Everyone’s a conductor with new game

Less complex than real conducting
The experience the conductor games offer is less complex than that of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," in which players using simplified versions of instruments play popular songs to earn points.

And it's much less complex than being a real conductor, who interprets musical selections, practices with the orchestra, cues each section of the ensemble to play and guides the performance in other ways.

In fact, a real conductor might get frustrated with "UBS Virtual Maestro," said Chris Ault, an assistant professor of interactive multimedia at The College of New Jersey who helped design the program.

"Doing what you would do in front of the kiosk probably wouldn't get you far in front of a real orchestra," Ault said.

Indeed, achieving anything like the "flow of emotion" Nakra described was difficult during a break in a recent evening performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center.

"You're not doing it right! You need to raise it higher! What kind of orchestra did you ever conduct?" 77-year-old Marie Wiley Ross, of Livermore, Calif., told a would-be conductor she stopped to watch — and advise.

Ross's daughter, Katie Bump, 53, of Dillon, Mont., offered some suggestions for Nakra's team on how to make "UBS Virtual Maestro" more realistic.

"Maybe they could hang some instruments, maybe put a curtain up here, a backdrop. The sound device isn't working really well. The screen could be a little bit bigger. And we had a little bit of trouble figuring out how to run that little device," she said of the remote control.

"But it's a fun idea!" her mother countered.

For now, the game can be played only at concert halls on its tour itinerary. Nakra hasn't decided whether to pursue a commercial version. She said she doubted virtual conducting would ever be as popular as "Guitar Hero."

But Philadelphia Orchestra spokeswoman Katherine Blodgett said "UBS Virtual Maestro" seemed to be accomplishing its mission of sparking interest in classical music. During a weekend event for children, more than 100 lined up to try it out, she said.

"You can have someone in their 70s. You can have children. I think it just goes to show that everyone wants to be a conductor," Blodgett said.

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