Virtual musical instruments enable cheap, remote lessons

Teach-U VR is an immersive environment that helps children learn the piano and the drums by engaging their muscle memory on virtual instruments.

Learning to play a musical instrument is a reward in itself, and recent studies have proven that it can also help with children’s academic achievement. However, music programs are often the first to go when schools need to make savings, and the cost of private lessons and instruments can make it unaffordable to many families. Offering an alternative is Teach-U VR, a virtual reality system created by participants at the recent TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon.

Teach-U VR is an immersive environment that enables children to learn piano and drums virtually by engaging their muscle memory on virtual instruments. To begin, the child and their teacher each put on a Google Cardboard headset and connect to wifi. They are then immersed in a split screen virtual environment, with one piano or drum kit on each side. The participants can then ‘play’ the virtual instruments physically with hand gestures. The system can be used for lessons, practice or collaborations.

Could other physical skills such as cooking or crafting be taught and practiced using VR?