In piano pedagogy, learners are often trained to reproduce canonical works accurately without being invited to use those works as starting points for musical thought. I designed this multimedia learning experience for adult piano students who can read music but need a structured bridge between repertoire, music theory and improvisation. The learning gap is a lack of guided opportunity to experience theory as something active, generative and available at the keyboard. The Museum and the Laboratory reframes repertoire as an open structure, helping learners move from recognition and analysis toward experimentation, reflection and creative musical decision making.

In this project, I am working as instructional designer and subject matter expert, translating research in constraint-based music pedagogy into a digital learning prototype. My role is to shape the conceptual architecture, define learner needs, sequence the learning pathway and make design decisions that keep improvisation approachable for learners with little or no prior improvisational experience.

The major design decisions connect directly to learner needs. I used a combined linear and core-and-spoke structure so learners can build foundational knowledge in sequence while also pursuing repertoire-based pathways that support choice, relevance and transfer. I aligned the progression with Bloom’s taxonomy, moving from identifying triads and harmonic functions to applying, evaluating and creating with musical materials. I chose multimedia and interactive formats because theoretical ideas in music need to become visible, audible and actionable: text, voice-over, video, imagery, score excerpts, reflection prompts and guided practice each support a different part of the learning process. Familiar public-domain repertoire lowers cognitive load, while self-assessment, reflective feedback and progress tracking support metacognition. These choices also address a central design challenge: reducing the fear, abstraction and rigidity that can prevent learners from exploring. The learning experience treats structure as a support for freedom: learners begin with harmonic and rhythmic foundations, then use those constraints as materials for guided improvisation.

Through this project, I learned how closely evaluation design is shaped by delivery infrastructure. An LMS with SCORM or xAPI would make it possible to gather richer analytics, connect UXDL criteria to learner behavior and support Kirkpatrick-style evidence over time. Without that infrastructure, evaluation is certainly possible but dependent on observation, learner feedback, teacher reflection and review of how the design supports the scaffolding of key concepts, mental rehearsal, generative engagement with harmonic structures and preparation for improvisation at the piano.