How Fast Can You Become a Virtual Rock Star?

Abstract

Learning to play an instrument can be a lot of fun, especially when you can pretend to be a rock star as you learn! In this science fair project, you will study how your score in a music video game changes as you play and practice. You'll need a video game where you use a controller shaped like a musical instrument. Two examples include Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but there may be more! In these games, playing requires nothing more than a sense of the music's beat, and ridiculously fast fingers, a skill that can be acquired.

Keep track of your score and the level of difficulty of the songs you play, and how much time you spend playing. Then make a graph of your musical progress. Record your score and the time you have been playing in your lab notebook. Also record your observations about what factors seem to have the most effect on your learning curve. For example, do you learn faster playing alone or with someone?

Think about what questions you want to answer. For example, how much does your score change for every hour you play? How much does your score change for every minute, or day, you play? Does your score improve at a steady rate, or does it sometimes improve faster than at other times? What factors have the most effect on your learning curve?

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Last edit date: 2020-11-20

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