Music Academy Inworld — Our Virtual Campus

If it is new to you, Second Life® is an online networking platform developed by Linden Lab to function as a 3 dimensional virtual world. It is currently gaining international media attention. We firmly believe that the kind of immersive, interactive, 3D environment that this type of virtual world provides has dramatic implications for those of us dedicated to generating interest in classical music at all levels, including music education, music appreciation, and especially for the promotion of new music and new composers.

Our facilities in Second Life include museum displays, interactive exhibits, classrooms with audio/video capabilities, a lecture and recital hall, screening rooms, open air concert space, an in-world staff, plus all the great technology that is inherent in the virtual world. Imagine making an entire building appear at the push of a button; watching Beethoven play his own music; or attending a lecture about Gustav Mahler by Gustav Mahler.

We are regularly presenting classes, concerts, recitals, lectures, and individual lessons. In fact, this new technology enables us to function just as a “real” physical world building.

Over the past two years our virtual campus located on the Utwig Sim in Second Life has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors to regular classes, discussions, and recitals. Highlights from 2008 include:

• In May we held a festival, "Exploring Mahler," that was sponsored in part by Telarc International. Many of the nearly 1,000 attendees gained renewed interest in the man and his music, while others found a kindred spirit in a composer whose music had been unknown to them prior to our festival's events.
• In August, Music Academy Online held its 2nd Annual Festival in Two Worlds. This 9-day event included lecturers, performers, composers, and artists from around the world,. This year's theme was "Virtuality" and our featured guest was award-winning composer Amin Bhatia.
• In September 2008, we collaborated with the Analog Arts Ensemble and streamed a live performance of the U.S. premiere of "Cosmic Pulses," the last piece of electronic music written by the man known as the 'father of electronic music,' Karlheinz Stockhausen.

If you are interested in exploring all the possibilities that are inherent in a virtual world, we encourage you to visit Second Life’s website to learn more about this unique networking platform. We look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions, or better yet, join us in Second Life!

Let us help you!

If you are new to Second Life and would like our help getting started, don’t hesitate to contact us and set up an appointment for a tutorial. Or...

simply go through the process of creating an account on the Second Life website. When your avatar has entered Second Life, simply IM (Instant Message) Benton Wunderlich.

Watch an interview with David as his Second Life Avatar, Benton Wunderlich,
talks about the Music Academy Online facilities and goals in the
immersive 3D world.

Second Life and Classical Music Education: Developing Iconography That Encourages Human Interaction from the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research Article by David Schwartz