Like many schools, Slam Academy has closed its doors. But unlike others, Slam Academy is determined to use the opportunity to innovate by offering music classes in virtual reality.
Minneapolis, March 24, 2020: Slam Academy today announced that in addition to their regular music courses moving online due to the COVID-19 epidemic, they would be launching additional new classes exclusively in virtual reality. The first class will be March 31, 7pm CST, and will be free and open to the public.
Slam Academy has offered music production classes since 2012 in its NE Minneapolis studio. In 2014, they launched an online campus, and in 2018 a new campus in Denver. Because Slam Academy already had an online program, converting their Minneapolis and Denver campuses to online classes was a quick process. "We already had the infrastructure, so switching to online courses was relatively simple, but I wanted to go further." said Dr. J. Anthony Allen, founder and CEO of Slam Academy.
"Virtual Reality has always fascinated me, and I had been slowly working on how I could teach a music class using it. When the COVID-19 shutdowns began, I took it as a sign that now was the time. I ramped up our research and development, and we were able to get a platform together” Allen noted. Slam Academy will be launching its first class by the end of March. “When students enter the class, they will see a likeness of me, standing in the front of the room, talking. I’ll have music examples to play, a presentation, and I’ll be taking questions. Students can interact by raising their hands and speaking normally, just like a real class. I’ll be able to see every student in the room, no matter where they are geographically.”
The class will be “Careers in Music,” a seminar on the different careers available to the modern musician. Like many Slam Academy classes, it will be free and open to the public. Students need to register on the Slam Academy website beforehand, and access information will be sent to them via email after registration. “I’ve done this class a lot of different times, and it usually appeals to a very large number of aspiring musicians. So I thought it would be a great place to start with VR classes.”
The class will happen in virtual reality on March 31, 7pm CST. Anyone interested in attending can register at http://www.slamacademy.com/vr.
