The Possibilities for Learner-Centred Musical Development using Modern Mobile Technology

Graham Welch

Presented by Graham Welch, this session looks at the Usability of Music for the Social Inclusion of Children (UMSIC) project which, between September 2008 and August 2011, investigated the use of modern music and mobile technology to promote a greater sense of inclusion for children aged three to 12 years across Europe, especially those who may be in danger of marginalisation. The UMSIC project targeted two main groups of children deemed to be at particularly high risk. These included newly migrant children growing up in bi-cultural contexts and children with moderate learning difficulties (such as attention deficit disorders) [cf UNESCO, 2010]. The intention was to develop music software that could be used easily by children (including those that fell into the two target groups) in a variety of contexts such as at school and at home. Funded as an ICT collaborative project by the European Commission under the Seventh Research Framework Programme [Grant FP7-ICT-2007-2], the UMSIC project brought together a team of musicians, software designers, technologists, engineers, psychologists and educators from across Europe with additional support from Nokia.

One of the main outcomes was JamMo 1.0, a music-making game targeted at children aged between three and 12years. It was released in July 2011 following three years of research, design and development. Two packages, JamMo 3 to 6 and 7 to 12, make use of an extensive library of specially prepared musical materials for singing, composition and sequencing produced by members of the UMSIC team in collaboration with 23 professional instrumentalists and singers in Finland and the UK. In total, partners worked with over 1,400 children, including 345 children across the final year of the project, to assess the effectiveness of the design and its suitability. The assessment protocol included measures of children's social inclusion as well as their music-making. The data provide evidence to suggest that mobile technology has a particular attraction to young children and that it can be a useful tool to promote both musical and social benefits.

Graham Welch's report on the project is available here.