Starscape

Inspiration

For secondary students, studying music can be daunting. 50% of students quit within 1-2 years of starting to learn an instrument. The complexity of mastering musical skills often demands substantial time and perseverance, potentially leading to feelings of intimidation and frustration. Additionally, the learning process traditionally lacks immediate gratification and those pivotal "aha" moments that spark sustained interest and motivation.

We wanted to change that and provide an alternative music creation experience that would be rewarding, playful, simple and delightful.

What it does

Starscape is an immersive MR experience that inspires aspiring musicians to engage with and understand musical concepts. It does this by allowing users to create visual, shareable galaxies, thereby fostering connection, confidence, and creativity. Players begin in free play mode, learning to use their bodies to create stars in their virtual environment. When ready, they can effortlessly transition into learner mode, which guides them through the process of creating a galaxy. This mode bridges abstract music theory concepts with enchanting visuals. ML algorithms tailor the experience, enabling users to build knowledge at their own pace, explore their interests, and share these experiences with friends and family, taking pride in their creations. This serves as a foundational stepping stone, nurturing an interest and appreciation for music while mastering abstract concepts and empowering users to take the next step when ready.

How we're unique

We built a mixed reality experience, and using of natural gestures through full body tracking. We explored the concept through storyboards in Figma and assembled the experience in Unity using Meta Presence Platform, C# and particle effects. We used a series of colliders to simulate custom gesture and trigger events.

How we built it

Challenges we ran into

Identifying the audience and the exact educational aspect of the experience.
Setting up and working with Meta Presence Platform.
Simulate custom natural body gestures

Accomplishments that we're proud of

What we learned

Creating an experience that straddles intuitive play and education taught us about learning mechanics. To ensure users learned but still had a delightful experience, we explored combining learning theory around assessment with gamification.

As a team with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, we also learned to communicate and collaborate across disciplines.

What's next for Starscape

We hope to continue developing our technology to enhance the curriculum and visual effects. We plan to partner with museums and entertainment companies to build trust and awareness before then launching offering subscriptions to schools.