Impression-oriented music courseware and its application in elementary schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the design and implementation of music courseware that features a music search system that uses impression keywords. The paper applies the courseware to Kansei (sensibility) development for elementary and junior high school students. The objectives of this courseware are to cultivate children's sensitivity to the mood of a music selection; an understanding of the effects of tonality on the mood of the music; and) an ability to appreciate and express music through activities such as searching, selecting, and listening while also utilizing information about musical impression. The courseware is also designed to support teachers who do not specialize in music education. Design/methodology/approach – Music courseware is designed containing the following three components: a semantic associative search engine that enables the retrieval of media data related to impression keywords selected by users; interfaces and tools for music retrieval and learning, which support users as they study the mood of the music in an easy-to-understand format using basic music teaching scenarios; and basic music teaching scenarios that are designed and created by elementary school teachers to encourage student understandings of the tonality and mood of the music in a practical manner. Findings – The results of several qualitative and quantitative experiments show that this courseware assists children in independently learning musical elements by feeling, understanding, and expressing music impressions using words from the courseware that are extracted automatically from musical elements, such as key, rhythm, tempo, pitch, melody, and harmony. Research limitations/implications – Additional applications in various elementary and junior high school settings are needed to address a variety of practical, real-life teaching scenarios. Social implications This courseware have the potential to support enrichment programs not only in ordinary schools but also in a wide range of non-educational settings, such as welfare care, disability care, and cross-cultural communication. Originality/value – The main feature of this courseware is its multimedia database technology, which applies Kansei to music education, thereby enabling students to understand the mood and structure of music based on their own subjective impressions using an objective framework.