Lets Jam: How Guitar Hero's Music Composition Tools Are Changing Music Education

Ann Clements · Thomas Cody · Chris Stubbs

Wed., June 10, 5:00–7:00, Great Hall (4th floor, Central)

The latest generation of music games have garnered substantial attention, both for their commercial success and for their potential to inspire young musicians. But despite their many virtues, games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have historically been limited in their educational potential because of their reliance on developer selected content. However, with the release of Guitar Hero World Tour and its Music Studio tool, this critical shortcoming has been removed, as players can now compose their own music in game. Not only has this new tool given aspiring musicians the opportunity to create and share original music with the Guitar Hero Community, but it has also dramatically increased the game's potential as an instrument of learning.

In this presentation, we will discuss how Penn State's School is Music is using Guitar Hero World Tour and its compositional tools to reinforce and supplement the learning associated with traditional undergraduate music education. We will also discuss how the marriage in-game music creation and classroom instruction can facilitate and inspire the transition from "gamer" to "musician" in students of all ages. In addition, we'll be covering some of the limitations of composition in the Guitar Hero environment, future areas for exploration and research, and the overall potential impact of in game composition on music education.