"[...] we were not disabled by our impairments, but by the disabling barriers we faced in society" [Mike OLIVER, “The social model of disability: thirty years on”, in Disability and Society, 2013, p. 1024-1026]
The symposium, promoted by the ECLLA Laboratory of the Jean Monnet University, took place on 29 May 2024 at the "Cité du design" ("Bâtiment des Forges") in Saint-Etienne.
THE SUBJECT MATTER
During the symposium, researchers from international universities addressed the topic of digital technologies for music education and, in particular, Accessible Digital Musical Instruments (ADMIs) for individuals with disabilities. ADMIs are “accessible musical control interfaces used in electronic music, inclusive music practice and music therapy settings” [Emma FRID, “Accessible Digital Musical Instruments—A Review of Musical Interfaces in Inclusive Music Practice”, in Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, n° 3, 2019, p. 57]. These digital instruments, which began to develop in the 1980s following the invention of the Midi protocol, have attracted increasing interest from research institutions in recent decades. Today, they are widely used in music therapy programmes, educational projects and amateur and professional musical performances.
Several types of Accessible Digital Musical Instrument were presented during the symposium, aimed at musicians with different types of disabilities (intellectual, sensory, etc.). The speakers also presented different pedagogical approaches in the field of music education, based on the use of these digital devices.
At last, the design of ADMIs, and in particular the co-creation method, received special consideration. Co-creation is a participatory approach, widely employed in the field of healthcare technologies, which engages all stakeholders from the prototype ideation phase onwards.
THE SPEECHES
Here is a list of the presentations made during the symposium, together with the materials used:
