[Editor's note: naia-the-gamer composes and teaches music for a living, so who better to tell us if Wii Music actually makes for a good educational tool. -- CTZ]
Wii Music has caused a lot of controversy in recent months. Gamers have been enraged with Nintendo abandoning their audience in favor of what seems like a toy, and journalists have wondered what Nintendo is thinking. Miyamoto put a different perspective on Wii Music when he came to preschools in Japan to show the world of music-making to young children. The children had fun playing the virtual instruments and expressing their creativity.
I was listening to 1Up Yours and they talked about Wii Music’s potential as an educational tool. Given my education background (I’ve taught everyone from pre-schoolers to adults) and my music background, I thought I would give my perspective. I am speaking not as a gamer, but as a music educator and performer. I've played the clarinet for over eighteen years, composing for ten, and teaching for nine. Originally I was going to respond directly to Nick Chester's revelations on Wii Music, but realized quickly my response was going to be long-winded.
I see this working as a great tool for youngsters who need initial exposure to music. Miyamoto proved that endeavor to be successful when he and others from Nintendo went to a preschool in Japan to play with kids. It's great for kids to express creativity, and the game could even open them up to a life of music. Wii Music has great potential at the preschool and kindergarten level. This easy access to improvisation will also help many music teachers achieve their goal of adding improvisation and composition to their curriculum. This is a goal that has been put out by MENC (Music Educators National Conference) as one that all music teachers should strive to have in their curriculums. Typically, this is one of the more difficult goals to implement due to funding issues. There was no such composition or music improvisation training when I was a kid.
However, once the child gets past a certain level, were he/she to apply any of this to playing an actual instrument, it would show where Wii Music is flawed.
I tried it at PAX, because I wanted to see for myself how it worked. I could finally talk about the game and feel like I could back up my statements, right? I tried to play an instrument in their free play mode and found that the game doesn't let you play any of the music "correctly." The game is too mechanical to register things like rhythm, tempo, and so forth in a way that is musical. This is why all the demos we have heard all sound like fifth graders playing in a band, regardless of experience. This isn’t a problem for the youngsters, as many of them have hands too small to handle playing most musical instruments to begin with. But once initial training has started on an instrument and the concepts of expression and musicality are introduced, Wii Music becomes irrelevant.
I understand that Wii Music does allow their users to change dynamics. When I played the clarinet on Wii Music, I could tilt the Wii Remote higher to increase the volume. However, remember that Wii Music only uses general MIDI sounds. There are no samples of instruments either recorded or taken from sample libraries. It’s as archaic as it was in 1998. This will not teach the musician to identify the changes in color that happen when they change dynamics on their instrument. It also will not teach the musician how to control their tone with said dynamics. Once students reach the middle school level, this becomes essential in their training.
Another issue with Wii Music is very apparent when playing with others. Real music isn’t 100% precise. There is some give or take, which adds the human element to music. Wii Music isn’t conducive to that, and being even slightly off will become apparent. This flaw is also obvious with the maestro mini-game, although it may be good for younger students to teach them about keeping a strict beat. Again, music breathes; Wii Music isn’t programmed for that.
What I can see having potential for older students is the Hand Bell Harmony and Pitch Perfect modes. Both modes have the user match pitches played by Wii Music. This is a great way to get students started with ear training, which is particularly useful for brass and string players to find their pitches correctly. Unfortunately, I have yet to try these modes, and after watching the videos, it seems like these modes don’t help people recognize intervals. This is another problem with young brass and string players as they deal with only three valves or strings without a fret board. Once again, there was potential, but limited only to the beginner level.
I applaud Miyamoto for trying to show the potential of this as a tool, as it shows what the game can do. However, one must bear in mind that this potential is limited. Once students have reached a level of musical maturity, Wii Music is no longer relevant. Nintendo’s plan to have this tool be for everyone may be technically true, but older users will be limited to how they can benefit musically. It’s in the right direction, but Wii Music doesn’t completely make it as a music education tool.
Contest:
3:11 PM on 11.08.2008
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I hate to say this, but buy your children real instruments. You are better of buying a child a recorder, because they will learn more from that.
And yes I've "played" Wii Music and I'm very bitter.
Still a nice write up though.
Just not this... Maybe there should be a rule about Dog instruments in a game and the relation to shittyness? :)
It think the Mii Maestro works well enough to translate tempo change and dynamics though. Not to any super technical emotional breadth, I'll agree. But, given a decent instructor to suppliment the experience, this feature could be useful at the beginner level, or at least, to explain the relationship between the conductor and the orchestra. BUt definitely, as a self contained item, there's plenty that isn't covered in real conducting.
I think the greater value in the product is what it goes into with regards to layering parts in 5 or 6 part pieces of music. I've only gotten into the pretty straight forward easy songs, but there's a good chance here to gain a concept of what a certain part does, or how a part can sound different if you switch rhythms or change the density of the part. Granted, I'm not certain Wii Music as a standalone item will really go into like that. But I think that openness is unique, and valuable for a more exploratory approach to being introduced to music.
In addition to that, there's an emphasis on teaching what makes up different style of music. This is doled out by "lessons" wherein the little tutorial guy walks through the recording of the different parts of a song in the focus style, and makes small notes about rhythmic style and dynamic relevance.
About perfect pitch, which I haven't played too far into: so far, it looks like it doesn't get into the naming intervals or identifying *how much* a pitch is higher or lower, as you guess. I don't think actual nomenclature is used anywhere in the app, which could definitely be seen as a negative for its educational value. It does, however, go forth into ordering pitches and some part correction against a piano-roll type representation of a small melodic line.
Tight write up though! I would be interested in knowing what you think of the full package, from both a educational and a musician perspective.
THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE ONE OF THE BEST GAMES FOR DRUNK PEOPLE TO PLAY EVER.
I do really enjoy this game though... almost in a sick way... trying desperately to get something good out of each song :) But it is a game... not an educational tool... it's good for those of us that learned how to read sheet music but can't improvise to save our lives!
It's like any instrument - even the most simple. The curious people will try to ring the most out of it!
I am curious, however, as to whether or not this game could foster an interest in music... I'm not sure what can do this though... People either deem learning an instrument worthwhile or not.
If Guitar Hero is the pretend version of reading sheet music, Wii Music is the pretend version of being in a Jazz outfit. I don't see, however, why it's more silly to do one than the other... :-) Anyway, I love music and I love video games so this game is probably the worst thing that could happen to me.
every reviewer has missed to make this observation:
when a song starts if you press the Minus sign (-) on the wii remote a tiny window pops on screeen showing you when to waggle your arm to make the correct beat to the song.
am i the only one that has discovered this? i'm confused. everyone says there is no way to tell if you're doing it right, or waggling like a moron IS doing it right.
when clearly hitting the MINUS SIGN brings up a window showing you how you COULD be playing the song.
lern2play before you default to hate...
I think it has to do with what you mentioned: the game is just too mechanical. I remember thinking this as I was trying to play the drums along with this guy that was slaughtering the piano.
I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy, so I want to enjoy this game, but my early impressions werent favorable :(
As a person who takes care of his nieces/newphews A LOT and does influence what they play, one trip to the local gamestation with a couple of them had some unexpected results, they fell IN LOVE when they saw it on the t.v running in the store, the promo I mean.
One look at it had them completly amazed by it, and the sounds.
IT IS not an educational tool, but in all honestly, for thier age bracket, it's perfect entertainment.
If NINTY thinks it's an educational tool, thier demented, as a person who deals more with techno and the dance side of music rather than the instrumental side, as you do, Wii music offers NOTHING in the way of actual musical understanding, however as a enterainmet device, it's execution is flawless in the demographic it is trying to appeal to.
Wii music is only a peice of shit to 'older' gamers like me(I'm not sure 19 is really that old, but older as in I'm not a child) and other members of the community.
I just hope we can see the benifit it will give to kids, I know for sure that my 'childeren' will LOVE it, but only as a way of entertaing themselves, the eldest one is a Guitar hero nut, and he thinks that whilst wii music is decent, it pales to comparison to Guitar hero.
Anyways, enough rambling, congrats on the promo to front page!!!! :D
But I still belive that that's not the biggest issue with Wii Music. the problem is that this is Nintendo's big product for the last quarter of the year and it's not even a game.
It's an educational tool for children. Now I think that alienates most of us "gamers", I seriously think that if at E3 Wii Music had been given a less...public debut and if it had been released beside an actual game it wouldn't be receiving the bad rep it's getting.
Good yob, Naia.
I think the music quality is about the same as playing music on an old Casio keyboard but the entertainment value of being able to manipulate the music is well worth the price of admission.
Not exactly a replacement for Guitar Hero or Rockband as Wii Music is an entirely different type of game.
THANK YOU Naia. I was feeling distressed when Guitar Hero and Rock Band became so popular... This is NOT playing an instrument! Being a guitar player, I find myself disgusted at these sorts of games. it teaches you NOTHING about playing music FOR REAL. Honestly if your children and you want to learn how to play music why not try buying yourself a REAL instrument? (which may be comparable to say a Wii and the pricey kits that come with these games?) That way instead of staring at a virtual audience and playing virtual drums and virtual guitar.. you could play REAL guitar and REAL drums. Then you could possibly oh.. I don't know maybe go to an open mic night at a local club? I've played live music in front of people.. and these games are a mockery of a real musician. You can't make a game that emulates what it's like to play live music in front of an audience, and any musician should be able to tell you that.
That's actually one of my biggest problems with almost all modern rhythm games. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Rock Band/Guitar Hero, but there's no room for ad libbing. I would love a game that gave you a framework of what to play, but allowed you to explore outside of it and graded you abstractly; not purely on your precision, but whether what you played worked within the context of the song. That's the next generation of rhythm games in my opinion, not just adding more instruments.
I really wish that people like you would step back, take a deep breath, then just be quiet. No one has EVER said that any of the music rhythm games are somehow going to replace real instruments; however, they most certainly have qualities that make the jump to real instruments much easier. And, yes, I do play several instruments, but I don't have as anal a view of rhythm games as you apparently do.
For guitars, you absolutely must learn proper rhythm. How many times have you seen a kid pick up a toy guitar then just strum with no sense of rhythm at all? I've seen it tons of times. You can't do that in rhythm games. And at least the keys are set up in a way that helps to learn that frets closer to the body of the guitar are for the higher notes.
Hell, no, there is no freaking way the they can teach proper finger positioning, muting of strings, or anything else like that; however, to act like it has no place whatsoever in learning how to play the real thing is somewhat disingenuous. Of course, the REAL indication that it's just a game is the lack of painful and calloused fingers after playing for a few hours.
The drums are definitely going to benefit the most because -- yes -- you are playing drums. No, they don't have Zildjian cymbals or complete drum sets. However, rhythm is an absolute must, you have the learn to use a foot pedal, and you have to strike the right pads at the right time. For someone who has never touched drums before, that kind of coordination can be daunting. Rhythm game drums are probably as close to the real thing as a rhythm game can get, and the design of the GH:WT drum set with raised cymbals raises the bar.
Need I remind you that Alan White of Yes used only a snare and bass drum while recording Owner of a Lonely Heart? The drum set included with Rock Band is more complex than that!
The whole idea is that people get INTERESTED in playing musical instruments. Anyone who thinks that a playing a plastic Stratocaster can then pick up a real one and rock out to Jimi Hendrix is a complete fool. But people like you who dismiss that rhythm games can lead to real instruments or that rhythm games provide no foundation for playing real music is just as much of a fool.
It's clearly never going to capture what it's like to actually play an instrument though.
27 year old gamer here. musical background. rented Wii Music for a week off of gamefly.
this "product" or "toy" (it's not a game) is pretty neat for preschoolers and kindergarteners, maybe even 1st and 2nd graders, but that's it. it lets them play with a variety of instruments, lets them improvise, and introduces some musical concepts in its Lessons mode and Games mode.
problem is, the musical concepts are sometimes a bit too weighty for the target audience. i don't think a lot of kids would understand it all. also, the concepts are often taught with text bubbles that are REALLY text heavy. what kid wants to read text in a pseudo-game? i didn't read much of it, and i'm not even close to being in the target audience.
biggest problem - besides the disconnect between target audience and teachings/methods of teaching - is of course the imprecise Wiimote and nunchuck. in a product that is about playing music, how can you offer your player such an imprecise way of playing that music? far too often notes would register that i didn't play, and notes i tried to play wouldn't register.
and oh god, the MIDI-quality music...
bottom line: get it for your preschoolers to introduce them to music and let them play, improvise. otherwise i wouldn't wish this "game" upon my worst enemy.
I think it's realistic to put games and educational software in the same category, since the goals are often the same -- skill matters. Wii Music rewards you just for picking up the controller. That's useless for education. Failure is an option, and it's meant to be avoided, unless you are seriously interested in dada or something.
Though I will never ever play this game.
Not a useful tool, not a fun toy, not a challenging game - Nintendo's 'Blue Ocean' strategy is working really well.
The building blocks to improv are wonderful scales and modes. Dorian, Mixolydian, Minor Pentatonic, Minor, Major. Playing them backwards and forwards and then playing them in the circle of 4ths and 5ths. It isn't even about hearing intervals for the most part. It's about knowing scales and eventually everything else fills in.
More to come later.
Thanks for the tip!
But anyway, nice article, showing the good & bad about the game. Going to buy it tomorrow.
Thanks to Unicorn for giving some information, that you can't find from the reviews. Another example of why you should read game reviews with a right attitude. There are real people writing them with biased minds. We all have.