Computação ubíqua para apoiar a educação musical: explorações com Tapetes Musicais Inteligentes

Abstract

The learning of music is usually associated with the knowledge of musical discourse through the use of traditional instruments or of singing. However, the learning of a musical instrument is associated with hours of practice for the technical improvement and the musical evolution of the student, leaving out of this process many people who are interested in it, but cannot dedicate themselves so much to it. This process involves a great effort due to the physical characteristics of each instrument and their particular way of generating sound. With new computer technologies that are a product of the third era of computing, such as ubiquitous computing, other means of sound production have presented themselves to music students and music teachers. This article describes an investigation of the use of ubiquitous computing within the context of an elementary school classroom with the intention of promoting the learning and experiencing of musical concepts. In an exploratory case study, the environment of two municipal schools in Rio de Janeiro was turned into a sound laboratory, whose sounds were activated through physical contacts with which students were already familiar, such as clapping. With this, the schoolroom becomes a collective and physical musical instrument, lessening the technical barriers that are necessary to musical execution and helping students develop music literacy in the musical discourse.