Aphasia is an impairment that affects many different aspects of language and makes it more difficult for a person to communicate with those around them. Treatment for aphasia is often administered by a speech-language pathologist in a clinical setting, but researchers have recently begun exploring the potential of virtual reality (VR) interventions. VR provides an immersive environment and can allow multiple users to interact with digitized content. This exploratory paper proposes the design of a VR rehabilitation game –called Pact– for adults with aphasia that aims to improve the word-finding and picture-naming abilities of users to improve communication skills. Additionally, a study is proposed that will assess how well Pact improves the word-finding and picture-naming abilities of users when it is used in conjunction with speech therapy. If the results of the study show an increase in word-finding and picture-naming scores compared to the control group (patients receiving traditional speech therapy alone), the results would indicate that Pact can achieve its goal of promoting improvement in these domains. There is a further need to examine VR interventions for aphasia, particularly with larger sample sizes that explore the gains associated with or design issues associated with multi-user VR programs.

Throughout history, music has evolved. Composition and songwriting have changed in order to create fresh and original sounds. However, production has been emphasized more than ever in the modern music industry. Due to the fact that music generated with an instrument can only be organized using a specific range, diversity can be limited. Musical production and audio editing introduced an innovative solution. After the creation of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), recording transitioned from “being primarily a technical to an artistic matter” (Moorefield). Technology that established reverb, pitch shift, loop, pan, and countless other effects broadened melodic horizons and changed the way that musicians practiced their craft. Notably, once the recording process had been polished by the 1960s, the music industry entered an experimental phase. The term “producer” gained traction along with engineers. To this day, artists prioritize the individuals they choose to produce their album because this factor will drive the overall sound of a song or project. Moreover, an artist may choose to produce their own music as they grow more comfortable with creating music and working with editing software. There is an abundance of music being released into the world on an annual basis. Without production, the community would come to a monotonous halt, making music production the driving force behind musical evolution.