Manufacturer produces accessible musical instrument for schools

A cutting-edge accessible musical instrument produced by electronics manufacturer Tioga is now being used in classrooms across the UK and beyond.

The CMPSR instrument is the brainchild of Derby business Digit Music whose musician founders Si Tew and Owain Wilson are pioneering a revolutionary digital-first approach to music learning.

Digit Music has joined with Tioga, plus design and development company Salsus Design, to create a full production line of CMPSR devices, which are now being regularly rolled out and enjoyed by growing numbers of children in UK schools.

CMPSR’s design is based on a hand-held wheelchair joystick which houses clever PCB (Printed Circuit Board) technology, creating a fully accessible instrument that allows anyone using it to make quality sounds straight away.

First created for children with disabilities who face physical barriers to making music, Digit Music’s founders are now launching the clever intuitive devices into mainstream schools fresh from Tioga’s production line in the heart of Derby.

Their aim is to allow children to enjoy making music straight away without going through the hard work of traditional instruments, which put off 90% of learners within 16 weeks.

They also want to empower teachers with little musical knowledge and put music firmly back at the heart of the curriculum, saying it has been sidelined for too long.

Andy Grimmett, chief executive of Tioga, said creating the devices for Digit Music was a great example of local partnership working.

He said: “CMPSR is an awesome product. I like the variety of its uses and the fact that it engages Digit Music’s target education market.

“The device creates an engaging aesthetic experience for kids who maybe wouldn’t engage with traditional music and instruments in the way that was the only option when I grew up.

“It’s really modern, it’s up to date, it’s very tactile, it’s very easy to use. I think we’ll have a huge success with engaging the next generation of potential musicians and composers.”