The Crafter’s Ear: Evaluating an Aural Theory Simulation in Minecraft

Abstract

While music educators throughout history have sought to develop effective training methods for their students, little innovation has been developed beyond “drill and practice” methods for aural music theory skills. In order to “show” what the musician already aurally perceives, a virtual simulation was developed for music educators to use with their 10- to 13-year-old beginning music students. The sandbox game Minecraft was chosen as the platform due to its ability to construct “redstone-powered,” musical note blocks. “Primitives” (single or multi-part objects) were provided for pitch identification and use as a template for constructing personal, interactive aural theory aids not dependent upon formal music notation or playing/singing ability. This usability study sought to evaluate the navigation and effectiveness of virtual content design and user satisfaction of the aural music theory simulation. Three iterations were conducted with thirteen participants. in the form of a PDF were also requested. This study discusses virtual world usability methods, evaluation instruments, participant data, design implications in a 3D-Virtual World (3D-VW) environment, simulation modifications, and platform preferences. The Crafter’s Ear tells a story of successful and unsuccessful adaptations of a 3D-VW usability study. Data supports the simulation’s potential as well as need for re-evaluation of the primary platform used for development. The researcher anticipates the results of this study will support a growing need to identify and improve upon best practices for 3D-VW simulation usability studies in the future.