Teach Me How to ImproVISe: Co-Designing an Augmented Piano Training System for Improvisation

TL;DR

This paper presents the co-designed AR-based ImproVISe system to enhance piano improvisation training, addressing assessment challenges and providing design guidelines for effective digital augmentation in music education.

Contribution

It introduces a novel AR piano training system developed through expert collaboration, offering new insights into digital augmentation for improvisation instruction.

Findings

Design guidelines for AR improvisation training

Refined interaction metaphors based on expert feedback

Addressed assessment challenges in piano improvisation

Abstract

Improvisation is a vital but often neglected aspect of traditional piano teaching. Challenges such as difficulty in assessment and subjectivity have hindered its effective instruction. Technological approaches, including augmentation, aim to enhance piano instruction, but the specific application of digital augmentation for piano improvisation is under-explored. This paper outlines a co-design process developing an Augmented Reality (AR) Piano Improvisation Training System, ImproVISe, involving improvisation teachers. The prototype, featuring basic improvisation concepts, was created and refined through expert interaction. Their insights guided the identification of objectives, tools, interaction metaphors, and software features. The findings offer design guidelines and recommendations to address challenges in assessing piano improvisation in a learning context.