Derby business founders are leading a music education revolution around the world with their multi award-winning patented instrument developed from an adapted wheelchair joystick.
Established musicians Si Tew and Owain Wilson aim to give every student the joy of music with their groundbreaking CMPSR musical instrument and controller.
Si, who runs Digit Music with Owain, originally created the revolutionary CMPSR and Swipe music app to support people with disabilities.
Tapping into the muscle memory and familiarity of something they use daily, the aim was to create a musical device that could be played by people facing physical barriers to traditional instruments.
Pairing with any music software as well as the company’s own musical app, the instrument has already won prestigious awards as well as wowing accessibility heads at Apple and Google.
Now the Digit Music founders – whose pedigree includes working with Netflix, Universal Music, The Chemical Brothers, Gary Barlow and Radiohead to name a few – are using their instrument made for disability inclusion to pioneer a new ‘digital first’ approach to music teaching.
They want every student to have a fulfilling music education as well as empowering teachers with no previous knowledge of the subject.
Si said: “Something like 90 per cent of people learning an instrument give up after 16 weeks.
“Through all the years of work we have done in special needs education, we realised we’d created a musical instrument that was easy for all children to use and accessible for teachers.
“We felt that the next big challenge was to look at what is happening in primary mainstream education and what the problems were there which include a lack of musically trained teachers and a very traditional curriculum.
“Actually, it seemed that the problems were the same. The kids were trying to use instruments they did not necessarily want to engage with, and teachers did not always have the confidence or expertise to be able to deliver a musical education.”
The revolutionary CMPSR has already picked up a prestigious Tech4Good award from AbilityNet Microsoft along with a Global Inclusion Award presented by IFIP (International Forums of Inclusive Practitioners) and Google Education.
Senior leaders at Apple, Google and Microsoft have been blown away by the ground-breaking devices, playing them alongside young people with disabilities at the Google Accessibility Discovery Centre in London.
Now CMPSR, Swipe and the company’s Arrownotes notation system are being used by hundreds of schools and music services up and down the UK as well as overseas, helping thousands of children and teachers enjoy a brand new way of learning the subject.
Digit Music aims to transform music education through the CMPSR’s clever design created using inclusive principles, ensuring as many people as possible can play the instrument.
Si said: “We want to transform music learning by taking away the barriers that have been in place for so long. Instruments that are really tough to learn, an off-putting and complicated notation system, an outdated repertoire that is of limited interest to young people and a lack of teachers in schools who have any musical experience.
“It all adds up to music being put on the back burner and quite a costly exercise for schools who buy in specialist services. We want to change all that and give every student the best experience with our tools that teach music using a digital first approach. The world is digital now and music education needs to catch up.”
Owain added: “Traditional instruments 100 per cent have a place, but you shouldn’t have to fight through years of ‘bad sounds’ just to reach a point where you can enjoy creating and playing together.
“Digital tools allow you to get into the ‘sweet spot’ much quicker. We aren’t here to replace the violin. We’re here to make music creation equitable and instant for everyone.”
Si said: “What Instagram has done for photography and TikTok for video – we have done for music. You sound great from your first attempt and can explore the details later if you wish. If you want to understand the complexity, by all means dig in and discover what is happening under the hood. But let’s get the creativity and the joy to come first.”
