4th February 2025

So, what is Assistive Music Technology?

Assistive Music Technology (AMT), often referred to as Accessible Music Technology, refers to tools and technologies that are designed to enable a Disabled person to create, play and perform music.  

These tools can look like adapted or specially made instruments such as Digit Music’s CMPSR, which is particularly beneficial for wheelchair users and app-based technology on mainstream tablets such as ThumbJam.  

Assistive Music technology can also “hack into” or connect to a participant’s existing assistive technology such as switches and eye tracking systems. This keeps things really familiar for participants, meeting them where they’re at.  

So why do we use AMT?

We use these types of tools to create access to music making, to make it possible for a Disabled person to interact and play music where previous interventions have failed. At OmniMusic we use a mixture of AMT and traditional instruments in our sessions as we want our participants to have the freedom to choose the instruments or tools they would like to explore.  

We want to ensure that the AMT we use isn’t overly complicated or just added for the sake of it. That’s why we’re focused on building confidence through training and simplifying tech wherever possible. 

We create low-cost solutions, including tech which integrates to users’ existing equipment such as wheelchairs and mainstream tablets, so that music making can continue at home or outside our sessions without relying on expensive specialist equipment.  

 

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