Well thankfully times have changed, and (we hope) that piano teachers no longer plan to teach with a ruler as their main means of correcting students!

Still, in the last ten years a new breed of Music Education has popped up: These things that are part educational, and very much sold to the entertainment market – they are computer games.

We are talking about games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and there is definitely some educational value in playing them. When you are playing through the songs it can really feel like you are playing the instrument.

Perhaps the best thing about games like this is that they give an opportunity to play instruments to people who otherwise wouldn’t. Thousands of people have had the chance to feel what its like to play guitar with a band, even if its just in their own lounge room.

Of course if you are serious about playing an instrument then these games are not and should never be your main source of tuition.

However together with lessons from a teacher these games can provide invaluable assistance. They certainly shouldn’t be written off as having no educational value.

For example if learning guitar you can learn the form and structure of a song through playing the game, then go and learn the correct chords and riffs from a teacher.

The drum beats which are in the Rock Band game are fairly close to real drum patterns, however the layout of the drum kit isn’t quite the same as a real one.

It can also be helpful for piano students to use a computer game such as Piano Wizard. In this game you can play the notes on the screen in real time on a proper electric piano which is hooked up to the computer via MIDI.

Some things to help you choose a music game:

It is best if you can use a Real Instrument as the controller for the game. This should be easy for the piano programs like piano wizard, however the technology isn’t quite there for guitar yet to play the game with a real instrument.

The Author, Kevin Tuck is a person who is passionate about two things: Teaching music, and making music fun for his students. Kevin is also an editor for the Fun Music Company, who create music theory worksheets and educational music games for music lessons.

Are those games really worth spending our hard earned money, time and energy on?

In my area of music there are all sorts of games: Some of the music games which are available today are nothing more than an evolution of the toy guitar that you’d give a toddler to play with. Some are almost like playing a real instrument, with real instrument sizes and materials used.

So what is educational when it comes to games? Music teachers are definitely split on this issue. Most teachers probably won’t be spending much money on music games, they’ll be teaching just like they always have. However there is real educational value in some aspects of the game.

This is the question we need to ask before engaging in any game activity: “What is this teaching me (or them, if thinking about your children or your students) that I didn’t know before?”

When you take something that you didn’t know before and you make it known you are learning something. it really is that simple Are you making anything known that wasn’t already when you are playing that computer game? If you are simply playing one level of one game over and over again nothing will happen except that you’ll be good at that one thing. You’ll really know that one thing, but nothing else.

The music game can be a great educational experience if you constantly introduce new songs and use the game as a vehicle to move forward with your skills.

Music game developers should consult instrument specialists when building games about specific instruments, so that playing the game does not negatively impact students technique when playing the real thing. Most do, but as usual when there is a big market there will always be cheap imitations who cut down the price and also cut down the educational value by not investing in this quality researched advice.

So always ask that question – What is this activity teaching me that I didn’t know before? Then you’ll find that besides being very enjoyable that time spent on music games will actually build musical skills.

Kevin Tuck, the author of this article is a musician and music teacher of wide experience. Kevin is currently developing educational music games for school students at the Fun Music Company.

Well thankfully times have changed, and (we hope) that piano teachers no longer plan to teach with a ruler as their main means of correcting students!

However, a new type of Music Lessons have evolved over the last few years: These things that are part educational, and very much sold to the entertainment market – they are educational music computer games.

We are talking about games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and there is definitely some educational value in playing them. When you are playing through the songs it can really feel like you are playing the instrument.

The great thing about these games is that it is giving people the chance who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to pick up an instrument and know what it feels like to be on stage with a guitar, or play a tune on a piano.

Of course if you are serious about playing an instrument then these games are not and should never be your main source of tuition.

However together with lessons from a teacher these games can provide invaluable assistance. They certainly shouldn’t be written off as having no educational value.

For example if learning guitar you can learn the form and structure of a song through playing the game, then go and learn the correct chords and riffs from a teacher.

The drum beats which are in the Rock Band game are fairly close to real drum patterns, however the layout of the drum kit isn’t quite the same as a real one.

Learning piano with one of the Piano learning tools such as Piano Wizard can also be helpful. In this game you can play the notes on the screen in real time on a proper electric piano which is hooked up to the computer via MIDI.

Some things to help you choose a music game:

It is best if you can use a Real Instrument as the controller for the game. With piano this is easy, as you can simply use a MIDI hooked up keyboard, however its much more difficult (and expensive!) with guitar and drum based games.

Look for games where the song structure, chords and keys are as close as possible to the original songs as possible. You may need to ask a teacher or other music professional to check your game songs and see if they are completely correct before using them

As we are at the forefront of this technology it won’t be long before there are games which have a lot of educational worth and value, with real instruments being used as the game controllers.

What are the critical aspects that something like this an educational activity, and something that would make teachers and parents spend our dollars, time and energy on it?

In our area of music education there are lots of educational music games: Some of the music games which are available today are nothing more than an evolution of the toy guitar that you’d give a toddler to play with. Some are almost like playing a real instrument, with real instrument sizes and materials used.

Where do we draw the line? Most music teachers have a differing opinion on this issue. Most teachers probably won’t be spending much money on music games, they’ll be teaching just like they always have. However there is real educational value in some aspects of the game.

This is the question we need to ask before engaging in any game activity: ”What does this game show or teach me (or my students or children) that I previously did not know?”

Learning something is the process of taking something which is unknown and making it known. That’s as simple as it is. Are you making anything known that wasn’t already when you are playing that computer game? If you are simply playing one level of one game over and over again nothing will happen except that you’ll be good at that one thing. You’ll really know that one thing, but nothing else.

The music game can be a great educational experience if you constantly introduce new songs and use the game as a vehicle to move forward with your skills.

Music game developers should consult instrument specialists when building games about specific instruments, so that playing the game does not negatively impact students technique when playing the real thing. Most do, but as usual when there is a big market there will always be cheap imitations who cut down the price and also cut down the educational value by not investing in this quality researched advice.

If you always ask this question: What is this game teaching me that I previously didn’t know? Then you’ll find that time spent on games will always help… besides being great fun!

What are the critical aspects that make a game educational, and something that would make us as teachers and parents spend our dollars, time and energy on it?

In our niche of music there are many games: Some of the music games which are available today are nothing more than an evolution of the toy guitar that you’d give a toddler to play with. There are a few that are far more advanced, and are almost close to playing a real instrument.

So what is educational when it comes to games? Music teachers are definitely split on this issue. Most I know still teach the same way they always have, and probably won’t be spending money on too many games. Some aspects of the games however do deserve our attention, as there is some real educational worth there

This is the question we need to ask before engaging in any game activity: ”What does this game show or teach me (or my students or children) that I previously did not know?”

When you learn something you take something which you didn’t know before and make it known. it really is that simple Are you making anything known that wasn’t already when you are playing that computer game? If all you are doing is playing one game over and over again you won’t achieve anything but being good at that level.

The music game can be a great educational experience if you constantly introduce new songs and use the educational music games as a vehicle to move forward with your skills.

Music game developers should consult instrument specialists when building games about specific instruments, so that playing the game does not negatively impact students technique when playing the real thing. Most do, but as usual when there is a big market there will always be cheap imitations who cut down the price and also cut down the educational value by not investing in this quality researched advice.

If you always ask this question: What is this game teaching me that I previously didn’t know? Then you’ll find that besides being very enjoyable that time spent on music games will actually build musical skills.