{"id":93242,"date":"2024-07-30T12:18:16","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T16:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=93242"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:21:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:21:01","slug":"the-tap-tap-blind-low-vision-musicians","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/the-tap-tap-blind-low-vision-musicians\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tap-Tap: Wearable Device Transforms Learning for Blind and Low-Vision Musicians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n The Tap-Tap: Wearable Device Transforms Learning for Blind and Low-Vision Musicians\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Imagine being surrounded by a symphony of sound, each instrument harmonizing to create a rich tapestry of music. The conductor stands at the podium, baton in hand, guiding the ensemble. Musicians, deeply focused, respond to these cues, their eyes darting between sheet music and the conductor. For most, this is the essence of playing in an orchestra \u2014 a seamless blend of visual and auditory stimuli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for blind and low vision musicians, this experience is vastly different. Traditional methods of synchronization like following a conductor’s baton, reading sheet music or observing non-verbal cues, are not accessible. This lack of visual input creates a significant barrier, preventing full participation in not only musical ensembles and performances, but music learning in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leon Lu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leon Lu<\/a>, a Information Technology<\/a> PhD student at Carleton University, is transforming this reality through the development of wearable haptic devices. Coined the tap-tap project, these devices assist blind and low vision musicians by enabling teachers and music learners to send vibration signals in real-time to one another, replacing the need for visual cues.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cWe often think about accessibility in terms of basic human needs like getting from point A to point B or accessing information. But what about having access to the things that make life more enjoyable and meaningful?\u2019\u201d says Lu.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cMusic and creativity, some may argue, are not necessarily things that everyone needs to have access to. But in my mind, they are extremely important aspects of the human experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Beyond Traditional Accessibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lu developed the tap-tap device as part of his PhD dissertation. The idea came from conversations he had with blind and low vision musicians. In these initial discussions, he discovered that non-verbal communication was a major hurdle. When trying to follow a teacher or conductor, subtle head nods or hand gestures can\u2019t be observed, making it difficult to follow instruction and keep time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One story stuck out to Lu. He was told that when playing in a group, blind and low vision musicians sometimes ask fellow musicians to tap on their shoulder as a cue to start playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis got me thinking \u2013 there must be a technological intervention here that could do this \u2018tapping,\u2019 for them,\u201d reflects Lu. \u201cAnd so, I set to work on the tap-tap project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tap-tap is worn around the ankles of music learners and teachers, allowing them to communicate with one another by simply tapping their heels together to push a button. When pressed, the button sends a vibration to the paired device. These vibrations can be used to create codes as a way to communicate messages non-verbally.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cSimilar to Morse code, the tap-tap\u2019s vibrations replace visual cues with tactile ones,\u201d says Lu.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The nuts and bolts of the tap-tap devices are simple. Each one has a small circuit board with sensors and a radio component \u2013 which is how Lu programs them to communicate. A small motor is what prompts the vibration and other than, it\u2019s mostly just straps and Velcro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe device itself is very low cost,\u201d Lu says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Improving Learning for Blind and Low Vision Musicians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lu developed the tap-tap devices with the help of two fellow Carleton students: Aino Eze-Anyanwu, an undergraduate student in industrial design<\/a>, and Rodolfo Cossovich, an information technology<\/a> PhD candidate.  He also worked in consultation with Chase Crispin, a blind musician and teacher in Lincoln, Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“Getting involved with Leon\u2019s study was a way to blend my own interest in technology with the needs I had as a blind musician,\u201d explains Crispin.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cMany people don’t realize how much a musician is managing at once: posture, notes, rhythms, dynamics\u2014the list goes on. For blind music learners, who memorize most of this, it adds even more layers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing the prototypes, he invited teachers and students from the Filomen M. D\u2019Agostino Greenberg (FMDG) Music School<\/a> \u2013 a music school in New York City for blind and low visions musicians \u2013 to try them out. Over the course of eight weeks, the devices were implemented into violin, piano and singing lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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