Virtual Musical Instruments in Music Classrooms: Performing with East Asian Music Cultures

Abstract

In this article, we, culture bearers and music educators, discuss ways of using East Asian virtual musical instruments to promote culturally diverse music activities in classrooms. We introduce affordable tablet-based virtual instruments (Korean hyang-piri, Chinese erhu, and Japanese koto) and hands-on music activities to help students gain deeper understandings of East Asian music cultures. We provide an introduction of each instrument in its acoustic and tablet-based form, appropriate instrumental techniques to express unique musical and cultural characteristics (e.g., mode, vibrato, and ornamentations), and a teaching sequence of a sample piece. Such a performance-based and culturally diverse musical experience is intended to cultivate students’ intercultural sensitivity and attitudes that honor diverse cultures.