Music technology can serve a number of purposes.
It can be used in the creation of music by professionals. It can be used in the manipulation of music by remixers. It can even be used in education.
The Skoog 2.0 is aimed at being an easy-to-use instrument that can be used by anyone to make sounds. It's essentially a "band-in-a-box" and can be hit, squeezed and twisted to make different sounds. Not only that, but it is aimed at helping educate kids in music and allowing people who cannot physically operate other instruments to be able to still make music.
"The inspiration for the look and feel of the Skoog itself came from the kids we were working within schools across Scotland," said Benjamin Schogler, creative director or business development at Skoog Music, in an interview with Tech Times. "Applying principles of ecological psychology (affordances) to create an intuitive object that can be used to create, control and play with sound."
Of course, it's important to mention that the Skoog itself doesn't make any sound. Instead, it acts as a MIDI controller. It can be connected wirelessly to a Mac or Windows computer, and there is an iOS-specific version being currently crowdfunded, called Skoog iOS, which has raised £3,065, or $4744, of its $23,218 funding goal. An Android version is on the way.
Skoog is in the shape of a box and is made of foam with buttons on each of its sides. The buttons are not the only way a sound can be controlled, however. The entire cube is itself a sensor and can support multiple touches at once, as well as things like being squeezed and the direction that it is being squeezed in. The result of all of this is a sensor that is very expressive.
While the team originally wanted to make an instrument that was operable for disabled people, they instead made one that was just easy to use. This resulted in an instrument that could be used by disabled people as well as a wide variety of others.
"For advanced users, it is a configurable tactile controller you can set up how you want," continued Schogler. "For novices, younger or less able users, it is an instrument you can play to learn as opposed to learn to play. Open up Spotify or iTunes, choose one of your favorite tunes and the Skoog app will tune the Skoog to the song, meaning you can play with the music you love. No instrumental skill or musical knowledge needed. Once you have got your Skoog on, you can delve a little deeper and start to play parts, melodies and even compose your own music."
When it comes to education, Skoog could play a very integral role. The device can be used as a way to promote musical expression and to help boost creativity in the classroom. It can also be used to improve coordination. Also, as mentioned, it can be used by kids with disabilities. The company highlights the use of the device by a child with cerebral palsy, and another who is autistic.
Another example is the use of the device in speech and language therapy. In this case, sounds such as phonemes, words and even complete sentences are recorded and played back using Skoog, with the device also allowing users to change the pitch of the sound and either slow it down or speed it up. Last but not least, Skoog has a "play-through" mode, in which a word or sentence is sped up or slowed down based on how much pressure is applied to the device. This gives users tactical control over speech.
"It is also being used to support music therapy and musical play for younger children. An instrument you play to learn as opposed to learn to play. We believe you should never stop playing, no matter how old you are," said Schogler.
It is likely that we will see more devices like Skoog in coming years. Education in music and education through music can be extremely important, and devices like Skoog enable both users and educators to tap into that. Additionally, of course, it can be used by musicians in the creation of music.
Those interested in buying Skoog 2.0 for themselves can head to the Skoog website for a list of retailers. The device is available more widely in the UK, however, there are a few retailers in the U.S. and outside.
