Rockheim

Two weeks ago we went to Rockheim, our partner in crime for this project, to explore the exhibition-areas and a guided tour of the museum. The museum mainly focuses on norwegian  rock music through the ages, but they have exhibitions that promote other genres as well. The museum has some very creative uses for technology in their exibits, using everything from physical sliders, to RFID and proximity sensors. We’ve gained insight in what is possible to implement as a part of the museum exhibit, and what has already been done. A lot of the exhibits focus on music from a historical perspective, and recreate atmospheres that were part of the experience of music through the years. Still, it’s not hard to imagine an educational music exhibit as a part of the museum, which is a motivational fact! The same goes for our visit to Vitensenteret last week. They have a lot of cool, technical models, most of which are interactive and educational, at least to some extent. The visit to Vitensenteret was really engaging, and we got a feel for the value of interactible and cooperative exhibits.n  We’re looking forward to an exciting project!

Idegenerering

To begin with we were somewhat hesitant, as to what we wanted to achieve; did we want to teach youth how music worked from a physical point of view, teach the history of music, music theory (such as rhythms, melody and harmony), or let let the user compose his/her own music. We started with a wide range of ideas, such as:

• Building blocks: A construction that visually shows the “building” of music. This could also communicate the music as a interpretation of art.
• Fountain: A waterfall, where the tones played pause the waterstream.
• World map: A world map, giving the user the chance to play music typical of the geographical area selected. Could also change one song to adapt it to different musical expressions.
• Mixing table with a huge lever.
• Changing of genre: Same music plays in different genres.
• Learning a music instrument in a novel way.

Idea

After a lot of thought, we finally agreed on what idea to focus on.

We decided that we wanted to focus on how compositions are made up of elements such as rhythm, bass and melody, and how different variations of these elements affect the end result.

The user will gain insight into how the sounds are built up. We want the product to give the user a deeper understanding of how rhythm, bass and melody affect the composition of music, as well as an understanding of how different physical properties can describe music. Our prototype will be a table with different controls, possibly inspired by a mixer. Placed on the table, the user will find different blocks (these may vary in material, color or weight) that represent specific sounds. Also, the prototype will have three different rails, each one representing a music composition aspect (rhythm, bass and melody). These rails will be activated each time the user place a block on them. The goal is that users compose their own songs having a wide range of possibilities and understanding how mixing the blocks and changing their position in the rails affects the final result.

To provide the user with feedback on what he/she is doing, and to highlight the interactions he/she is having with the prototype (sliding the blocks up and down in the rails or moving the block from one rail to another), we are considering using light. Therefore, the mixer will look attractive and will persuade the user to keep interacting with it.