AR you ready to rock?
Drum Tutor, a leading drum school based out of Singapore, has begun using augmented reality (AR) technology as part of its current lesson plan, offering students a new, more efficient way to hone their skills off-stage.
Referred to by the company as Playarlong, this unique educational program has learners striking a series of virtual cubes projected over the real world using a conventional monitor. The “gameplay” is relatively straightforward. When a cube lands on the base of an on-screen instrument, the musician-in-training strikes the corresponding percussion on their electronic drum kit, all-the-while an educator monitors their performance using image recognition technology.
The project took roughly 9 months to develop and currently features three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Playarlong is currently being offered as a complimentary trial class at Drum Tutor’s orchard gateway center, though the company has expressed interest in using AR technology as part of future introductory drum lessons.
“At Drum Tutor, we are constantly innovating to improve the drum set pedagogy. As VR and AR technology continue to evolve and become more accessible, we hope to one day adopt these technological advances to provide introductory training to beginners and enthusiasts,” said founder Chow-Kiat Er. “As educators, we can then align our lesson plans to incorporate creative methods like Playarlong to conduct classes on more challenging topics.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen AR technology used for the purpose of music education. Last year we covered Magic Keys, an educational app for the Meta Quest that teaches you piano in mixed reality. Similar to Drum Tutor’s Playarlong, the app projects virtual notes over the real world that you follow along with using a physical keyboard.
As the popularity around AR technology continues to rise, expect to see more of these educational musical experiences.
For more information on Drum Tutor and Playarlong visit here.
Image Credit: Drum Tutor
