Partly because her background in psychology, Song first wanted to know what role a supporting robot should assume during the practice sessions. She was helped by a music school in Eindhoven (Cultuur&Kunst Eindhoven), Muziekschool Den Haag, and Phoenix Cultuur, an art and culture school in Veghel. Finding music schools keen to take part in the study was a time-consuming business, says Song. “New technology is often greeted with suspicion and teachers were worried that the robot would replace them. But my aim is precisely the opposite: I want to support the teacher. When a student is practicing better at home, this has a positive effect on their music lessons. Besides, music isn't only about learning skills, emotions are also very important. And that means you always need a good teacher.”

Playing along to YouTube

Song arranged for the children to first be introduced to the robot, then to practice repeatedly in its company for a number of weeks. She herself sat in a separate room from which she operated the robot and had it say the right things. She worked with children aged from eight to sixteen, both beginners and advanced students. Song is enthusiastic about the initial results. “Without exception the children were highly motivated during their practice sessions with the social robot; surprisingly enough, the type of robot made no difference. They practiced for longer and with greater concentration. And, really importantly, they had a lot of fun while they were playing; they thought it was a shame when the session ended. And whereas I had expected teenagers to be a little dismissive of a ‘childish’ music buddy, they too practiced more effectively. Playing along to their favorite music video on YouTube, duetting with the robot, proved a favorite activity. Several children spent an entire session doing this, without realizing how quickly time was passing.”

Learning critical listening

If we really want to use music buddies, what recommendations does Song have for us? “Children who are new to music lessons mainly need a lot of encouragement. In experiments with a non-evaluative robot and an evaluative robot we saw that the beginners did better with only positive encouragement. Girls in particular are highly sensitive in this respect. Children who have been playing an instrument for a number of years benefit from having a robot that gives extra tips and pointers. It is also important that the child's self-learning capacity is trained. This can be done by having the child assess their own playing, in terms of rhythm and tempo for example. Afterwards they and the robot listen to the recorded piece, and the robot gives constructive comments. It is great to see that during another attempt to play the piece, the tips really are taken on board.”

Before music teachers and parents get too enthusiastic, Song emphasizes that these are initial studies. “A great many follow-up experiments are needed before a robot comes over to your house to stand beside the piano stool. We are keen to test, for example, whether social robots are subject to the novelty effect. After months or even years, do children still enjoy being with the music buddy? And do they keep trying just as hard as they did at the outset?” In the meantime, she has some final tips for parents: “Parental involvement is essential when learning a new musical instrument, even if you can't play a note yourself. It really helps if you sit beside your child. Don't judge, just encourage. And remember: perseverance pays dividends.”