MUSICALL
MUSIC FOR ALL
MUSICALL is an autodidactic musical instrument meant to provide self taught musical education to toddlers and children who otherwise would have no access to it.
Client
Year
Location
CAMBODIA
GREEN UMBRELLA
2018
Early-stage musical education helps cognitive development. Yet many children will never have access to it.
In remote and/or impoverished areas where there is lack of resources or faculty talent, students go without access to musical education. While learning has become more accessible outside the classroom, from apps to online classes, the lack of access to internet and technology has their options cut short.
How can musical education become self taught?
Through in depth interviews with NGOs like Green Umbrella in Cambodia, whose work interacts with the primary users for this product, as well as music educators that focus on early age education, 4 core Design Requirements were formed:
1
educational
The design should be able to develop the
understanding of scales and composition
2
intuitive
Any user should be able to understand and benefit from the design on their own
3
easy to build
The design should be easy and cheap to build, such that NGOs can create their own
4
safe
The design should privilege the
safety of all its users
The design ideation was inspired by mechanical music boxes
Further consideration was given to the use of locally available materials, such as bamboo and plywood, and where not possible, the use of affordable alternatives.
The final design features a minimalistic enlarged music box mechanism with a bamboo xylophone.
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By the use of interchangeable pins, the design allows for intuitive learning through the iterative creation and adaptation of simple melodies, enabling anyone, regardless of background and opportunities, to benefit from musical education.
