Yuelin Cheng¹ and Jonathan Sahagun², ¹USA, ²California State Polytechnic University, USA

MelodyDrop is a mobile application designed to improve piano learning by synchronizing MIDI playback with both falling-note animations and physical LED guidance via an ESP32-S3 microcontroller [1]. It addresses the difficulty beginners face when reading sheet music by offering a game-like interface and lighting up the exact keys to press. The system is composed of a Flutter app, a MIDI parsing engine, a custom BLE protocol, and an LED strip mounted on a piano [2]. Experiments showed that BLE latency remains low enough for real-time use and that LED-guided learning significantly improves accuracy compared to screen-only visualization. MelodyDrop builds on prior methods that used tactile or MusicXML-based feedback, but does so wirelessly and with greater portability. Its cross-platform nature and low-cost hardware make it widely accessible for casual learners and schools alike. Future improvements could include adaptive practice modes, cloud syncing, and expanded accessibility features. MelodyDrop provides a compelling, intuitive way to practice piano.

Piano Learning, MIDI, BLE, LED Guidance