Instant Play Skills

Digital skills require rehearsal. Music and multimedia projects can engage participants to invest the time. My patented system makes a music video or song a simple, satisfying achievement that harnesses most of the generic skills such as file management and scripting useful in 21st Century workplaces.

Generic computer skills such as file management and spreadsheets require rehearsal. Textbook exercises are artificial. Music and multimedia projects are appealing and satisfying once completed. Traditional methods take too long and have too many skill requirements distracting from those that might aid employability. Resources such as musical instruments sit idle because of the long learning curve. Multimedia capacities of domestic digital tools are under-utilized. An ideal solution would be simple engaging digital projects with social media appeal that tap a full range of generic skills.

The key is engagement through reducing fear of failure and long learning curves that would inhibit motivation. Street corner music groups are found even in the most underserved areas. The Instant Play music system builds on this intrinsic interest, extending participation to all skill levels. It is a soft-sell enticing users to apply the affordable digital technologies that allow them to easily upscale their projects to music videos and documentaries that they can share worldwide via social media. The core digital skills are transferable to many 21st Century workplaces.

Research has consistently shown ‘no significant difference’ attributable to educational technology so the project goals resolve to an impact/cost ratio. Costs are minimal as any school or group with enough digital technology to participate in Solve will likely have backing tracks, common musical instruments, and basic laptops/computers. The Instant Play method cuts the learning curve for music and allows simple video creation. These can be shared as a ‘club’ or ‘tribe’ on social media where impact can be gauged by up/downloads, club sharing, reviews, likes, followers, and sophistication of technology employed.

number of participants/classrooms/groups enrolled - Reach: thousands of participants initially from our current main audience in US, UK

inferred from sophistication of uploads and interactions - Skill Development

social media interaction and reviews - Vocational and Social Participation

The emphasis is on generic digital skills more than musical. Traditional music learning systems share a common ergonomic framework: the learner must master movements to fit a score. The Instant Play method reverses this by changing the music score itself to fit the simplest ergonomics of the learner: one-finger or no-finger chords. Learners can play along fearlessly with backing tracks made from the special chord system the subject of the Australian Innovation Patent. Musically-less-sophisticated teachers and leaders can tailor and extend the system to their own projects via affordable software widely available in schools.

Music and movies are traditional intrinsically human-centred expressions. The digital technology and Instant Play method merely simplify what used to be a major undertaking, such as making a documentary or music video, into a common classroom-level exercize done in hours rather than days or weeks. Topics and genres are open-ended. An under-served community might have the same potential international social media audience for their video projects as anyone from the best-funded institutions.

The Instant Play, Gamification, and Branding methods have been on the Web since 2010 and participants from over 150 nations have enrolled in the MOOCs. The MOOCs have been supplemented by downloadable public domain midi and .mp3 files and demonstration YouTube videos. Books with more detailed instructions such as chord patterns can be retailed affordably via Amazon or other publishers. More elaborate or contemporary musical renditions, particularly with cover versions of copyright music (anything post-1923), would require the equivalent of conventional 'record company deals' to cope with licensing costs and administration.

To date expense has been and can remain minimal. The free OpenLearning and BigMarker platforms for MOOCs and webinars will be sufficient for foreseeable interactions and these are scaleable to commercial level. There is no urgent need for app development as the system is intended to get participants doing things physically and socially rather than relying on gadgets. The ‘day job’ as a psychologist puts me in touch with the local mental health and education sectors. Book and music sales growing proportionately with take-up would suffice and would cement the ‘brand’. Teachers-Pay-Teachers could also be a revenue source. Future revenue could come from merchandising of recordings, books, live/online training, and corporate events. There is potential for app development but that would be best done by a third party. Promotion will ultimately be word of mouth from opinion leaders like teachers, therapists, corporate presenters, and community group leaders.

The biggest barriers are copyright and subsidized free competitors. Copyright has limited demonstration of the project’s potential to pre-1923 music and public-domain movie trailers and outdated materials. Modern tunes would require a significant upfront licensing and investment akin to a traditional ‘record company deal’ to handle the myriad copyright agreements. MOOCs have long had problems from high drop-out rates and subsidized free competition. The thousands of ‘’EZ-guitar’’ systems on YouTube makes it hard to stand out and people expect a gadget. Advertising should avoid any promise of glamour ‘media/arts’ employability as the goal is generic utilitarian skill.

https://www.bigmarker.com/communities/personal-brand/conferences

https://www.openlearning.com/courses/personalbranding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHIowpBqpNc

Given that I already have the technology and publications the main step, as with any song or movie, is publicity. TV talent shows have so dominated the past decade with their endorsement of their stars and judges that grass roots’ bands and acts drown in the obscurity of thousands of album releases online. Schools rarely trial new methods as curricula are packed tightly and nothing is removed to make room. So the authoritative social media/web links that Solve might apply, coupled with its direct contacts with the underserved communities who might benefit, could make the project grow.

We currently use OpenLearning and BigMarker as international web hosting platforms. Locally we are active with the 6 Degrees Innovation Centre, Arts Council, Medical Consumers Association, Healthy Minds Primary Health Network, and Mental Health Professionals Network.

Vendors of 'brain-training' resources, particularly musical, MOOCs or 'EZ guitar/uke'