Virtual Concerts in Learning Oboe-Played Chinese Folk Music: Impact on Performance Proficiency, Perceived Aesthetic Qualities, and Students’ Motivation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v26i3.8358Keywords:
intonation subtlety, musical values, performance expressiveness, sound sharpness, upper registerAbstract
This study compares the effectiveness of video communication technologies and group chats in virtual reality (VR) as platforms for practising musical skills among students. Additionally, it examines the capacity to convey aesthetic characteristics of musical performance through these two forms of remote communication and the influence of these technologies on student motivation. The research involved 106 senior students from two higher educational institutions in China. Zoom and VRChat served as the instructional platforms for the two experimental groups. The findings did not reveal significant differences in performance mastery. Specifically, the perception of task value demonstrated the most substantial increase, scoring 5.65 compared to 4.81 out of a possible 7; all three pairs of values exhibited significant differences between the groups based on the results of the student’s t-test. Furthermore, a significantly higher sense of immersion and quality of aesthetic experience was observed within the VR group, scoring 4.81 compared to 3.70 out of a possible 5 in the videoconferencing group. Additionally, VR’s greater capability to convey characteristic emotional nuances of music was confirmed by the fact that within the VR group, two out of six distinctive features of Chinese folk music (lyrical, highly artistic aspects and intonation subtlety) were more pronounced than in the videoconferencing group. These results indicate the potential of VR technology to enhance the quality of aesthetic experience as well as the motivation for learning among students in music education, including those studying wind instruments.
References
Adamyan, A. (2018). Music education issues for adult beginners in Armenia: Specifically the analysis of the difficulties of piano playing. British Journal of Music Education, 35(2), 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051717000249
Apaydınlı, K. (2023). Content analysis of music education studies related to augmented reality technology. Journal of Educational Technology & Online Learning, 6(2), 447–481. https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.1243501
Bowen, D. K., Buys, K., Dart, M., & Sharp, D. (2019). Assessing the sound of a woodwind instrument that cannot be played. Applied Acoustics, 143, 84–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2018.08.028
Bucur, V. (2019). Manufacturing of the reeds for reed driven instruments. In V. Bucur (Ed.), Handbook of materials for wind musical instruments (pp. 559–577). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19175-7_14
Chai, W. (2022). Chinese traditional motifs in contemporary European music. Musica Hodie, 22, Article e73677. https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v22.73677
Chen, L. (2025). Unlocking the beat: How AI tools drive music students’ motivation, engagement, creativity and learning success. European Journal of Education, 60(1), Article e12823. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12823
Chen, W. (2022). Research on the design of intelligent music teaching system based on virtual reality technology. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022, Article 7832306. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7832306
Ciorba, C. R., & Smith, N. Y. (2009). Measurement of instrumental and vocal undergraduate performance juries using a multidimensional assessment rubric. Journal of Research in Music Education, 57(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429409333405
COPE. (2025). About COPE. https://publicationethics.org/about
Costa, W., Ananias, L., Barbosa, I., Barbosa, B., De’ Carli, A., Barioni, R., Figueiredo, L., Teichrieb, V., & Filgueira, D. (2019). Songverse: A music-loop authoring tool based on virtual reality. In A. Raposo & D. Trevisan (Eds.), 2019 21st Symposium on Virtual and Augmented Reality (SVR) (pp. 216–222). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/SVR.2019.00046
Doganyigit, S., & Islim, O. F. (2021). Virtual reality in vocal training: A case study. Music Education Research, 23(3), 391–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1879035
Gao, H., & Li, F. (2024). The application of virtual reality technology in the teaching of clarinet music art under the mobile wireless network learning environment. Entertainment Computing, 49, Article 100619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2023.100619
García Gil, D., Cuervo Calvo, L., & Bonastre Vallés, C. (2022). A critical reflection on virtual music education in a changing world. The International Journal of Humanities Education, 20(2), 43–61. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0063/CGP/v20i02/43-61
Hallam, S., Creech, A., Varvarigou, M., & Papageorgi, I. (2020). Are there differences in practice depending on the instrument played? Psychology of Music, 48(6), 745–765. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618816370
Han, W. (2023). Music in the sonata form for the saxophone: Learning to play the saxophone in online educational courses: Online platforms vs. traditional education in a conservatory. Education and Information Technologies, 28(11), 14767–14781. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11821-6
Hong, X., & Wu, Y.-H. (2022). Using AR to preserve and popularize traditional Chinese musical instruments as part of the formation of the tourist attractiveness of the national art of Guizhou province. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 37(2), 426–440. https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqab087
Larson, E. H. (2020). Development and application of alternate and non-traditional French conservatory oboe techniques in the performance of traditional Chinese music [Doctoral dissertation, University of Alabama]. University of Alabama Dspace Repository. https://ir-api.ua.edu/api/core/bitstreams/eaff1f8b-01b8-43e6-b4f6-75ceeb555cf8/content
Lee, B. H., & Mazzola, G. (2025). Mathematical model of modulation in traditional Chinese music: Theory and computational implementation. Journal of Mathematics and Music, 19(2), 128–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/17459737.2024.2441712
Li, R. (2022). Chinese folk music: Study and dissemination through online learning courses. Education and Information Technologies, 27(7), 8997–9013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11003-w
Li, R., & Yuan, Y. (2023). Design of blowing instrument controller based on air pressure sensor. In X. Shao (Ed.), Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering (Vol. 923, pp. 15–29). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4703-2_2
Li, R., & Zhang, Q. (2022). Audio recognition of Chinese traditional instruments based on machine learning. Cognitive Computation and Systems, 4(2), 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1049/ccs2.12047
Li, X. (2024). Distance learning and contemporary music education in China. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 14261–14278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12253-y
Merrill, J., Czepiel, A., Fink, L. T., Toelle, J., & Wald-Fuhrmann, M. (2023). The aesthetic experience of live concerts: Self-reports and psychophysiology. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 17(2), 134–151. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000390
Miller, S. (2013). The lost publications of the folk-lore society. Folklore (United Kingdom), 124(2), 226–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/0015587X.2013.795050
Orman, E. K., Price, H. E., & Russell, C. R. (2017). Feasibility of using an augmented immersive virtual reality learning environment to enhance music conducting skills. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 27(1), 24–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083717697962
Pamidi, S. (2018). Development of an iOS App for learning intonation of wind instruments [Master’s thesis, Wright State University]. CORE Scholar, Wright State University. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all/1956
Paquier, M., Hendrickx, E., & Jeannin, R. (2016). Effect of wood on the sound of the oboe as simulated by the chanter of a 16-inch French bagpipe. Applied Acoustics, 103, 47–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2015.10.008
Peterson Tuners. (2023). iStroboSoft (Version 3.00) [App]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/istrobosoft/id308296029
Pintrich, P. R., & De Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
Pong, Y. E. (2020). Music composition inspired by literary works: The instance of composer Tsung-Hsien Yang. Journal of Music Research, 33, 71–111. https://doi.org/10.6244/JOMR.202011_(33).03
Ppali, S., Lalioti, V., Branch, B., Ang, C. S., Thomas, A. J., Wohl, B. S., & Covaci, A. (2022). Keep the VRhythm going: A musician-centred study investigating how virtual reality can support creative musical practice. In S. Barbosa & C. Lampe (Chairs), CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–19, Article 220). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3501922
Priyadarshani, N. (2021). Content adaption and design in mobile learning of wind instruments [Master’s thesis, Wright State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. https://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1641835874519274
Scholz, U., Doña, B. G., Sud, S., & Schwarzer, R. (2002). Is general self-efficacy a universal construct? Psychometric findings from 25 countries. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18(3), 242–251. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1027/1015-5759.18.3.242
Serafin, S., Adjorlu, A., Nilsson, N., Thomsen, L., & Nordahl, R. (2017). Considerations on the use of virtual and augmented reality technologies in music education. In 2017 IEEE Virtual Reality Workshop on K-12 Embodied Learning Through Virtual & Augmented Reality (KELVAR; pp. 1–4). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/KELVAR.2017.7961562
Tang, K. (2020). Social imaginary and musical persuasion in twenty-first-century China: A partial ethnography of “floating” migrant music. Ethnomusicology Forum, 29(2), 187–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2020.1831394
Tatzgern, M., Domhardt, M., Wolf, M., Cenger, M., Emsenhuber, G., Dinic, R., Gerner, N., & Hartl, A. (2022). AirRes mask: A precise and robust virtual reality breathing interface utilizing breathing resistance as output modality. In S. Barbosa & C. Lampe (Chairs), CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1–14, Article 274). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3491102.3502090
Tivendale, H. N. (2022). Learning in lockdown: Strategies for success in emergency remote instrumental music tuition [Doctoral dissertation, University of Adelaide]. Adelaide Research and Scholarship, University of Adelaide. https://hdl.handle.net/2440/136747
Van Kerrebroeck, B., Caruso, G., & Maes, P.-J. (2021). A methodological framework for assessing social presence in music interactions in virtual reality. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 663725. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.663725
Vroegh, T. P. (2018). The pleasures of getting into the music: Absorption, and its role in the aesthetic appreciation of music [Doctoral dissertation, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität]. Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg. https://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/47549
Wang, Z., Zhao, Z., & Wei, L. (2022). Correlation analysis between cultural differences and normal music perception based on embedded voice multisensor. Journal of Sensors, 2022, Article 9248820. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9248820
Watanabe, M., Onoue, Y., Uemura, A., & Kitahara, T. (2023). Suiview: A web-based application that enables users to practice wind instrument performance. In M. Aramaki, K. Hirata, T. Kitahara, R. Kronland-Martinet, & S. Ystad (Eds.), Music in the AI Era. CMMR 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 13770 (pp. 69–75). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35382-6_7
Wilson, R. (2023). Aesthetic and technical strategies for networked music performance. AI & Society, 38(5), 1871–1884. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-01099-4
Xiao, L. (2025). Historical analysis of the evolution of local music culture in college music appreciation courses in China. Cultura: International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, 22(1), 421–445. https://culturajournal.com/article-view/?id=623
Xu, Z. (2022). Chinese art of playing the bamboo flute: The differences in acoustic parameters when performing music of contemporary Chinese composers and the influence of the national compositional tradition. Musica Hodie, 22, Article e73248. https://doi.org/10.5216/mh.v22.73248
Yan, J., & Xia, X. (2024). Interactive audio-visual course teaching of music education based on VR and AI support. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40(13), 3552–3559. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2190668
Yantian, H., Karin, K., & Seekhunlio, W. (2021). The Shanxi Badatao in Shanxi province, China. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(5), 3042–3052. https://rigeo.org/menu-script/index.php/rigeo/article/view/1142
Zhang, B., & Lam, C.-W. (2022). The making of a successful Chinese instrumentalist in the West: A case study of the pipa player Wu Man. Ethnomusicology Forum, 31(1), 101–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411912.2022.2055600
Zhang, Y. (2024). Problems of oboe teaching in a time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education and Information Technologies, 29(1), 1057–1070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12312-4
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The copyright for all content published in IRRODL remains with the authors.
This copyright agreement and usage license ensure that the article is distributed as widely as possible and can be included in any scientific or scholarly archive.
You are free to
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms below:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
