“The benefits of playing a musical instrument are numerous and well documented: benefits to brain health, stress relief, prevention of memory loss, (playing an instrument is better for your brain than just listening)”
In 2023, an organisation broke the record for the most amount of nominations received in one single edition of the Music Cities Awards.
We're talking about the CED Society and their project the Sound of Soul Recording Studio and Multimedia Institute, which was nominated to win the categories of: Best Initiative to Support Diversity & Inclusion in Music, presented by Levitt Foundation, Best Initiative to Support Music Education, presented by Music Business Association and Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities, presented by Momentual.
Looking into their application it is obvious why this project caught the attention of the Jury.
CED Society is not only a centre that is using music and other tools to create a positive impact in the lives of disabled and disadvantaged women in the Himalayas. It does so by creating some of the most amazing musical instruments that we've ever seen.
These instruments are designed to help people with serious mobility and communications abilities to play music and seem taken from an avante garde electronic Music Festival like Mutek or Sonar.
We've compiled a list of just four of them for you to explore and get inspired by, including a MIDI controller that allows you to control virtual instruments using the wave pulses coming from your brain.
Are you interested or work in projects that explore the intersection of music and new technologies? Then make sure to explore last year's applicants of the Music Cities Awards for Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities.
Sound of Soul Recording Studio creates Futuristic Musical Instruments for Disabled and Disadvantaged Women in the Himalayas:
Qutb Hand Controller
The Qutb Hand Controller is an instrument created with a 3D-printed design based on 3D scan of the base of Qutb Minaa. It has a capacitive touch based hand sensor that allows high readings upon skin contact. It also has joysticks for tracking thumbs and wrist movements, as well as gesture sensors to provide theremin-like control for the hand and an EMG sensor to measure muscle activity at the forearm.
It is an instrument designed with a hand pattern that picks up small movements and pressure, intended for people with limited motor functions.
Digital Dorje
It's based on traditional Tibetan Dorje Bell. The bell is replaced with a handle to be used as a wand. It has a a velostat based handle with a touch/pressure sensor. It also includes a color sensor on the tip so the Dorje can be pointed at different colours and parts of a picture to play music.
It is a an easy to use instrument that can aid for nonverbal communication challenges.
Touch Takiya (Cushion)
This is a fun, safe, soft sensor based pillow instrument. It has conductive metal thread inlays sewed into the pillow face that work as capacitive touch sensors. It also uses conductive silver fabric that works as both touch and stretch sensors. It has force sensors embedded under the pillow foam, giving the pillow interface three dimensions that can be controlled. It is connected to virtual instruments using bluetooth embebed within the pillow foam.
This is a safe and durable instrument ideal for small children with limited motor function. It can be touched, pressed, punched, thrown across the room to trigger different musical
events.
EEG Midi Control
This controller uses OpenBCI Cyton UltraCortex open source EEG to measure strength of different types of brainwaves (Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma). Its measurements capture focus/engagement, positive/negative emotions, as well as eye and face movements.
It is an intuitive, focus controlled music software manipulation tool.
CED (Children's Educational Development) Society is a multifaceted, non-profit outreach center supporting disabled and disadvantaged women, located in Dehradun, India. It was founded in 2000 by Lama Tenzin Choegyal and some of its flagship projects include Himalayankids is an orphanage and education center focused on improving the lives of disadvantaged girls from villages in the Himalayan border region. PinkPads, a women's health service focused producing and distributing sanitary pads and women's hygiene packages to women in need throughout Uttarakhand and GIFT (Girls' Institute For
Technology), an IT and professional training program for women with disabilities with the aim of financial independence.
In 2022, Fulbright-Nehru student Calvin McCormack partnered with CED Society to design, develop, and test a variety of musical instruments specifically for people with disabilities.
Did you enjoyed discovering the work of CED Society? Are you also part of a project exploring the intersection of music and new technologies? Then make sure to apply to the 2024 Music Cities Awards.
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