Squishy Music Toys: Creating a less stressful, more pliable way to enter the music world

Abstract

Electronic music education today does not have a clear path to entry - the existing methods are expensive or overly complicated, making them unavailable to a lot of people. In this thesis I will explore a possible solution to this issue, through the creation of a new kind of music interface designed to let anyone, at any age, have the experience of playing an instrument. This interface - the Squishy - is soft and pliable, allowing a comforting yet exciting new way to create and control music. By making it this way, you eliminate much of the detailed technique that is often required when learning an instrument. The Squishy guides users through the basics of electronic music with a simple software interface. Each instrument is embedded with sensors that respond to bending and pressure forces on the exterior shell. These sensors are incredibly reactive, so even small changes to the shells can affect the sounds being created. In this way, the Squishies can also act as a tool for meditation. By being so sensitive, the interfaces encourage users to concentrate on the sounds they are creating, and can guide them to be more intentional with their movements. The Squishies are also able to act as MIDI controllers for more experienced users who want to utilize them with their preferred music software. Throughout this thesis, I will explore the design space and potential use cases for these instruments, as a toy and learning experience, as a high level music controller, as a tool for meditation, and as all three.