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 MIDIcreator with the coloured front panel was first released in 1999 by the York Electronics Centre. It is a small box with sixteen 3.5mm sockets on the front panel – eight for on/off switches and eight for variable sensors. The MIDIcreator was released with a range of variable sensors including the MIDIgesture, MIDIsensor and MIDIcushion.

If you’ve got one of these units lurking around in your cupboards then dust it off and have a look. Although the technology is considered old in the age of the iPad and PC based instrument, the fundamental benefits remain the same.