Soundler is a research driven project into the unmet needs around music for teachers and children. These unmet needs were validated through building and testing Soundler, a prototype that delivers bite-sized learning exercises that fit in-between classes. Méér Muziek in de Klas, the governmental foundation tasked with making music a more lively and structural element in primary schools, plans to use the research outcomes of Soundler to develop a knowledge sharing platform.
Think back to your music lessons in primary school. Remember the instruments, the role music played in your education, and the enthusiasm of your teachers. It’s proven that music has many benefits for children’s development, but not all school teachers today are comfortable teaching music on their own. It’s important to remember that the typical teacher, must teach all subjects at the same level. At the same time over 1/4th of all Dutch music schools have closed in the last 10 years. This and the lack of music education in the classroom means that many children are losing the chance to develop their natural interest in music and enjoy the benefits that come with it.
Together with Méér Muziek in de Klas, the governmental foundation tasked with making music a more lively and structural element in primary schools, and Golden Hearing, we went on a journey to see how digital solutions could play a role in solving this problem. Project Soundler is a research driven project into the unmet needs around music for teachers and children. These unmet needs were validated through building, testing and iterating on a digital prototype.
Our mission
How to grow musicality in children through playful routines, within the classroom?
Building musical routines
By co-creating alongside teachers, we discovered that they often lack foundational music skills; making them feel ill-equipped to take on the challenge of teaching music next to their other subjects. How do we solve this problem for all these teachers in the Netherlands? By building musical routines into the classroom.
Outputs
We developed and tested Soundler, a prototype that delivers bite-sized learning exercises that fit in-between classes. Soundler is an interactive digital platform that delivers bite-sized learning exercises that fit in-between classes. This makes Soundler an accessible, fun, and engaging way to give music lessons with little preparation. Based on our research, this builds confidence in the teacher’s ability to facilitate with no previous music experience.
The future of Soundler
The future vision is to create an open platform, making it possible for teachers and music method makers to contribute their knowledge and share experiences. Méér Muziek in de Klas plans to use the research outcomes of Soundler to develop a knowledge sharing platform. The end goal is to empower all elementary school teachers to musically engage with their 1.6 million Dutch students nationally. We believe the best way to influence society is to empower and educate the youth that will inherit it. Let’s give teachers the tools to inspire the next Beethoven.
- Clients: Meer Muziek in de Klas and Deloitte Impact Foundation
- Dates: 2018-2019
- Roles: Project lead, service design lead
And & Design // Shauna Jin 