What Changed for Me

My first takeaway from this project was that Game-based learning platforms like Minecraft meet students where they are, and offer dynamic ways to engage with music education in a setting that doesn’t resemble typical “schoolwork”.

Working within Minecraft also challenged me to rethink my approach to traditional musical structures. Translating melodic phrases into a grid-based system of redstone logic and note blocks was more closely aligned to the input of piano roll on a DAW than traditional western notation, and the skills translate well to contemporary music production techniques. Working through this new medium forced me to rethink my approach to the nuances of rhythm, tempo, and phrasing as I adapted them to a block-based format.

Finally, Minecraft enabled me to express creativity not only through audio but also visually. The spatial layout of musical sequence, the aesthetic choices of the environment, and even the layout of the world map became part of the creative experience. This integration of sound and space deepened my understanding of music as a multidimensional form of expression, and showed me new ways to engage students in that world.