Gamifying the practice room

What if learning etudes felt like casting spells in epic boss battles? DragonScales: The Hero Levels – 25 Fantasy Etudes to Slay Evil invites violists into a fully immersive practice and performance experience where fantasy storytelling, game mechanics, and serious technique converge. In this lecture recital, I will demonstrate how the Hero Levels fuse narrative, audio play-along recordings, and progressive etudes to create a flexible and engaging educational tool for players of all levels.

This unique system includes three core components: a written fantasy novella in which you, the player, take on the role of Hero, a full set of technically demanding yet imaginative notated etudes, and professionally recorded and mixed audio play-along tracks. Available in three difficulty tiers—Story, Noble, and Legend—for violin, viola, and cello, each following the same story and using the same audio play-alongs, the book supports both solo and multiplayer settings, allowing teachers, students, and peers to level up together.

Through live performance excerpts and analysis, I will showcase how these etudes function both as stand-alone technical studies and as integrated components of a storytelling journey alongside cinematic audio play-alongs. I will also explore practical applications for private studios, group classes, and recital settings—including adaptive multi-level learning, improvisation prompts, theory integration, and cross-instrument collaboration.

With QR-linked resources including practice tempo tracks, demo performances, and a growing online community playlist, The Hero Levels supports creative learning at every stage of development. This session will be both a performance and an invitation to reimagine how we teach and inspire with our instruments. Why not go on an adventure while learning your instrument? Materials will be provided for participants and an optional raffle book giveaway can be arranged.