Introduction
After conducting preliminary observations and ideation in Milestone 1, we decided to focus our project scope on investigating how musicians utilize tools and spaces in practice and performance. We are primarily targeting musicians at an advanced level of their career: music majors, music faculty, and professional, practicing musicians. Our initial concepts explored smart clothing, a collaborative instrument, and a smart music stand.
The preliminary observations helped us select our target audience. However, we brainstormed the initial concepts without much information about our users. With this study, we aim to get a better understanding our users, their background, their choices, and their vision for the future of music.
Through this study, we wish to answer these overarching questions:
The preliminary observations helped us select our target audience. However, we brainstormed the initial concepts without much information about our users. With this study, we aim to get a better understanding our users, their background, their choices, and their vision for the future of music.
Through this study, we wish to answer these overarching questions:
- What are musicians’ attitudes towards technical innovation of musical instruments, clothing, and spaces?
- In what ways can we help musicians through technology?
Study Design
We started our study design process by individually brainstorming research questions based on our findings from Milestone 1, and identifying the most relevant and effective research methods to answer these questions. After discussing our ideas as a group, we agreed that a cultural probe into the attitudes, habits, and behaviors of music majors at U-M would provide us with insights and answers to our overarching questions. Additionally, we also wanted to add breadth in our research design. So we decided to conduct two interviews in order to get opinions of an expert on music technology and someone who is a practiced musician, but may not be enrolled in a music school.
Cultural Probe
We selected 5 activities from a pool of prompts we came up with during brainstorming, and designed sketchbooks for our 3 participants. Around the same time, one of the team members approached students from the School of Music, Theater, and Dance, that she was acquainted with, gave them an overview of the study, and asked them if they would like to participate. We sent out formal emails to those who agreed, asking for their confirmation, explaining the study in more detail, and asking their availability to hand over the probe sketchbook.
The probe asked the participant to complete 5 different activities over a period of 5 days.
The participants started the probe activities on Wednesday, and completed them by Sunday. These activities involved sketching, taking photos, exploring Pinterest, and writing down their thoughts. They were designed to have a low barrier to action, and required no more than 15 minutes a day on their own schedule.
Cultural Probe
We selected 5 activities from a pool of prompts we came up with during brainstorming, and designed sketchbooks for our 3 participants. Around the same time, one of the team members approached students from the School of Music, Theater, and Dance, that she was acquainted with, gave them an overview of the study, and asked them if they would like to participate. We sent out formal emails to those who agreed, asking for their confirmation, explaining the study in more detail, and asking their availability to hand over the probe sketchbook.
The probe asked the participant to complete 5 different activities over a period of 5 days.
- 10 things important to you as a musician (places, clothes, instruments, etc.)
- Instrument of the future: imagine, sketch & describe your vision of a futuristic instrument that you wish you had now
- Clothes of the future: Given unlimited budget and resources, how would you design clothes for your performance that will help you enhance the expression of your music?
- Room of the future: Imagine, sketch & describe your ideal practice rooms, and/or performance spaces
- Share past or new recordings of your practice sessions and performances on Google Drive or MBox
The participants started the probe activities on Wednesday, and completed them by Sunday. These activities involved sketching, taking photos, exploring Pinterest, and writing down their thoughts. They were designed to have a low barrier to action, and required no more than 15 minutes a day on their own schedule.
On Monday, we collected the 3 diaries, conducted follow-up interviews, and sent out a short questionnaire to get specific information like demographics, their instruments, the number of hours they practiced and performed every 3 days, and where did they practice and perform.
In-depth interviews
Since both interview participants had very different background, we approached each of them with distinct overarching questions and interview protocols.
For Prof. Wakefield, the music technology expert, our overarching questions were:
- How can music technologies influence musician behavior?
- What opportunities/constraints exist in that space, and which have been over-explored/under-explored?
- What are the attitudes of musicians towards technical innovation in musical instruments, clothing, and spaces?
- What motivates them to practice and play music?
Study Results
Analysis
We selected relevant statements from the notes and transcriptions of both interviews, and made a digital affinity wall using a tool called Realtime Board. It allowed us to load the statements in bulk and work on the affinity mapping exercise remotely and on our own schedule.
We selected relevant statements from the notes and transcriptions of both interviews, and made a digital affinity wall using a tool called Realtime Board. It allowed us to load the statements in bulk and work on the affinity mapping exercise remotely and on our own schedule.
After collecting the probe sketchbooks from the study participants, we looked at each sketchbook as a group, extracted interesting observations and points from each activity, and organized them on a whiteboard based on each activity to get a map of the study.
We “starred” observations that occurred multiple times, and these led to discussions about each participant’s post-study interview responses. We also looked at the practice/performance videos sent by the participants, shared our thoughts on them, and compiled them into notes. The discussion about classical musicians having traditions, rituals, and being conservative, sparked an impromptu research on YouTube, and discussion about performance augmentation and music synthesis.
We also walked the affinity wall, discussed interesting quotes, and how these insights relate to those from the probes. We then assimilated our insights from the affinity wall, probe sketchbooks and the YouTube observation into a document. This led to key insights about the following areas:
- What is important to our audience?
- What are some components of an ideal practice room, performance clothing, and instruments?
- What are the different representations of a performance?
- What has already been explored in music technology and what are some interesting possibilities in that space?
Key Insights
“Classical music is derived from the palace, it is meant to be serious.”
— Student Interviewee
“My perfect futuristic instrument is actually just a trumpet, but one that is perfectly in tune, and is somehow easy for everyone to play”
— a probe participant
“(Due to technology,) Instruments today are more immediately playable: Musicians don’t have to learn an instruments ‘wrinkles’”
— Prof. Wakefield
“An example of new instruments research is the Korg KARMA music workstation - It is a cheaper way to create music. But, it doesn’t make it more playable.”
— Prof. Wakefield
— a probe participant
“You don’t want to mess with education that has been refined over one thousand years”
— Prof. Wakefield
“My trumpet teacher is important to me because he helped me so much as a musician and a person”
— a probe participant
“One interesting approach would be to focus on something that plays accompanying instruments, eases my practice”
— Prof. Wakefield
“To finish one performance together, players should be in the same level and they need to be familiar with each other and the piece.”
— Student Interviewee
- Classical musicians are conservative and like traditional ways of doing things. In one of the videos from the probe, we saw a person turning the page of the music notes for the pianist. There exist solutions for page turning, but this additional person is a part of the performance, looking almost like a ritual. Formal clothing is a norm. There are no visual effects, just a stable light from the top spread out on the musicians.
“Classical music is derived from the palace, it is meant to be serious.”
— Student Interviewee
- Participants feel proud of formal concert attire, but it could be more comfortable. Those with wind instruments desired stretchable clothing with a breathable, moisture-wicking material. Males usually wear tuxedos and desired more options. They also want their shoes to make less noise.
- They like their instruments as is, but would like some minor modifications: an instrument that is always perfectly in tune, materials that last longer, instruments controlled by foot pedals, and instruments that are easily playable.
“My perfect futuristic instrument is actually just a trumpet, but one that is perfectly in tune, and is somehow easy for everyone to play”
— a probe participant
“(Due to technology,) Instruments today are more immediately playable: Musicians don’t have to learn an instruments ‘wrinkles’”
— Prof. Wakefield
“An example of new instruments research is the Korg KARMA music workstation - It is a cheaper way to create music. But, it doesn’t make it more playable.”
— Prof. Wakefield
- They need a practice space that is both comfortable and practical. Most practice rooms don’t have windows, and students desire a large window with a view. Prof. Wakefield also mentioned that music is a lot about imaging and setting context, which could explain this desire. Other common aspects of the room were a large shelf space, carpet or hardwood flooring (with shoes that don’t make noise), and a music stand.
— a probe participant
- To use technology in music pedagogy, it has to monitor everything a human teacher would. Otherwise, it can lead to injury or mis-training. A music teacher interrupts a student as soon as they make a mistake. They then work towards fixing that specific issue with the student. For technology to do that, it would need to have sensors with a high sampling rate, understand when is the right time to interrupt a student, and determine how to help the student prevent the issue. It also raises the question of whether students would respect technology that interrupts them.
- Another important aspect of learning how to play music expressively is learning how to develop an internal image and set context. Often, performance pieces convey a story, and emotional expression is a big part of telling that story. Even if a piece is technically perfect, it might not evoke the same feelings in the audience and sound underwhelming. It is here that the teacher guides the student into the context of the original composer, sets them in the right mindset, and helps them bring out the emotional aspects of a piece.
“You don’t want to mess with education that has been refined over one thousand years”
— Prof. Wakefield
“My trumpet teacher is important to me because he helped me so much as a musician and a person”
— a probe participant
- Live remote collaboration for musicians is still an unsolved problem. It requires high speed networks, and the latency of such networks depends on location and distance. However, there could be a way to solve the problem of practice and rehearsal.
“One interesting approach would be to focus on something that plays accompanying instruments, eases my practice”
— Prof. Wakefield
- Musicians practice technical parts and emotions of a piece by themselves, and work on coordination and performance in a group. Solo practice requires motivation, discipline and hard work. Group practice requires a high level of coordination, adjustments and repeated practice.
“To finish one performance together, players should be in the same level and they need to be familiar with each other and the piece.”
— Student Interviewee
- Sampled sounds from instruments and environment can be used to create music in interesting ways. We stumbled upon an interesting performance, where a group of musicians used sounds from the feet of the hockey players as part of their live music composition. Another such example is an MTV India show called Sound Trippin. There are many popular artists like Deadmau5 and Andrew Bird, who use sound samples and loops to make music. And, they are known for using light shows to enhance their performance. Michigan Marching Band used lights to great effect in one of their performances.
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Image credits: Performing Arts Technology - University of Michigan, Eli Watson on Flickr (CC BY 2.0), Michigan Marching Band
- Motivation comes from loved ones, and from inside. One of our cultural probe participants put many inspirational quotes about dedication and perseverance in the ten things that are important to her. Another participant mentioned his high school, University of Michigan, and his parents as important things that keep him going. Professional musicians spend a significant part of their time practicing alone, and it takes much intrinsic and external motivation to persevere. Motivation is important for their career and they strive to find different ways of motivating themselves.
“My family and friends are my support group” — a probe participant
Pinterest board of a probe participant
These insights guided our ideation. Compared to milestone 1, our new ideas were grounded in user’s needs and context. It influenced our selection criteria, especially acceptability, non-disruptiveness, learnability, large possibility space, and impact.
We believe our audience would accept tools that are in line with their traditions, their love and respect for their instruments, their comfort with practice spaces, their appreciation for formal clothes, their respect for teachers, and their need for a support structure.
Ideation & Selection
Based on our key insights from the cultural probe and interviews, we individually brainstormed and sketched a total of 14 ideas. Some of our individual ideas were similar, and could be divided into these broad categories:
During our group meeting, we discussed and critiqued each idea, and narrowed down to 3 concepts based on the following criteria:
- Practice room experience
- Motivation
- Enhancing solo practice and performance
- Using mundane sounds for creating music
During our group meeting, we discussed and critiqued each idea, and narrowed down to 3 concepts based on the following criteria:
- Acceptability
- Is it intrusive to use?
- Could there be privacy concerns?
- Will musicians be comfortable using the product?
- Impact
- If musicians use this product for a few days, and then it is taken away from them, will they miss using the product?
- Would their ability/productivity diminish without it?
- Usefulness
- Does it fulfill a need or a desire?
- Does it fulfill a need or a desire?
- Non-Disruptiveness
- Will the musicians have to remember to ‘activate’ the product?
- Will they have to be attentive to the product?
- Learnability
- Will the device be easy to learn?
- Will it be immediately usable or will there be a learning period?
- Large Possibility Space
- Does the product offer multiple possibilities with respect to its applications?
- Does the product offer multiple possibilities with respect to its applications?
- Plausibility
- Is it technologically plausible?
- Can the product work at different scales of population?
Refined Scope & Concepts
The original scope of our project was to develop tools that will engage the community of music performers and their audience. However, based on this study’s key findings, we have decided to change our scope to supporting, enhancing, and engaging the musicians and their support network. Our 3 concepts are intended to help a musician in different aspects of their lives: composing rich musical scores by themselves, quantifying their habits related to music, and bringing them the presence of their support structure when in need of motivation. We think our concepts will still apply to the broader music community, even though our research participants have been students of classical music.
Concept 1: Looping Mat
A hexagon mat that allows people to record, loop, and edit sound snippets.
Concept 1: Looping Mat
A hexagon mat that allows people to record, loop, and edit sound snippets.
In our cultural probe, two out of three musicians described their ideal future instrument as a combination of two instruments. Musicians who usually play a solo instrument have the desire to make more complicated music, but they are not always able to find other people to practice or create with. Musicians in our study also indicated that they want carpets that can absorb unwanted sound in their ideal practice room, or shoes that do not make any sound. Combining these two insights, we created a looping device controlled by feet, and it is also a nice rug when not activated.
The looping mat is ideal for most musical instruments that do not involve feet initially. With foot motions such as tapping and sliding, musicians can record sound snippets, replay them, arrange them, and adjust volumes and tones. It enables an individual musician to create a “one-person ensemble” in practice or performance time without setting up a complicated set of live looping equipments. It can also be used by small bands to explore more complicated music combinations.
When set up in public spaces such as practice rooms, people can share the loops they create and get inspired. They can also use other’s music as their accompanying music, when they cannot find anyone to play music with, with more control than currently available.
- Acceptability: High (In a familiar form)
- Impact: High
- Usefulness: High (Enables live looping)
- Non Disruptive: High (Can serve as a regular rug and only takes up space on the floor)
- Learnability: Medium (Need to design the interface in a way that is easy to learn)
- Large possibility space: High (Various possible ways of using it with multiple people involved)
- Plausibility: Medium (Need to make sure the material is soft and durable)
Concept 2: Fitbit for Instrument
From the interview with the professor, we learned that music students can easily over practice which may cause injuries and other bad effects. We also noticed that students need motivation to stimulate themselves, so we come up with this idea to combine motivation and auto-detection.
It can be seen as a fitbit for instrument. By measuring things like movement, heat, volume, the device will be able to tell the whole practicing time, intervals, etc. Once the device detects an over practice, it will suggest a rest. It won’t interrupt while the player is still practicing, but giving feedback at the next interval. With more data collected, this device can compare a current practice with that player’s previous practice pattern, which leads to a more customized feedback. We also think of adding personality to the “fitbit” to give encouragement when students are practicing alone.
The physical form of the device functions as a sticker which enables easy attachment to any instrument. Many music students play more than one instrument, so this function facilitates a comprehensive understanding of their practice activities.
- Acceptability: High
- Impact: High
- Usefulness: High (Prevent potential injury and provide motivation)
- Non Disruptive: High (It will only give feedback during break)
- Learnability: High (No extra learning needed)
- Large possibility space: Medium (The basic function is fixed but we can add AI feature)
- Plausibility: Medium (Precise motion detection can be challenging)
Concept 3: The C-Shell Social Network
Musicians spend a significant amount of their practice time alone, yet our probe participants frequently mentioned how much they value their family, friends, and music teachers as a support network and source of motivation. The C-Shell is a compact device that is connected to a broader network of Shells belonging to members of the user’s ensembles, the user’s music teachers, and musicians the user admires.
The Shell features no screen- just a small camera, microphone, and speaker. When members of the user’s network are practicing or performing, the shell will emit a warm glow. When the user holds the shell up to their ear, they can hear short audio “stories” of their friends’ practice and performance sessions that disappear after 24 hours or so. They can hold the Shell’s camera up to a piece of music they are practicing to filter stories about that piece of music. The user can tap the shell to start recording their own story and share it with their network. The device can be used as a stand-alone product, or attached to a pair of headphones and worn around.
- Acceptability: High
- Impact: High
- Usefulness: Medium (Depends on user’s willingness to engage, as well as perception of others in their network)
- Non Disruptive: Medium (It could cause the user to procrastinate during practice)
- Learnability: High (Relatively few features)
- Large possibility space: High (Users can determine how expressive they wish to be)
- Plausibility: High (The platform can be modeled after existing visual platforms and modified to fit these use cases)
Conclusion
This study helped us to come up with concepts that are based on our user’s needs and desires. These ideas are much more grounded in terms of acceptability, scope and impact. We also learned a lot from Prof. Wakefield about music technology, its feasibility, and the need to shift focus from impressive technology in music, to music and how technology can support it.
Our concepts need to be further elaborated by considering user scenarios. We also need to think of how to prototype and test the concepts for acceptability and impact on our audience.
Our concepts need to be further elaborated by considering user scenarios. We also need to think of how to prototype and test the concepts for acceptability and impact on our audience.
