An inexpensive, easy to use percussion instrument with a clip-on trigger that turns almost any surface into a playable instrument.
This review originally appeared as part of Andrew’s presentation at Music Education Expo 2014.
WOW – I want one of those (Part 1)
An important aspect of Best Practice in any situation is choosing the right tools for the job. Over the past few years, I’ve been travelling around delivering accessible, participatory music projects in a range of Special Educational Needs and Disability Settings and I’ve been able to try out a number of different instruments and technologies. […]
Skoog price drop
The Skoog has just become better value for money following a price drop to £380 (inc VAT). The wired version (soon to be the basic model – more news soon!) has been popular in many schools as an attractive instrument with a unique personality. Used with the included virtual instruments it can be very expressive. […]
Special World Magazine launches
New, digital-only magazine Special World has launched and is now available to download. It features an article by Andrew and I on making music with technology.
‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ in Lancashire
In July 2013, Andrew and I worked on a project with Lancashire Music Hub to look at using accessible music technology in SEN/D settings. David Ashworth led the project, which culminated in a musical performance inspired by ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. It combined the use of iPads, Skoog, Soundbeam and Apollo Ensemble to create a […]
Is my MIDIcreator old tech?
The answer to this is both yes and no. Yes, it is old, but it’s still highly usable in an SEND setting for music making.
The Beamz – Breaking laser beams
Break one of the four laser beams to trigger sounds and note sequences on the included software. Works with PC, Mac and iPad.
Switch and eye gaze control of the software is possible for those with more limited movements. Beamz controller recommended for those with good upper body control.
Playing Beamz at The Dales School
Today Andrew and I took a Beamz up to the Dales School in Morton-on-Swale to see how accessible it would be to the children. It was used across the day as one of several instruments available to the groups during their weekly music sessions. The controller was used with the Beamz software (Education and Healthcare version) […]
Ensemble reaches final of Music Teacher Awards: Best SEN Resource
The Apollo Ensemble has been announced as a finalist in the ‘Best SEN Resource’ category at the 2014 Music Teacher Awards for Excellence. This category is in recognition of an outstanding product that combines current research with practical application to allow students with special educational needs to engage with music. Ensemble joins Drake Music Scotland (for Figurenotes), SHARE Community and Prima […]
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Multimedia Residency
West Lancashire Community High School 16th/17th July 2013 With David Ashworth leading the music workshops sessions, I worked with four students (Mark, Reece, Josh and Luke) to devise, produce and rehearse the multimedia elements of the performance – with invaluable technical support from Mark Hildred. The students with whom we worked had all volunteered (or […]