Interactive Learning Environment for Effective Music Learning in Chinese Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of the present research is to study approaches to the formation of an interactive learning environment for the effective study of music in Chinese primary and secondary schools. Initially, the study defined that most students had mastered the average level of knowledge before the intervention. The programs for secondary school students focused on studying the aspects of musical notation and the ability to identify it (27%). The present study involved the development of a modified curriculum. The elaborated program contained various interactive technologies, playfully studying the information, and direct interaction from the students. This study builds on an empirical approach through a sociological survey. This method contributed to determining the student perception of the modified training program. The results showed that 88% of primary school students and 86% of secondary school students had a positive perception of the educational process provided by the authors of this research.

1. Introduction

National Chinese art contains various elements, including literature, the art of calligraphy, folk music, dance, painting, sculpture, etc. In turn, throughout historical development, these directions formed unique artistic categories combined with new types of art. The constant progress of society, the rapid development of computer digital media technologies, and the popularity of smartphones, Weibo, and WeChat contributed to this process. Thus, using these technologies is becoming indispensable. Moreover, such platforms have a high demand for music learning [1,2]. It is significant to mention that the development of the internet has popularized Chinese musical culture, promoted musical diversity, and influenced the process of learning music on a global scale. Furthermore, it has opened up new opportunities for the population (including professionals, amateurs, adults, and children) to study the musical heritage of China and other countries [3]. Music plays an important role in Chinese traditional culture, reflecting the national customs and value trends. Traditional approaches to music training are not necessarily compatible with the pedagogical conventions of conventional music education. Many Chinese institutions include “informal” (interactive) musical techniques with “formal” music training [4].

China has very effective state policies. It includes an inclusive attitude towards different cultures and the educational process, trust, acceptance, and respect for people’s opinions [5,6]. As information technology rapidly develops nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) and software training have become popular in all spheres of life. In this context, the development of music training applications has received significant attention in the last couple of years. Innovative and intelligent learning methods based on artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the music industry [7]. Information and communication technologies (ICT) form a diverse set of tools aimed at providing relevant training regarding music learning. Nowadays, music teachers widely use ICT as this technology strengthens, motivates, and increases interest in learning among students [8]. The college music education system has always been an important part of higher education in China. It is crucial to create new music study programs for the systematization and standardization of the Chinese music industry. Furthermore, this could lead to the development and discovery of outstanding musical talents in the country [9].

For example, Xu [10] has conducted a comprehensive study of the background and prerequisites for the development of online music education. The researcher concluded that online education has gradually become popular among a large part of the population due to the rapid development of technology and internet communications. In addition, this learning mode destroys the spatio-temporal limitations of conventional music education and changes the approach and concept of students studying music. The integration of artificial intelligence technologies and modern information technologies has opened a new stage for the development of the modern music industry. Nowadays, the present learning modes within music education have undergone significant changes. In particular, in regards to the emergence of online education, online classrooms, and other modern training methods [11]. Using mobile technologies and interactive multimedia platforms in music education increases the efficiency of the educational process, and it can thus influence the motivation of students. The younger generation tends to have a liberal and intellectual character as they live in the digital age. Consequently, using interactive multimedia technologies is a significant element of music training.

1.1. Literature Review

Students usually express a negative attitude towards music as a school subject. In addition, music teachers experience a dilemma regarding how to provide interesting, relevant, and useful information for them. In this context, student perception of training can play a key role in changing the learning environment and creating a positive and motivating educational setting for learning music. For example, Stavrou and Papageorgi [12] recommended listening to the opinions of students about their music lessons in high school, including what they value and what they would like to change if they had such an opportunity. Subsequently, the researchers conducted a survey. A total of 749 high school students were recruited as respondents to the study, and their responses were obtained by completing a designed questionnaire. The results showed that the participating students wanted to pay more attention to singing, playing more instruments (for example, drums, guitar, and piano), and playing the music they liked within the curriculum. In addition, it was important for them to include interactive and multimedia technologies in their training.

A study by Li [13] suggests using a computer auto-accompaniment for the effective study of music. This method accurately reflects the integration of computer technology and music theory. Moreover, using the computer auto-accompaniment allowed for the expansion of innovations in creativity and learning, increased the level of interest among students, and changed the conventional training methods among the 92 music majors. A study by Wang [14] compared the effectiveness of the conventional educational program and the modified program that included interactive music services. This research focused on studying the impact of specialized applications in the music learning process on motivation among students. This study involved 322 students in three Chinese educational institutions. The research results proved the effectiveness of using mobile music applications in the learning process as it significantly increased motivation among students.

Chang and Peng [15] studied an interactive learning mode that used technology for recognizing human actions during music lessons through computer vision. The researchers created a system for detecting and recognizing human actions based on a three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network. The study results showed that the two-channel human activity recognition system of the 3D convolutional neural network had a high level of accuracy in recognizing human actions in the interactive music learning mode that included dancing. Another study built on a quantitative study of the features affecting music learning. In this case, researchers [16] proposed the implementation of an intelligent reform of music education using artificial intelligence and wireless network optimization. The introduction of intelligent technologies in online music education proves the value of using modern science to increase interest in studying music among the younger generation. The basic teaching skills of modern music teachers include using independent learning, playing, and singing. Furthermore, He and Luo [17] have suggested using an intelligent recognition system. In this context, this system is a new technology based on signal processing, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, computer technology, and other disciplines. This tool provides an increase in the ability to perform independently. The system also improves singing skills and the comprehensive musical literacy of students.

Other research has built on interactive computer learning technology [18]. The researchers of this study designed and developed a digital music course system, which involved training 322 students. This system can easily process recorded sounds digitally and represent them as sound waves on a computer. This program can visually edit audio and save it to a database, providing more information for further musical training. Further research by Wu [19] revolves around studying musical techniques, teaching electronic music, and improvisation. This study developed an experimental pedagogical methodology for Embedded Sonic Meditation. This training mode includes both full-time education and online distance learning, and thus can appeal to different students. The developed course provides a non-hierarchical, inclusive, open, and student-oriented program supported by modern technologies. Hence, this course effectively facilitates the process of musical learning.

It is worth mentioning that full-time offline training has not sufficiently adapted to the new learning environment in the context of the pandemic. Using computer and multimedia technologies for teaching has become an inevitable choice for effective music teaching in colleges and universities. Moreover, offline learning has many disadvantages, including single and reverse learning methods, poor sharing of audiovisual resources, and inconsistent learning content. Therefore, music education necessitates the creation of new interactive online platforms for the most effective study of music. In turn, it allows students and teachers to receive operational, standardized, and comprehensive curricula at any time and place.

1.2. Objectives

People have greatly contributed to developing the internet of things over the past few decades. Nowadays, the tools from this technology are used in various fields, including home robotics, smart cities, and augmented reality. AR is a technology that neatly combines the information obtained in the real world with virtual information. AR technology implies using computer-generated texts, images, three-dimensional models, music, video, and other virtual information to simulate and apply those elements so that they comply with the real world. These two types of information are interrelated and complement each other to improve the real world. Moreover, developing interactive technologies of AR contributed to creating universal programs for effective music teaching in primary and secondary schools. The purpose of the present research is to study approaches to the formation of an interactive learning environment for the effective study of music in Chinese primary and secondary schools.

The objectives of this study are to:

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determine the level of theoretical and practical knowledge of students through a pre-test conducted before the introduction of a modified program, as well as to determine the characteristics of the educational process that was applied to the respondents before the start of the study;

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elaborate the elements of an interactive training program, based on the programs SING’n’PLAY, Padlet, Quizizz;

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define the skills acquired by students upon the completion of the modified study program;

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determine the level of knowledge that students have mastered during the learning process by comparing the data obtained during academic performance assessment (post-test) using Cohen’s coefficient.

2. Methods and Materials

2.1. Research Design

The present study included several previously elaborated stages. The first stage determined the distribution of skills acquired by the students during conventional training before the intervention. In this context, teachers assessed study participants. This assessment used the following distribution of average scores: students who achieved 0.9–1.0 had a high level of knowledge, those who achieved 0.70–0.89 had an average level, and students who achieved 0.50–0.69 had a low level. In addition, calculating the Cohen’s coefficient facilitated a comparison of the data obtained at this stage [20]. It is worth mentioning that the study took place in 2020.

The determination of the level of knowledge from previous learning was carried out by comparing annual grades as a result of the excerpts from journals. However, to confirm the previously obtained results, pupils had to pass an additional knowledge test, conducted by the authors of the article. For this purpose, the students were asked questions on musical subjects, which referred to an understanding of the specifics of the combination of musical scores, and an understanding of the specifics of the musical works of individual composers. To determine the level of practical knowledge, the students were required to identify by ear the played notes and to identify the composer of the musical work, which had been previously studied.

The next stage of the study determined the features of the conventional educational process before the intervention [21]. This study used the Likert scale to define the distribution of points [22]. The sociological survey was chosen as part of the study because the method allows for a relaxed atmosphere to provide answers to the questions posed, the results of which are presented in

Table 1. Distribution of acquired skills by students during conventional training (pre-test).

Level of Knowledge	The Average Value of the Results Obtained (Primary School Students)	Percentage Distribution of Primary School Students	The Average Value of the Results Obtained (Secondary School Students)	Percentage Distribution of Secondary School Students	Cohen’s Coefficient Results
Theoretical knowledge
High	0.92	24%	0.94	42%	−0.5
Average	0.77	41%	0.76	24%	−0.43
Low	0.63	35%	0.68	34%	0.01
Practical knowledge
High	0.90	9%	0.92	21%	−0.32
Average	0.75	72%	0.74	56%	0.8
Low	0.60	19%	0.65	23%	0.23

and

Table 2. Features of the conventional educational process before the intervention.

The Key Element of the Conventional Educational Process	Percentage Distribution
	Primary School Students	Secondary School Students
Listening to songs and discussing them afterwards	28%	18%
Studying the information about composers and their works	29%	27%
Studying the aspects of musical notation and its recognition	24%	32%
Singing the compositions presented by teachers	19%	23%

, which presents the features of the educational process. The sociological survey was conducted in an electronic format, which allowed for the elimination of the excitement of the students and for focus on the question. The Likert scale was chosen for convenience; it provided a distribution of “1” and “0” answers, excluding intermediate averages.

The third stage included elaborating the interactive elements for the training program for further introduction into the curriculum in the study. The development of the curriculum was based on the observation of the authors of the article, which involved the development of five learning points. The learning points were shaped in a way that would encourage student interest and incorporate interactive learning programs. The implementation of the learning program was made possible by providing students with access to the SING’n’PLAY, Padlet, and Quizizz apps that were involved in the instruction. Also, to allow them to apply the applications in the learning process, preliminary training was conducted among the students to understand the functionality of the interactive technologies and their capabilities that can be used in the learning process.

The fourth stage of this research determined the student perception of the developed interactive training program through a sociological survey. The mechanism of the sociological survey was similar to the first stage of the study. The distribution of responses assumed the indicators “positive”, “negative”, “neutral”. Providing answers with the help of a sociological survey provided the additional provision of detailed answers to understand the benefits and possible gaps.

The fifth stage of the study included defining the skills acquired by the students upon the completion of the modified program and the results of the annual assessments. Cohen’s coefficient facilitated the comparison of the data obtained. The results were presented separately for junior high school students and for high school students. Those with a high level of knowledge demonstrated understanding of the theoretical aspects of music and the performance of practical tasks with the application of logic skills and creativity. Those with an intermediate level of knowledge demonstrated insignificant mistakes in answering theoretical questions and no more than two mistakes in completing practical tasks. Those with a low level of knowledge failed to perform the tasks.

2.2. Sample

The present research involved a total number of 120 primary school students and 115 secondary school students in three educational institutions in Beijing. Initially, the study assumed the participation of another 100 high school students. However, the authors of this research concluded that there is a strong gradation in age between students, which requires different curricula. It is worth noting that this study informed schoolchildren together with their parents about the purpose of this research and the rules of participation in the training program. Accordingly, they had to provide confirmation of consent to be allowed to participate in the study.

2.3. Data Analysis

Primarily, the study conducted a pre-test among students to determine the level of their knowledge regarding the practical and theoretical parts of their conventional training. In this case, Cohen’s coefficient facilitated the comparison of the data obtained:

$$d=\frac{(M_1-M_2)}{\sqrt{\frac{S_1^2+S_2^2}{2}}}$$

(1)

M₁, M₂ are the average values for the groups of primary and secondary school students;

S₁, S₂ are the quadratic mean deviations of the indicators for both groups in the study.

While interpreting Cohen’s coefficient, it is necessary to take into consideration the following indicators:

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if the calculated value approaches 0, there is a strong relationship between the presented indicators;

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if the calculated value approaches -1, there is no relationship between the presented indicators;

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if the calculated value approaches 1, there is a weak relationship between the presented indicators.

The use of a sociological survey determined the features of the conventional educational process. This method was relevant regarding the need to collect the necessary information for a large number of students in a short time.

The distribution of the survey scores was carried out using the Likert scale. In turn, the total number of points determined the advantages of certain elements. As a result of using the Likert scale, respondents had to give consent to the approval or disapproval of a certain item from the answer options. That is, the Likert scale was used for each individual item, which contributed to avoiding extreme and averaged answers. In addition, it facilitated concentration on certain statements. This study had no additional questionnaire for the sociological survey.

Having analyzed the data obtained, the authors of this study developed the elements of the curriculum using interactive technologies:

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studying theoretical material using multimedia boards;

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using interactive music program SING’n’PLAY to conduct practical lessons;

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implementing the interaction of students with each other through the Padlet application to speed up the process of learning the necessary information;

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providing the learning process in a playful way using the Quizizz application;

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using systematic repetition to help students memorize educational material and improve practical skills.

The sociological survey also helped to determine how the students perceived the interactive learning program. This survey included the following answers: positive, negative, and neutral. Intermediate options were excluded from the survey to provide more specific results. Furthermore, the sociological survey determined the gradation of skills obtained by students in both groups:

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developing logical skills;

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unleashing creative abilities;

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improving academic performance in other subjects.

The study also presupposed the definition of the results of the academic performance assessment in musical subjects after completing the training (post-test). In this case, Cohen’s coefficient contributed to a comparison of the results of the study. This calculation used Formula 1.

This study also used the Microsoft Excel program to calculate, process, and store data. This program allows you to create tables, group indicators, and distribute them by levels. Moreover, Microsoft Excel enables the creation of graphic material. It is worth mentioning that the present study follows all the ethical standards and ensures the absence of copyright violations [23].

2.4. Research Limitations

One of the most significant limitations of this study regards the age category of study participants as it involves primary school and secondary school students. However, the authors of this research presented the calculation of academic performance assessment results, which were verified using Cohen’s coefficient. Another limiting factor also revolves around the study sample as it includes students in only three educational institutions in Beijing. Thus, the study results may not be universal. In this case, further research should focus on expanding the sample.

3. Results

3.1. The Specifics of the Educational Process and the Acquired Knowledge of Junior High School Students and High School Students

The present research involved determining whether the study participants had better practical or theoretical skills than acquired during their conventional training (Table 1).

The analysis of the results showed that the theoretical knowledge of primary and secondary school students prevails over the practical knowledge. Accordingly, only 9% of primary school students received a high level of practical knowledge, while 24% demonstrated high academic performance regarding theoretical knowledge. Among secondary school students, the results were similar since only 21% of students had a high level of practical knowledge, and 42% demonstrated high results in theory. Moreover, primary school students had a significant percentage of low results obtained. Accordingly, 35% of them demonstrated low performance regarding the theoretical part of the studies, and 19% had low outcomes in the practical part. Among the secondary school students, the indicators were similar to those obtained by primary school students. In this context, 34% received low scores in theoretical knowledge, and 23% had low results in practical knowledge. The average scores were almost at the same level for both study groups. However, it is worth mentioning that the results in theoretical material were higher than in practical knowledge. The calculation of Cohen’s coefficient revealed that the data obtained were correlated for the level of practical knowledge at the average and low levels since the indicators were close to zero. The theoretical knowledge was not correlated at high and average levels since the indicators approached (−1). In addition, the present research determined the features of the conventional educational process before the study intervention. The sociological survey contributed to defining the aforementioned indicators (Table 2).

The results showed that the conventional educational program for primary school students mainly focused on studying information about composers and their works (29%). The conventional curriculum for secondary school students emphasized studying aspects of musical notation and its recognition (32%). Singing compositions presented by teachers received the least attention (19%) within primary school education and listening to music pieces and further discussing them (18%) within the secondary school program. These elements excluded the possibility to form analytic skills among students.

3.2. Formation of the Features of the Training Program, Taking into Account Interactive Technology

Having studied the presented data, the authors of this research developed the provisions for the modified training program using interactive features. It consisted of the following elements:

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using multimedia whiteboards for studying musical notation, musical terms, and other theoretical material. During the classroom lessons, teachers directly explain the information to students. Thus, the material repeated at home involves using the information on multimedia boards provided with voice accompaniment. Students were able to study the theoretical material in a playful way. For this purpose, teachers formed small groups of participants. As a result, students could develop communication skills and better memorize the material;

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students singing musical compositions to improve their voices since music lessons revolve around the performance of songs. For this purpose, teachers used small excerpts of songs for children. These compositions corresponded to a certain topic of the lesson, for example, changing the tonality, range of sounds, timbre, etc. In this context, students had to perform musical works and, what is more significant, recognize them and name the author of the composition, the period of writing, etc. This element involved using an interactive SING’n’PLAY program created by professional vocalists. This program allows students to form their voices. SING’n’PLAY contains various songs for performance, video tutorials, etc. This vocal platform also helps both students and teachers track the level of knowledge acquired by students;

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knowledge exchange between students through the Padlet application. In addition, at this stage, teachers organized a discussion among students regarding the previously studied material, which contained errors. By determining these errors, students developed their analytical activity and consolidated necessary knowledge;

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providing a playful educational process. This element involved using the Quizizz application, which helps create various quizzes and allows control over the correct answers. The application is accessible and helps to adjust the pace for each group of students;

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using systematic repetition of the studied material. This stage also involved independent home repetition using materials provided by all the above-mentioned interactive technologies.

3.3. Determining Students’ Attitudes toward the Developed Curriculum

The intervention lasted three semesters. Upon the completion of the course, students underwent a survey to determine their perception of the modified training program used in the study (Figure 1).

The results showed that 88% of primary school students and 86% of secondary school students had a positive perception of the modified training program used in the present study. Most of them liked the training since the educational process took place in a creative way and allowed them to master the necessary skills. However, 4% of primary school students and 2% of secondary school students had a negative attitude to the training program since it required more substantial preparation and more time spent on homework.

3.4. Determining the Effectiveness of the Developed Curriculum for Junior High School Students and High School Students

This program contributed to the development of student skills necessary for further implementation. Thus, this fact has an essential role in determining the effectiveness of the presented curriculum. Moreover, the sociological survey facilitated determining the distribution of skills among study participants (

Table 3. Distribution of skills acquired by students during the modified study program.

Skills	Gradation of Skills According to the Most Developed Indicators (Primary School Students)	Gradation of Skills According to the Most Developed Indicators (Secondary School Students)
Logical skills development	1	2
Disclosure of creative abilities	3	1
Academic performance in other subjects	2	3

).

The results showed that primary school students developed their logical skills at the highest levels. In addition, they improved their academic performance in other subjects (the academic performance assessment proved this statement). On the other hand, secondary school students could successfully disclose their creative abilities and develop logical skills. The indicators show that playing music is significant at an earlier age as it contributes to the development of brain activity and unleashes creative abilities among students.

Table 4. Results of academic performance assessment on music disciplines in both groups (post-test).

The Level of Knowledge Obtained	Percentage Distribution of Primary School Students	Percentage Distribution of Secondary School Students	Cohen’s Coefficient Results
High	89%	92%	0.02
Average	10%	7%	0.04
Low	-	1%	0.07

displays the results of the academic performance assessment conducted in both study groups. In this case, Cohen’s coefficient also facilitated the comparison of data obtained.

The results obtained demonstrate that most students received high scores since they could successfully adapt to the modified curriculum that took into account the age category of students. 10% of the primary school students and 7% of the secondary school students received average scores. It is significant to mention that only 1% of secondary school students received low scores due to skipping classes.

4. Discussion

The rapid development of internet technologies resulted in the emergence of various multimedia platforms, including online educational music services. Faced with a large number of music educational resources, it is often difficult for users to make a choice. For example, Cao [24] suggests using a strategy based on a combination of Edge Computing (EC) and Cloud Computing (CC) for the convenience of optimizing the educational resource planning strategy. The results obtained after applying these platforms to the educational process show that the resource utilization rate of the proposed multi-stage iterative resource planning algorithm is 29% higher than that of the basic genetic algorithm. It proves that the proposed resource planning strategy can reduce latency, improve system efficiency and resource utilization, and improve service quality. The results of this research contribute to supporting new interactive learning modes, improving the performance of platform applications and the level of intelligence. In addition, it may further improve the user experience. Our work focuses on using interactive technologies. The researchers chose the relevant platforms according to data previously obtained from a sociological survey. The conventional study program necessitated the introduction of modern interactive elements since the assessment of student academic performance (pre-test) before the intervention resulted in average scores.

It is worth mentioning that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the educational process, and many teachers have begun to develop alternative ways to conduct educational activities for their students. However, many disciplines require active social interaction and creative processes, and it is thus difficult to transform the curriculum for an online learning mode. Another study by Ng et al. [25] developed an interactive application MUYU for music education. The authors of this platform managed to effectively motivate students and achieve good results in their academic performance. For this purpose, they combined a pre-recorded instructional video and joint actions during face-to-face online lessons. Moreover, using computer and network technologies improves the learning rate. This process goes from the era of digital processing to microcomputers, and then to networks with a mixed learning mode. Another study of Jiang [26] claims that educational resources in music education should correspond to a number of elements in the age of information, namely: digital, network, mobile, and convenient life habits, as well as the needs of students. The author suggests following a process of mixed music learning. In this case, it consists of the preliminary online learning, explanation and discussion in the classroom, and consolidation of the results after the lessons using the MOOC digital resource management platform. Our study introduces interactive technologies in the educational process while proposing the most suitable technologies at each stage of training for relevant outcomes. For example, the interactive SING’n’PLAY program contributed to the formation of the voice since it contains a diverse repertoire and video tutorials to study. Another tool used in this study is the Padlet application. Teachers included the material with the deliberate admission of errors that needed to be corrected by the students. This approach positively affected the abilities of the students by developing their analytic skills.

The online learning mode forms a link between theory and practice. It can effectively guide teaching activities and formulate an effective workflow. Research by He [27] offers a music curriculum based on cloud computing and data mining technology. It represents a new type of music learning mode. This approach helps students to better understand the content of learning and evaluate the internal laws of the acquired knowledge. In addition, it effectively eliminates the shortcomings of the traditional teaching mode. Research by Guan and Ren [28] focused on studying the changes in the learning abilities of students through creating an intelligent, comprehensive, and three-dimensional innovative classroom using intelligent technologies. This study involved secondary school students. Initially, the researchers analyzed the current situation of conventional music training at school. Subsequently, having concluded that it necessitates changes, they proposed and introduced an intellectual mode of music teaching applicable in the real educational process. The results showed that 96.7% of students demonstrated a positive attitude toward the new learning mode. Thus, it indicates that modern students have a relatively high adaptation to and recognition of the development of artificial intelligence. Moreover, 84% of students did not have special skills to work with an intelligent network platform, and only 9.3% of students found working with the platform relatively difficult. To conclude, the new training mode proved its effectiveness within this study. The proposed music training mode builds on artificial intelligence and requires further development and implementation in secondary schools. Furthermore, this approach responds to a new concept of modern education. The growing popularity of mobile smartphones and the expanding use of the Android platform provides fruitful grounds for music learning in this environment. For example, Sun [29] has developed an intelligent learning application that remotely teaches music and allows users to analyze their weaknesses. According to experimental data, online music training using the Model View Controller (MVC) program provided a positive effect on the musical skills of students as it improved the performance skills of traditional music by 25%. Our study proved the effectiveness of the proposed training through the assessment of the academic performance of students. The data comparison used Cohen’s coefficient.

Having analyzed the abovementioned studies, it is possible to conclude that most researchers have focused on studying various technological means that contribute to learning. The present study introduces a training program based on using modern interactive technologies. This research proves the effectiveness of the modified program through the designated indicators based on Cohen’s coefficient. Furthermore, this study involved determining the student perception of the developed interactive training program. Consequently, the results confirmed the effectiveness of this program for the formation of interest among students.

5. Conclusions

The present study examined the features of the interactive learning environment for music training in primary and secondary schools. Initially, this research sought to determine the level of knowledge acquired by students during conventional training. The results demonstrated that students had low levels of knowledge regarding the practical part of their training. Afterwards, 24% of primary school students mastered the theory, and only 9% mastered practical material at a high level. Moreover, 35% of primary school students received low results in the theoretical part, and 19% in the practical one. The secondary school students had the following results:

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42% have mastered theoretical knowledge at a high level;

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21% received high grades regarding practical knowledge;

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34% have mastered theoretical knowledge at a high level;

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21% received high results regarding practical knowledge.

It is significant to mention that the comparison of the results involved using Cohen’s coefficient.

Another stage of the present study included the conduction of a sociological survey. The results determined that the most common form of conventional education for primary school students was studying information about composers and their works (29%), while secondary school students focused on studying aspects of musical notation and its recognition (32%). The least popular form of conventional education for secondary school students was listening to compositions and further discussion (18%), while for primary school students it was singing compositions presented by teachers.

Having analyzed the data obtained, the researchers of this study developed the following elements for teaching music to schoolchildren. Accordingly, the modified program included:

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studying theoretical material using multimedia boards;

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using interactive music program SING’n’PLAY to conduct practical lessons;

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implementing the interaction of students with each other through the Padlet application to speed up the process of learning the necessary information;

−

providing the learning process in a playful way using the Quizizz application;

−

using systematic repetition to help students memorize educational material and improve practical skills.

The sociological survey determined that 12% of secondary school students and 8% of primary school students had a neutral attitude to the presented training program since they did not see significant changes in the need for the efforts made. Despite that, most students demonstrated a positive attitude to the presented curriculum.

The modified program helped primary school students acquire the following skills: developing logical skills, improving academic performance in other subjects, and revealing creative abilities. As a result, secondary school students could successfully unleash their creative abilities, develop logical skills, and improve academic performance in other subjects.

The results of the academic performance assessment after the intervention showed that the majority of students received high scores (89% of primary school students and 92% of secondary school students). In accordance with this, Cohen’s coefficient, which was equal to (0.02) for a high level of knowledge, confirmed the similarity of the values and thus confirmed the abovementioned statement. The present research has a scientific and practical value as it proves the effectiveness of new approaches to music training using interactive technologies. The study results may contribute to the further introduction of interactive means for educational programs.