Demonstration of pitch training system at the Key Issues in Sensory Augmentation Workshop (March 2009). Photo by Ron Chrisley.

Demonstration of pitch training system at the Key Issues in Sensory Augmentation Workshop (March 2009). Photo by Ron Chrisley.

3 Year PhD Studentship: Developing Technologies to Improve Musicians' Posture using Multimodal Feedback

A fully funded 3 year PhD studentship in Music Computing is available in the Faculty of Mathematics, Computing and Technology, Open University, to develop novel technologies to increase children’s awareness of their body posture when they are learning to play stringed instruments and when singing. Initial studies will use motion capture technology to track bowing actions and investigate how visual and vibrotactile feedback can be used to improve technique. More generally, the project aims to develop engaging and playful tools that will motivate children to practise regularly.

The successful applicant will receive a stipend of £13,290 per annum and have their tuition fees fully paid by the Open University.

We encourage prospective candidates to informally discuss their interest with Dr Janet van der Linden, Professor Yvonne Rogers or Dr Jon Bird.

Requirements

Applicants should have, or expect to gain, a BSc (1st or 2.1 class) or preferably an MSc in computing or other related discipline. Formal musical training is not required, but applicants should have musical skills and experience of playing an instrument. The research is interdisciplinary and experience or interest in any of the following areas would be advantageous: motion capture technology; physical computing; interaction design; games programming; and music education.

Applying

Applications should comprise an application form, C.V. and a two-page proposal outlining how you would tackle this project; quote as reference "Developing Technologies to Improve Musicians' Posture using Multimodal Feedback". They should be submitted by email or by post to:

Research School
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
UK

Important Dates

The closing date for applications is 26 June 2009. Interviews will be held mid July (please notify us of any dates when you will not be available for interview). The studentship will commence in October 2009.

Research Background

Many people find it difficult to maintain good posture, resulting in problems such as back and neck pain. As well as affecting individuals' health and sense of well-being, there are significant economic consequences:

“Back pain is the most common reason for the filing of workers' compensation claims in the United States. It accounts for about one fourth of all claims and one third of total compensation costs. Back pain, which results in about 40% of absences from work, is second to only the common cold as the most frequent cause for sick leave. In 1990, estimates of the cost of back pain in the United States ranged from $50 billion to $ 100 billion.” (Guo et al, 1999, p.1029) .

As part of the e-sense project, the goal of the research studentship is to develop sensory augmentation devices that provide people with visual and tactile feedback about their posture and body movements. In particular, the PhD student will investigate how these technologies can help primary school children become more aware of their posture and body movements during musical activities, such as singing and playing the violin and cello.

Learning Musical Skills

Only by practising regularly can novice musicians expect to become expert performers. Children starting on the violin or cello, maybe as young as 5 or 6 years old, need to develop a myriad of new skills, such as:

  1. reading music notation;
  2. developing finger dexterity;
  3. listening to music and distinguishing between different notes;
  4. learning how to hold their instrument;
  5. and good bowing technique.

Current research in the e-sense project is addressing the challenge of learning the third skill by devleoping systems to help children learn pitch discrimination (van der Linden and Bird, 2009). The PhD research will develop tools to help novice violin and cello players learn the fourth and fifth skills.

Novice violin players in particular have difficulties holding their instrument correctly, which can result in both poor playing technique and physical discomfort. Correct bowing is a complex, dynamic movment and involves learning how to apply an even pressure on the bow across its whole length while keeping it at right angles to the bridge.

Multimodal feedback

Current research in the e-sense project is exploring the utility of visual and vibrotactile feedback for guiding action (Bird, Marshall, Rogers, 2009). The PhD student will investigate:

  1. the effectiveness of visual feedback as scaffolding that enables users to learn to interpret vibrotactile feedback;
  2. cognitive overload issues, in particular, whether certain sensory modalities are distracting when playing instruments or singing.

References

Bird, J., Marshall, P. and Rogers, Y. (2009) Low-Fi Skin Vision: A Case Study in Rapid Prototyping a Sensory Substitution System. Proceedings of HCI, forthcoming.

Guo, H. R., Tanaka, S., Halperin, W. E. and Cameron, L. L. (1999) Back pain prevalence in US industry and estimates of lost workdays. American Journal of Public Health. 89(7): 1029–1035.

van der Linden, J. , Bird, J. and Bingham, S. (2009) Perfecting Pitch by Learning to Listen: Developing Tools to Help Novice Violin and Cello Players. Creativity and Cognition 2009. Submitted.