Sony Assistive Musical Instrument Hackathon, in partnership with Paraorchestra, Drake Music, Watershed and MyWorld

 

Watershed, Bristol, UK.
September 22–24, 2024.

 

The Sony Assistive Musical Instrument Hackathon was a collaboration between Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., Drake Music, Paraorchestra, Watershed, and MyWorld. Building on years of partnerships initiated and supported by British Council, this innovative event marked a significant milestone in the accessible instrument space. 

As the first of its kind, the hackathon aimed to foster lasting collaborations between a major global corporation, UK-based charities, the academic sector, and, most importantly, Disabled musicians. Beyond being a resounding success, the event serves as a practical model for future partnerships, uniting key individuals and organisations to drive meaningful, long-term advancements in instruments, technology, and opportunities for Disabled musicians worldwide.

The hackathon 

The two-and-a-half-day event took place at Watershed in Bristol, bringing together a diverse group of participants. It featured 6 Paraorchestra musicians, 25 engineers from 6 Sony Group companies (many traveling from Japan), and 12 UK-based technologists, musicians, and academics from the Bristol area. 

Underpinned by the Social Model of Disability, the hackathon embraced a co-design approach to ensure that the solutions developed were directly aligned with the requirements of the Disabled musicians. Each participant was a professional musician seeking to innovate and enhance their practice. 

Outcomes 

The hackathon resulted in a wide range of projects, with most teams developing multiple ideas. The quality of work was exceptional, with several projects showing potential for long-term impact. These included an advanced EQ system to help hearing-aid users work more easily in musical settings, a music transcription tool to enable Blind musicians to learn scores by ear, and a new arpeggiator interface to support live performance for musicians unable to play multiple notes simultaneously on a traditional piano keyboard. The variety and rapid development of these ideas highlight the demand for and possibilities of creating accessible music technologies. 

This event also laid the groundwork for ongoing collaboration among the organisations and participants, opening the door to further innovation. It underscores the value of bringing together diverse expertise to create practical solutions and expand opportunities for Disabled musicians. 

Drake Music would like to thank Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., the Disabled musicians of Paraorchestra and the team, MyWorld, the UK technologists, and Watershed for playing crucial parts in what was a truly memorable event.