Virtual Harmony: Music interaction with virtual reality to reduce stress

This paper presents a demonstration of a newly created device called Virtual Harmony, designed to address and reduce stress by applying Virtual Reality (VR) in a Music Therapy (MT) environment. The treatment combines VR and MT to stimulate audition through background music, vision through three-dimensional VR, and touch through virtual percussive instruments. A pilot study was conducted among 19 high school and college students, in which participants used Virtual Harmony and provided pre- and post-exposure questionnaire responses about their experiences. 90% of participants reported that Virtual Harmony was effective and worth purchasing and 32% of participants reported a significant decrease in stress levels after having used the device. Only 5% reported that their stress increased which may be related to past experiences with severe vertigo. Further controlled experimentation is needed, but these early results are consistent with Virtual Harmony being a promising, affordable, and accessible way for users to manage their stress