Last academic year, Music Education Solutions was pleased to have been commissioned by Melsonic as independent researchers for a nationwide study on how technology can be used to support practice and accelerate progress in instrumental learning.
Initially limited to guitar teachers, the project has now expanded, and we are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for Bass Guitar, Violin, Piano, Ukulele and Keyboards teachers to get involved alongside their guitar teaching colleagues!
We are now accepting expressions of interest from schools, music services, and music hubs who wish to join the trial. Read on to find out what is involved!
What is Melsonic?
Melsonic is an AI support tool designed to complement traditional music teaching. Through Melsonic, teachers can provide their students with a simple interactive digital player to practise with at home. Students can practise with notation, audio, and a built-in metronome, and features like tempo control, looping, record and playback help students practice difficult sections at their own pace. The player is easy and fun to use, encouraging students to practise more often, and practice is automatically tracked for the teacher’s records. Find out more here.
What are we hoping to find out?
The main area of investigation is around rate of practice and its effect on the rate of progress. We want to find out if the use of Melsonic encourages your pupils to practise more regularly and what effect that has on the pace at which they achieve their learning goals.
We also want to find out whether the use of Melsonic makes teachers feel more supported and confident in their teaching, whether it saves them preparation time, and whether it complements the way they usually teach.
Finally, we are hoping to find out whether the use of Melsonic makes students more confident and enjoy their learning more.
What are we are looking for?
We are looking for music hubs, music services, or schools who offer guitar, bass guitar, violin, piano, ukulele or keyboards in 1-2-1 or small group settings to be involved in trialling Melsonic with their own pupils.
The teachers participating in the research will attend an initial meeting, either via Zoom or in person, and two further short meetings at the middle and end of the project. Over a 10 week period they will trial Melsonic with their instrumental pupils in their normal lesson time. They will complete two short online surveys detailing their experience, and collect a small amount of (anonymised) pupil feedback.
The start date for the project is flexible to suit each individual organisation’s requirements, with the earliest possible start date being September 2026.
How can you get involved?
Contact us here to express an interest and request further details.