The Importance of a Cultural-Embedded Learning Model: Raising Awareness of Cultural Heritage

Exploring synergy in a mobile learning model for piano playing ornaments exercise with local musical heritage

“…The semi-structured interviews with the participants from the experimental group aimed to generate an in-depth understanding of their experience of the synergy concept of learning, described by Bransford et al (2006) as "multiple levels of simultaneous learning" (p. 231). Simultaneously learning was achieved, through the application of the local musical heritage to the piano playing trill learning and practice video in the context of what Loo and Loo (2021) conceptualized as a diegetic and extradiegetic approach of their cultural-embedded learning model. Overall, the participants described the intervention as positive in terms of (a) an integration of different learning materials in one exercise, (b) interest and motivation via an edutainment concept, and (c) attaining a preferred learning pace.…”

“…The findings reveal a general positive attitude toward the synergy mobile learning model that combined piano trill finger exercise and a local musical heritage element. As the mobile learning video was based on a combination of concepts-edutainment, synergy with an inclusion of multiple learning materials in one exercise (Bransford et al, 2006), and the cultural-embedded learning model (Loo & Loo, 2021)-we foresee that the context of heritage music inclusion may cause a few issues as the study has its limitations. Firstly, the popular music style employed in the video to accompany the students' learning and practice for the purpose of edutainment was antithetical to that of the authentic local asli music and Western classical musical style.…”

“…With technological advances, numerous mobile piano learning applications focusing on classical music learning, jazz improvisation, chords, and popular music have appeared in the recent years (Sproule, 2021); however, specific apps designed to accompany the monotonous finger technique exercises in piano playing recommended by piano teachers have not been a norm in the piano teaching and learning domain in Malaysia. Our previous research examined this issue by suggesting a mobile learning approach in piano finger exercises that incorporates audio and visual stimuli, and led us to ponder the possibility of cross-curricular opportunity in raising the awareness of cultural heritage, which is another pressing issue in the area of ethnomusicology and heritage education (Loo & Loo, 2021;Loo et al, 2016). As popular culture dominates worldwide, Malaysia is no exception to facing challenges in sustaining its traditional musical heritage (Mohamed Ghouse, 2017).…”

“…In addition, lack of exposure to and awareness of traditional music are cited as the primary impediments to the appreciation and understanding of this genre of music by most Malaysians (Shah, 2006). Loo and Loo (2021) took on ideas raised by Bransford et al (2006) and proposed a culturalembedded learning model to include learning materials on cultural heritage based on a synergy of product placement technique, film music, docutainment, and edutainment concepts. In the field of business and marketing, product placement refers to the inclusion of the marketed product as a natural part of the narrative in a program (Smith, 2021).…”

“…The video comprised two sections, a short introduction session and a piano finger exercise "trill" session. In the introduction, participants were exposed to videos of cartoon characters dancing along with a musical introduction and dialog information about the local musical heritage and the selected Malay asli music Seri Mersing, reflecting the cultural-embedded learning model in Loo and Loo's (2021) study, "placing" the heritage learning material (local Malay asli song) at a diegetic space. The second was the finger trill exercise accompanied by the Seri Mersing melody arranged in pop music style in the concept of karaoke, where the participants learned, practiced, and executed the required "trills" (see Appendix 1).…”