STAFFED:
THE MUSIC HISTORY VIDEO GAME
Introduction: Big Picture Thinking
When faced with a problem, society often works within the confines of structures already in place to create a solution. While this method of resolution usually seems like the practical route to alleviating the woes of a problem, it does not always yield the best case results. Often, this method of problem solving results in a bandage solution to a bullet hole problem. As music history pedagogy emerged as a field of study in recent decades, existing problems in music history curriculums entered discussion about how to teach music history in higher education. These discussions address a plethora of problems regarding the current structures and methods for teaching music history. Many music history pedagogy scholars publish journal articles about proposed methods, with lots of focus placed on solving a single, specific problem within the field. Acknowledging the importance of solving specific problems individually, and collectively solving all the problems, this website presents an alternative solution which could solve many of the issues in teaching music history today, all at once.
What's in this website:
This website proposes the development of a teaching tool, a music history video game, that will up root the way music history is presented to students in higher education. To explore the value of such a learning tool, this site identifies the leading problems with current music history pedagogical strategies by citing articles from current scholars in this field. With these pedagogical issues outlined, this website flips the issues into what solutions should look like. From these “solutions,” this website then describes what the best case scenario classroom and music history learning experience looks like, independent of what currently exists. By imagining what the music history classroom should look like, as opposed to dwelling on what it currently looks like and what could be changed within the structure, this website explains why a music history video game is the best learning tool to support the best imagined classroom. For the finale, this website describes the structure of the hypothetical music history video game and discusses how this learning tool would support the reimagined music history learning experience.
Website Outline:
Home page (this page) - Introduction: Big Picture Thinking
Section 1: Current Pedagogical Challenges and Solutions
Section2: Solutions Turned Into Reimagined Classroom
Section 3: How a Music History Video Game Solves Pedagogical Challenges
Section 4: “STAFFED: The Music History Video Game” And What It Looks Like