The effect of the musical-cognitive digital app on note-recognition and piano performance: A quasi-experimental study

This study examined the outcomes associated with the use of the Musical-Cognitive Digital App as a supplementary digital tool in beginner piano education, focusing on the note-recognition performance and piano performance of nine-year-old students. A quantitative research approach was employed using a post-test-only control group quasi-experimental design. The study sample consisted of 20 third-grade students enrolled in a primary school in Bursa during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, none of whom had prior instrumental training. Participants were assigned by the researchers to either the experimental or control group in the order listed, while balancing participant characteristics across the groups. Both groups received the same individual piano instruction, while the experimental group additionally used the Musical-Cognitive Digital App. Piano lessons were conducted individually once a week for 40 minutes over a 12-week period. Students’ note-recognition performance was assessed using the Music Tutor application, and their piano performances were video-recorded and independently evaluated by three field experts using the Piano Performance Evaluation Rubric developed with expert review. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used in the analysis. Following the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher note-recognition performance than the control group, whereas no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in piano performance. These findings suggest that the Musical-Cognitive Digital App may have potential as a supplementary digital instructional tool for tasks related to note recognition in beginner piano education, while its relationship with broader piano-performance outcomes may be examined further in future research.