The Drake Music team are constantly testing new instruments and apps for accessibility across a range of contexts. Our team are highly trained in working with assistive music technology and are always investigating new options, apps and instruments.
This is a bespoke process, and we react to the available opportunities and contexts, but broadly it falls into two categories:
Testing mainstream products already on the market
We test the leading assistive music technology available on the market, for example new iPad Apps, the Soundbeam 5, Skoog, Subpac, Alphasphere.
This work allows us to stay current as an organisation, so we can better support musicians and schools. Sometimes we also work in partnership with the companies involved to discuss changes and further improvements to the products.
This work allows us to have a properly informed opinion of the tools on the market, and we try to be objective and open minded. Consequently some projects are more successful than others. We always seek to be constructive and feed into the development of products to increase accessibility wherever possible.
We use the information and experience we gain to train our team and also, in our consultancy work, to inform music service providers of the best AMT options currently available on the market.
Testing products that are still ‘in progress’
We work with a diverse range of people to stimulate and support the development of new assistive music technology. We bridge the gap between disabled musicians and developers, hackers and technologists to put accessibility at the heart of new music tech.
This work encompasses everything from our work with Mi.Mu – collaborating with a very mature project, made by a hugely experienced team – through to our work supporting individual hackers, makers and students as they develop accessible music technology.
Being involved with the early stages of development means we can be part of setting the agenda for music technology and we can put accessibility at the heart of new instruments and kit.