Musical Sims The Sims: Music Ed. Style

The Problem with Educational Music Software Today Too academic Students don’t have a real motivation to succeed No interaction between students

Solution Make Music Education a game When they are having fun, students will absorb more of the material presented to them. Try to gear the entertainment aspect to an older student.

What is “the Sims”? The Sims is a highly interactive computer game Users control all aspects of the lives of one household of people Sims go through their lives, working at jobs, making money and interacting with other Sims.

More about the sims There are 6 different skills, which the Sims can work on to improve their careers: cooking, mechanic, logic, creativity, charisma, and body. Sims work at various activities to raise these skill levels. e.g..: playing chess to increase logic

What about the music? In a similar environment, students could control one Sim on a path towards musical success. Their career path could move from “alternate in the local community” symphony to “internationally renowned soloist”

The “Catch” Instead of just telling their Sims to “study music”, students would do work relating to music theory, music history and ear training. These activities could be exercises similar to those offered in Practica Musica.

What about the Fun? Students could compete against their classmates for jobs and pay raises in a large computer-networked setting. They could form relationships and help each other advance or compete to crush all opposition.

Other Incomplete details As the Sims have meters to describe and activities to alter their emotional state so too could these Musical Sims. An idea particularly interesting would be monitoring their self esteem, which could range from depressed to ego maniac (just think of conductors)

Limitations Need a school that would be willing to devote some kind of “study” time and computer lab time for this activity. (Unless students could play at home as well) As it is now there is hardly enough detail to comprise an entire game or even some kind of educational Sims Expansion Pack.

Maybe someday??