Rhythm Workers: A music-based serious game for training rhythm skills

Type: journal article

Authors: Valentin Bégel, Antoine Seilles, Simone Dalla Bella

Abstract
Rhythm perception and production can be disrupted by neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, dyslexia). Rhythm deficits are associated with poor performance in language, attention, and working memory tasks. Re-training rhythmic skills may thus provide a promising avenue for improving these associated cognitive functions. To this end, here we present a new protocol for selective training of rhythmic skills implemented in a tablet serious game called Rhythm Workers. Experiment 1 served to select 54 musical excerpts based on the tapping performance of 18 nonmusicians who moved to the beat of music. The excerpts were sorted in terms of the difficulty of tracking their beat, and assigned to different difficulty levels in the game. In Experiment 2, the training protocol was devised and tested in a proofof-concept study, including two versions of the game. One version (tapping version) required a synchronized motor response (via tapping), while the other (perception version) asked for a perceptual judgment. Ten participants were trained with one version and 10 with the other version of Rhythm Workers, for 2 weeks. A control group (n ¼ 10) did not receive any training. Participants in the experimental groups showed high compliance and motivation in playing the game. The effect of the training on rhythm skills yielded encouraging results with both versions of the game. Rhythm Workers thus appears to be a motivating and potentially efficient way to train rhythmic abilities in healthy young adults, with possible applications for (re)training these skills in individuals with rhythm disorders.

URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2059204318794369

Associated tags
metadata ▸ material ▸ Rhythm Workers
metadata ▸ contribution ▸ Evaluation
metadata ▸ year ▸ 2018
technological dimension ▸ applications ▸ Mobile computing
technological dimension ▸ input technologies ▸ Mobiles
technological dimension ▸ system outputs ▸ Visual
musical dimension ▸ activities ▸ Performing
pedagogical dimension ▸ learning theories ▸ Behaviourism
pedagogical dimension ▸ users ▸ Adults M and NM
pedagogical dimension ▸ venues ▸ Classroom