Ok, I’ll admit it, I have gotten REALLY into Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) lately. It is such a fresh innovation that has not made it into all classrooms yet because of its inaccessibility now though more tools are coming on the market, making it more accessible for more to be able to incorporate VR into the classroom. With resources from VR creation tools to apps that have the tools already built and are ready for you to use right on the spot. Everyone can add something special to the activities you do every day in your classroom. 

Some of the top VR/AR tools I have been playing with so far:

Metaverse– App Store Download Google Play Download An AR experience creator that allows teachers and students to create games, word hunts, and even quizzes inside of the app to use in class.

Merge Cube– More details My newly dubbed “Stress toy” in sessions due to its squishy awesomeness but also a high powered AR target! There are several apps out there that are already built for the cube that you can use right away. Just make sure to search “Merge Cube” in the app store to see what offerings are there. You can also use CoSpacesEDU to create your own Merge Cube experiences.

CoSpacesEDU– Learn more here. You can get an account for free, but there are also premium plans with more tools unlocked. I have fallen in love with this VR creator. It is easiest to use and has a simple UI that makes it easy to learn for anyone who is interested in creating VR and AR experiences.

Google’s VR Creator Check out a tour I created for Carnegie Hall  This is an easy to use VR creator that allows the user to search for real places using Google Earth and create different scenes at different locations. I made one for Carnegie Hall but also Beethoven’s houses in Bonn Germany and Vienna Austria as well as a few other fun ones.

Now you’re asking what can I do with these tools? How about,

1.) Have students research a specific musical period or composer and build their presentation in a slide presentation app before putting them on the Merge Cube using CoSpacesEDU for optimal interactivity presentations.

2.) Create a VR tour of a famous music venue for students to be able to explore. If you are talking about the Sydney Opera House or Carnegie Hall, why not show students the real-life building.

3.) Have students use the Metaverse app to create word hunts for their classmates to experience. You can base it around musical genres, basic music theory, or even current songs they listen to.

What questions do you have about AR/VR in the music classroom?