Web 2.0 with Alert Support for Busy Parents in Suzuki Method of Children Music Teaching

Cheuk-ting CHANDept of Music

HK Baptist Universitychancheukting2002@yahoo.com

Dickson K. W. CHIUSenior Member, IEEE

Dickson Computer Systems, HK

dicksonchiu@ieee.org

Suzuki Method ICWL 2011- 1

Introduction

Suzuki method for children learning musical instruments well received and practised worldwide developed and expanded for various kinds of instruments

Key requirements Parental involvement and learning environment Become obstacle for busy parents in metropolises

Solution: Web 2.0 with Alert Support for Suzuki method Platform

(WASSAP) provides a virtual musical environment for teachers, students,

parents Alert Management System (AMS) to facilitate their

communications Enabling ICT infrastructure: high computing penetration,

high-bandwidth broadband and wireless infrastructure.

Suzuki Method ICWL 2011- 2

Philosophy of Suzuki method

All children have potential to become musical Applying “Mother tongue” method to children’s

music learning. Environment rather than genetics will determine

the success and failure of students.

Suzuki Method ICWL 2011- 3

Careful and sequential planning of curriculum Breaking each new skill into the smallest possible steps

Avoiding dry technical exercises New technical skills and musical concepts

introduced and disguised with the context of familiar musical pieces

Interesting and attractive to the children and their families.

Motivation for learning comes from the desire to learn new pieces in the repertoire.

Curriculum of Suzuki Method

Suzuki Method ICWL 2011- 4

Technical concepts of Suzuki method

Begin lessons early Suzuki Triangle: strong partnership among

student, teacher, and parent Daily listening to recordings Learning by ear before reading music notations

Like learning mother-tongue One-point learning - focus on only 1 technique at

a time Individual lessons at each child’s own pace Use group classes to review the materials

presented in the private lesson and to introduce the skill of playing together.

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Parent’s role suggested by Suzuki

To cooperate with the music instructors Give positive encouragement to their children Attend child’s lesson Learn to play the instrument even before the

child understand what the child is expected to do.

Foster the musical environment by attending concerts and playing recordings at home

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Review of the role of parents in children’s music learning in Hong Kong

Observation based on the authors’ experience teaching music in school instrumental tutor conversation with parents.

Little involvement of parents in their children’s learning.

Parents are busy and exhausted with their daily job. Over-relying on household helpers

Education level of parents.

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Specific problems of parent involvement

To cooperate with the music instructors Parents have inadequate knowledge and motivation No time to attend lessons due to long working hours and

trips Give positive encouragement to their children

Seldom – because of Chinese culture Parents don’t know how to appraise their children’s

performance Learn to play the instrument to understand what

the child is expected to do No time, inadequate educational background

Foster the musical environment by attending concerts and playing recordings at home

Not so often, too much other entertainments Short-sighted motivation

Just for greater opportunity to be admitted to a better school

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System Architecture

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ContentDatabase

Application Logic

Alert Management

System

Web / mobileAccess

Ale

rt

XSLT ProcessorWeb Portal

Public ContentServices, e.g.,Youtube, Facebook, …

Triggered Action

Alert Input

Desktop Laptop PDA Mobile

Parents Teachers Students Administrators

Internet

Web 2.0 with Alert Supportfor Suzuki Approach Platform

User & CurriculumDatabase

Content Mgr Curriculum Mgr Event Mgr Session Mgr Forum Mgr Messaging MgrUser Mgr Configuration Mgr …

Main Entities and Relationships

Suzuki Method ICWL 2011- 10

Curriculum Skill Step

1 * 1 *

Media Segment

1*

Student

Parent Teacher

Session

Event

Enrol

Mentor

recording

demoobjective

User ForumMessage

recommend

receive

send

Attachment

1*

Parent Assistance Offered

Communicating and cooperating with music instructors Understand children’s progress and performance in

lessons Forums

event announcement provide assistance

Messaging teacher’s comments starts conversation Response from parents or even children progress monitoring

Increase parental involvement in their children’s learning progress

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Parent Assistance Offered (2)

Increase parental involvement AMS alert the parents of the start of lessons and

other related events Maintain an open, warm, and supportive

atmosphere via messaging for busy parents Video conferencing to support interactions of

remote parents with teaching sessions Recording of the sessions for parents' review. Sharing music media with their children

Teachers share their own recording clips Teachers prescribe media for their daily listening and

practice Facilitate parents to practice music with children at home

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Parent Assistance Offered (3)

Fostering a virtual musical environment Organizing various kinds of events and activities Web activities now often considered as entertainment Share appropriate concert video clips Virtual music competition Discussions among teachers, parents, and older

students enhances the motivation among the children sharing challenges with peers Old students as mentors

Notification of events and important messages can be adequately supported by our AMS

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Conclusions Key to Suzuki’s method:

parental involvement and learning environment Our platform helps busy parents and creates e-

learning environment Contemporary Web 2.0 and ICT facilitates

collaboration:music sharing, recording, messaging, discussions, …

Provides fundamental support for (e-)curriculum design and execution

AMS further helps event notifications Help busy mobile people in learning participation,

overcoming much restrictions of time and space.

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Future Work

Carry out these remedies in our professional practices

Performance evaluation and process improvement Comparative field study Further development of the ontology for clinical

processes. Application of ontology and other social networking

technologies (e.g., reputation system) for this purpose.

Question and Answer

Thank you!Contact: dicksonchiu@ieee.org