The Tap-Tap Is a Wearable That Helps Blind Musicians Communicate Cues

The role of cues in music

Whether it is a small band or a large orchestra, musicians are constantly looking to sheet music, a conductor, or their peers for information. This could include when to join, a change in tempo, or an adjustment to the volume. But blind and low-vision musicians face extra obstacles and therefore need to practice even longer and could potentially be left of out of certain performances entirely.

Creating the Tap-Tap

This challenge to provide a more inclusive way to perform was met by Carleton University PhD student Leon Lu who wanted to provide an easy way for non-sighted individuals to receive cues similar to their sighted counterparts. His wearable device, the Tap-Tap, is based on a micro:bit board mounted to a custom PCB. To it, he connected a pair of haptic motors, a small switch to the side, and a battery. When used with a second Tap-Tap, pressing the button on one will send a signal over Bluetooth, which then causes the other to vibrate and vice-versa.

Improving violin, piano, and singing lessons

For a total of eight weeks, Lu handed out his Tap-Tap prototypes to blind and low-vision musicians at the Filomen M. D'Agostina Greenberg Music School for them to test with. One piano teacher was able to send coded messages to her students, such as a long press to increase volume and two short presses to decrease it. Thanks to this rapid feedback, students are able to quickly adjust how they are performing without the need for verbal interjections.

Next steps

After he graduates, Lu has plans for making the device open source and more readily available. One potential application outside of music that he is pursuing involves assisting climber Caroline Pakenaite, who has lost much of her sight and hearing, with her summit of Mount Everest through more rapid communications.

To read more about the Tap-Tap and how it is improving the way musicians practice, you can visit this blog post here in the Carleton Newsroom publication.