Developing a Learning-by-Ear Five-Step Process as part of Game-Based Multisensory Learning Approaches in Group Piano Teaching in Higher Education

Multisensory learning means learning through more than one sense. In Western classical music training, learning by sight with the use of musical scores has been the primary teaching and learning method. This is especially true in Higher Education, which includes universities in Malaysia. Even though learning by ear (and by touch) has long been a tradition in many cultures, including among jazz musicians, learning by ear is not generally part of the classical music curriculum in Higher Education in Malaysia, which can cause students to rely too heavily on scores. This can in turn stifle their critical thinking and active listening skills. As part of the effort in coming up with a gamified interactive piano lab that explores multisensory learning, particularly learning by ear and by touch/feel, the lead researcher has developed a “learning by ear” game activity in her group piano class, which is a five-step process. Through this process, many students were challenged to approach music learning in a different way. However, it is believed that this challenge enabled them to make more cognitive connections in their learning, in which the new concepts and skills learnt became more retainable, while it strengthened their independent learning, creative thinking and communication skills. It was also observed that the class dynamic became livelier with the competitive game-based learning sessions.