Improvisational Music Therapy in the Metaverse: Assessing the Feasibility of an Immersive VR Support System

Abstract

Improvisational music therapy, a form of art therapy that relies on using musical instruments in a shared space with a music therapist, currently lacks suitable digital tools for conducting remote sessions. This limitation hinders the possibility of conducting the therapy in conditions where in-person sessions are impractical. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to social distancing measures, many improvisational music therapy programs were suddenly halted, compromising users’ progress and severely limiting the work of music therapists. This study contributes to the literature by introducing the first system to support remote improvisational music therapy with immersive virtual reality in a metaverse context. The system has been designed and validated by a multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, music therapists, and clinical psychologists. The results of the user study indicate that the system provides the conditions necessary for effective nonverbal communication and musical interplay within an immersive virtual environment. We also identify further improvements to enhance the fidelity of nonverbal communication, as it is the fundamental relational component of improvisational music therapy. This work shows the potential of immersive virtual reality and the metaverse to enable remote improvisational music therapy sessions, providing a foundation for future clinical validation studies.