In an Advanced Design Planning Workshop, our brief was to design an app platform for the iPad that also had a continuous revenue model. What distinguishes a platform (as ID uses the term) is that it is a loosely held set of standards that can be opened up for others to make money on the platform. Examples are the Apple App Store, Facebook, and Etsy.

At the time, one of the biggest shows on TV was American Idol. I came up with the idea of Coloratura, an app that could use the power of the iPad to be a digital vocal coach. The name came from a vocal technique that elaborates and decorates a melody…much like contestants would do on the show.

With Coloratura, the iPad’s multiple microphones could capture your singing and the software could tell you whether you were on key or “pitchy dawg!” (apologies to Randy Jackson). You could then record your vocalization and share it with other Coloratura users, to get feedback on your performance and help you improve, giving the platform a social dimension.

But the real idea of Coloratura is that it is a way to sell both interactive sheet music and karaoke backing tracks in an online marketplace. The app was expandable, so it could be used in a choral setting or by bands orchestras. Another version would be available for various instrumentalists.

There were multiple versions of coloratura:

• A free Coloratura Lite which was ad supported'

• A Pro version with no ads and 2 free songs

• An Ensemble version that could network multiple Coloratura users together with 2 way feedback.

In addition there was a music affiliate program for iTunes Music Store and Amazon, a “masterclass” feature that would curate multiple versions of the same song, and musical transcription, to turn performance into musical notation.

It was a cool idea but my instructor was initially skeptical that there was enough of a market to make it viable. However a bit of research showed that there were already (as of 2004) 30 million singers in more than 3 million choral groups in the US alone. 1 in 5 households in the US have one or more members who sing in a choir or band. Singing is the most popular participatory activity in the performing arts.

There was also already a $2.5B market for musical instruments and recording equipment. When I unveiled the concept, I was urged to make it a reality. Unfortunately, at the time, I did not have the programming chops to write the code and app developers were not nearly as prolific as today.

Today, apps like Yousician serve similar functionality, but Coloratura was a decade ahead of its time.