Using technology to enable people of all abilities to explore music
Alastair C. Disley, David M. Howard, Andrew D. Hunt · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2007
MIDI Creator is a commercially available programable device that converts sensor inputs to MIDI data, which can then directly trigger sound or be used as controls for more complex environments. A variety of sensors are available, including pressure-sensitive floor pads and ultrasonic beam controllers. The authors present two applications of this technology, which illustrate the system’s ability to be used in music education and music therapy environments. In the first instance, two rows of floor pads were used as controls for a game projected onto the floor. The default game was a co-operative ping-pong variant, in which users were encouraged to work together to achieve the highest number of volleys. Other options included musical games, where users could co-operate to produce harmonies. All ages and abilities, including wheelchair users, were able to take part on an equal basis. In the second instance, a simple potentiometer was explored as an input device. School children rotating the potentiometer caused the MIDI Creator to play a scale and light lamps corresponding to the notes being played. The children then decided which notes lit which lamps. Other uses of MIDI Creator in the areas of music education and music therapy are summarized.