#1311: Piano Lab Pro: An Exposure Based Mixed Reality Application to Mitigate Music Performance Anxiety

Piano Lab Pro (PLP) is an immersive experience for the Apple Vision Pro headset, designed to help piano students practice coping mechanisms for dealing with musical performance anxiety. To accomplish this, PLP allows students to perform a musical piece using a real piano, while having the Mixed Reality (MR) headset simulate a large performance space both visually and acoustically. During their performance, they experience dimmer house light, brighter stage light, and simulated audience presenting distracting behavior. PLP is designed in collaboration with faculty members from the school of music and addresses a practical need to help music students identify their anxiety triggers and practice effective coping mechanisms.