The Crypt of Notation: Rote Learning through Video Games For Adult Beginner Keyboard Learners

Playing music and partaking in learning to play an instrument, in this case keyboard, can be a highly rewarding but demanding experience. A key issue of adults that attempt to learn to play an instrument, again, in this case keyboard, is that a vast number of them will give up shortly after beginning their learning. Through both primary and secondary research we established that a core reason for this high number of adults dropping off is a lack of fundamental skills; skills which make the process of learning and playing more efficient, easy and enjoyable. This issue in conjunction with the lack of engaging methods of practicing these skills which require rote learning (copious amounts of repetition) led us to develop a novel solution in the form of a practice video game. We established, through multiple studies, that there was a place for such a solution, but it became apparent that there was a need to empirically measure whether this video game experience could improve or help acquire new skills just as well as a traditional or typical method within real-world contexts. In this paper, we present our novel prototype practice game. We will discuss the various stages and pitfalls of testing, design and development whilst also discussing the methodology of our upcoming longitudinal study. The study aims to measure the concepts of educational value and engagement in a real-world setting using adult beginner keyboard learners over an extended period of time, which is conducted at their own pace and within their own home environments.