At each school Wii Music has been incorporated into the lesson plan by the teacher and at the end of the trial teachers and pupils will feedback on how useful and engaging they found Wii Music as part of the learning process.
Ian Tait, head of music, Banovallum School says: "I'm trialling Wii Music with our year 7 and year 8 pupils - principally as a starter activity. Their initial response has been extremely positive. The pupils associate the Wii with having fun, so if that can be combined with the learning process, we have a great means of engagement. I've also found that incorporating Wii Music into lessons can be a useful way to encourage students that are disinterested in music to be more responsive and interactive in their music lessons. I'm always keen to ensure pupils have the opportunity to learn in a way that allows them to enjoy lessons whilst absorbing information - Wii Music could be a tool that supports this process in future."
The concept behind Wii Music - expression, creativity and learning through playing music - is similar to Musical Futures innovative outlook to music education. The Musical Futures approach doesn't use notation and encourages students to play music they already know. It also encourages pupils to express themselves by welcoming the use of technology (such as the internet) in teaching techniques.
Abigail D'Amore, Musical Futures national coordinator says: "Musical Futures is always looking for ways to enhance our teaching and learning approach and is fascinated to see the results of the Wii Music pilot scheme. We're hopeful that Wii Music will provide teachers with an additional way to get pupils exploring music through technology and developing their students' interest in what is often an over-looked subject in schools."
The results of the Wii Music trial will be available this autumn.
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