The world’s first performance simulator has pioneered a decade of RCM research, teaching, and innovation.
Musicians typically rehearse far away from their audiences and in practice rooms that differ significantly from the concert venues in which they aspire to perform. Due to high costs and the inaccessibility of such venues, much current international music training lacks repeated exposure to realistic performance situations, with students learning all too late (or not at all) how to manage the stresses of performing and the demands of their audiences.
Inspired by, and in collaboration with, those who develop simulation environments for surgical training, the RCM developed the world’s first music performance simulator. It worked with the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano), London-based creative design consultancy Studiohead, and Skyline Whitespace, one of the leading providers of custom modular stands in Europe, to developed the facility. The simulator features realistic back-stage and on-stage areas as well as an interactive virtual audience and audition panel. Generously supported by the Peter Sowerby Foundation, this training facility offers a unique opportunity for musicians to practise their performing and auditioning skills.
The facility has been in constant use by musicians and performers since its initial development. It has allowed thousands of musicians and other performers to develop and refine valuable professional skills and been the basis for a decade of leading research into the physiological and psychological challenges of performance.
The simulator is still in use at the RCM, and has since seen a major upgrade into world leading Performance Laboratory.
