The Sound Tree Project: Developing Personal and Collective Expression with Accessible Digital Musical Instruments

Steph OHara; Alon Ilsar

The Sound Tree Project: Developing Personal and Collective Expression with Accessible Digital Musical Instruments
Image credit: Steph OHara; Alon Ilsar

Abstract:

The Sound Tree Project investigates how accessible digital musical instruments (ADMIs) can champion both personal and collective musical expression. Through a sustained six-month ethnographic engagement with five performers and two support artists, we explored how to create personalised instruments for a public per- formance outcome. The technical framework combined multiple wireless motion sensor devices placed inside different objects and the development of a real-time movement-to-sound pro- cessing hub within a live coding environment. The performance was centred on an accessible sound sculpture, the Sound Tree, where digital instruments coexisted with traditional sound mak- ing objects. Drawing from our shared process of experimentation, improvisation, and personalised instrument creation, we present some key ‘magic moments’ that were woven into the final perfor- mance and discuss how they might serve as evidence of personal expression and validation of the design process. The emergence of these moments demonstrate the value of real-time system adaptation in encouraging individual expression, the importance of sustained engagement in developing personalised instruments and having effective strategies for balancing personal and collec- tive music-making. These insights have implications in developing accessible mu- sic technology and broader approaches to designing technologies that support diverse forms of creative collaboration.