The Clarion™ is a musical instrument developed with and for disabled people who find conventional instruments inaccessible. Working seamlessly with assistive technology hardware such as EyeGaze and SmartNav, it can be played with any part of the body including the head, the feet, or even the eyes.
The extensive range of visual and sound settings on the Clarion™ make it uniquely customisable to the needs and requirements of each musician.
Notes on the Clarion™ are represented through shapes that can be coloured, resized and arranged into “patterns”, with hundreds of pre-made patterns to choose from. Play the Clarion by touching the shapes and get expressive by sliding into and across them.
Clarion™ also comes with 11 high-quality instrument sounds including strings, woodwind, pitched percussion and brass. Each sound is highly expressive, with articulation and phrasing options rendered according to musicians’ interaction with the shapes on the screen, enabling them to develop their instrumental technique and musicianship.
Clarion™ is currently available exclusively through Open Orchestras (www.openorchestras.org), an award-winning programme that supports Music Education Hubs, arts organisations and schools to set up and run their own accessible youth orchestra.
