A participant in the Philharmonia Orchestra's Virtual Orchestra VR experience described playing percussion during the finale of Rossini’s William Tell Overture without having rehearsed or seen the score beforehand. The VR experience lets users choose from three percussion instruments: triangle, cymbal, and timpani. Marta Génova, the Philharmonia’s head of digital product and experience, said the timpani were "definitely the most fun." The experience includes a short run-through of the sounds and is conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who guides participants through the music in real time. The Philharmonia Orchestra has long used technology to engage new audiences, offering immersive digital experiences at places like the Science Museum. These VR headsets are primarily designed for educational purposes, aiming to spark interest in playing real instruments rather than replacing them. The initiative is part of the Orchestra in Every School program, which seeks to provide every child in the UK with access to live music-making and high-quality music education. The VR experience was piloted in 12 schools across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. Of the children involved, 75% had never attended a classical concert before, and 96% said they were likely to attend one after the experience. Feedback showed that 60% of the students felt inspired to learn an instrument. The experience was tested on year 7 students, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Thorben Dittes, the Philharmonia’s CEO, said the headsets allow for extended engagement with music education. The VR experience was compared to the popular music video game Guitar Hero, where users play along with sheet music using colored notes that indicate which timpani to hit. One participant described finishing with a flourish of quick notes, though they realized they had hit the wrong timpani for each one. Love Ssega, a former member of the group Clean Bandit, praised the participant’s 84% score on the "hard" mode. Dittes mentioned that participants became competitive over their scores, though he could not share his own. The Philharmonia is considering using the VR experience to identify potential future percussionists, with Génova noting that auditions were upcoming.