News
Soundbeam 5
It's a Soundbeam, it's a synthesiser, it's a sampler, It's an amplifier, it's a drum machine - hence the '5'!
The team at Soundbeam have been listening to their customers over the past twenty years, and this new version of Soundbeam incorporates a host of new features which users have consistently been asking for.
The 'all in one' machine massively cuts down on the amount of connecting up required - simply plug in your beams and speakers and you're off (the 8-input Switchbox uses wireless control).
The unit also contains a sampler allowing students to record their own voices or other sounds and integrate these into their compositions, and the SD card can also contain hundreds of rhythm loops and sound effect samples, so this Soundbeam comes with a lot more 'environmental' soundsets than its predecessor (The 'Haunted House' favourite is still there, along with 'jungle', 'weather', 'destruction', 'space' and many more including World Music themes such as Gamelan).
The 'session record' function allows for an entire performance or session to be recorded, and the melodic (or 'cyclic') trigger mode allows for accurate melodic and harmonic playing.
The machine retains the MIDI functionality of Soundbeam 2 so that users have the option to use external hardware or software synths alongside or instead of the internal sound library, and is USB enabled so that music and future upgrades can be downloaded from the Soundbeam website. Key functions can be assigned to switches allowing players real independence and control.
Something afoot at Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Liz Johnson and Sound It Out – the Birmingham-based community music organisation - fixed up a series of Soundbeam sessions at Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH) and the effect was immediate and striking.
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Drake Music Project Scotland to pioneer Desktop Soundbeam for big band bash
The Drake Music Project Scotland specialise in utilising music technology to create opportunities for disabled people to play, learn and compose music independently. Drake Scotland’s Artistic Director, Brian Cope spoke to us about their project and how the Soundbeam has become their “adopted musical instrument for disabled musicians”.
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Mainstream school project garners prestigious award
Composer Martin Kiszko, with a long string of tv and film scores to his credit, was commissioned to devise and compose a piece of music and multimedia for students at Bishop Perowne High School in Worcester. The result was “INUA”.
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Research
Moving Beyond "That’s All I Can Do": Encouraging Musical Creativity in Children with Learning Disabilities.
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New sounds from Sunderland
The research of Professor Phil Ellis and Dr Lieselotte van Leeuwen at the University of Sunderland is leading to a growing understanding of the inter-relationship between sound, visual stimulus, gesture control and the effects of vibration.
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Publications: ‘The Soundbeam in Special Education: Movement into Music’ by Pete McPhail/Soundabout
Long awaited – and well worth the wait – this book is a really invaluable resource for Soundbeam users.
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Day centre musicians create Soundbeam album
Service users at Freshfields Day Centre in Guildford have produced an audiocassette of original music in which Soundbeam features prominently. ‘Sunbeams’ contains five impressive tracks performed by service users at Freshfields.
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Hampton House Soundbeam experience
Duncan Mathison writes about the Hampton House Soundbeam Experience - a group of service users from a SCOPE centre in Northampton who perform music using Soundbeam.
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I’m good at this!
Stefan Hasselblad reports on work using Soundbeam with two 7-year old children with quite severe ADHD problems.
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Sound therapy research widened to include children with autism
13 year old John has been diagnosed as severely autistic. In addition he has severe learning difficulties and developmental delay associated with hypotonic muscles. Sound Therapy appears to have some beneficial effects – it may be a key to open the door, to turn the dimmer switch and provide more illumination which can then lead to further progress.
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Leca-Beam!
Designer Rob Burn has created a special learning environment for autistic children which will incorporate Soundbeam.
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Beams, bells & … bedazzled!
Limitations in movement gave way to skill and ability as a packed audience of more than 500 fell under the spell of youthful disabled musicians at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's Southbank.
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Project Reports: Seasons and Cycles
Pupils and teachers at Leighswood School in Walsall have been music-making with Soundbeam in the first of a series of Elektrodome Pilot Projects to foster ensemble in mainstream Schools.
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Soundbeam at centre of creative arts project in Barnsley
A collaborative project between Barnsley College Pre-Foundation Studies Department and Corridor Arts has led to the formation of Cloud 9 - a mixed group of students with Physical and / or Learning disabilities.
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Review: performance
"Frozen White" - Stan Wijnans at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Developed and directed by the Dutch sonic artist, Stan Wijnans, Frozen White takes its inspiration from the strange neurological phenomenon described by Dr Oliver Sacks in "Awakenings".
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Review: resources
Review of 'Beaming with Pleasure'; Practical activities integrating Soundbeam 2 into the Curriculum.
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Pure magic
Sue Shortland-Webb writes about the transformative experience of performing with Soundbeam.
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