors' research institution on September 12, 2023, with an expected completion date of April 2024. Results must be reported to the researcher's institution prior to May 2024, which aligns with the ISTE final paper submission timeline. Furthermore, it should be noted that iterations of the SpectrumPlay tool have been used in an inclusive elementary music classroom since the fall of 2021 with success. Close to 800 students have had the opportunity to try the paper prototypes of the tool with improved experiences in reading music and playing instruments. Students have exhibited more motivation to play, a reduction in overall frustration with the reading process, and quicker response times during instruction. Students have reported that the use of color supports on instruments and on music notation made the process easier and more enjoyable. Students have also shown a greater willingness to engage in the music composition process when using guided and scaffolded instruction to compose and notate melodies.
The purpose of this study is to examine the usability of SpectrumPlay, its feasibility within authentic educational settings, and the perceptions about its potential to provide benefits to students and teachers. Student and teacher use of the tool and feedback on their interaction with SpectrumPlay are necessary to gauge the tool’s usability and feasibility for supporting personalized music learning within K-5 music classrooms. A long-term research goal is to examine the extent to which SpectrumPlay can reduce barriers and support elementary students’ learning of music. The potential impact of SpectrumPlay to support personalized music literacy and composition in inclusive music classrooms is what drives the research team to carry out this work. Currently, many digital tools used in the elementary music setting are geared towards skill drilling in a game format without regard to the processing or sensory needs of the learner. SpectrumPlay was designed with those specific needs in mind. SpectrumPlay considers the needs of inclusive music classrooms. Future iterations will continue to center on learner and instructional experiences of inclusive classrooms in the design and development of the user interface. For example, students with special needs may benefit from singing and matching pitch, as well as listening and analyzing how music can convey emotions to the listener.
This study is valuable to ISTE attendees as they can learn how to address barriers to music learning through digital and non-digital technologies. Additionally, ISTE attendees will learn how instructional technology faculty and an in-service teacher have partnered together to create a research-based emergent technology that addresses a pressing classroom need while simultaneously fostering student creativity and personalized learning. Ideally, ISTE attendees will leave the session both inspired and informed.
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Jaarsma, B. S., Ruijssenaars, A. J. J. M., & Van Den Broeck, W. (1998). Dyslexia and learning musical notation: A pilot study. Annals of Dyslexia, 48(1), 137-154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-998-0007-4
Nelson, H., & Stolterman, E. (2012). The design way: Intentional change in an unpredictable world (2nd ed.). MIT Press.
Preece, J., Carey, T., Rogers, Y., Holland, S., Sharp, H., & Benyon, D. (1994). Human-computer interaction. Addison-Wesley.
Reigeluth, C. (1999). Instructional-design theories and models (Vol. 2). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sauro, J. (2011, February 2). Measuring usability with the system usability scale (SUS). Retrieved from http://www.measuringu.com/sus.php
Sweller, J. (2019). Cognitive load theory and educational technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09701-3
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