As a former music therapist and teacher of the visually impaired, I was very interested when I first saw the Beamz music system at a conference last spring. The Beamz is a computer/tablet-based interactive music system that uses lasers to trigger musical instruments, sound effects, songs, and more. It enables people of all ages and skill levels to have fun creating and playing music. The user activates the sounds by interrupting the laser beams with their hands, fingers, or other objects. The intended purpose of Beamz is for entertainment, therapy, and education. Musician and record producer Jerry Riopelle created the original device in the early 2000s. He developed software to control the device with Todor Fay and Melissa Jordan Grey. I used three different computers to evaluate the Beamz music system: a Dell desktop and HP laptop running Windows 7, and an HP laptop running Windows 8 using powered external speakers with all three systems.
Physical Description
The hardware component of the Beamz music system is a controller made of lightweight, sturdy plastic, shaped somewhat like the uppercase print letter W. The controller has three vertical columns mounted on a base approximately 1 inch thick. Each post is separated by approximately 8.5 inches of open space. Overall, the controller is approximately 25 inches long, 6 inches deep, and 8 inches high.
The center section of the base has eight tactile control buttons (discussed below). There are two connectors on the back of the unit, a mini-USB outlet and a standard USB outlet that is plugged up. In addition, a switch allows the user to select a Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) or Human Interface Device (HID; better known as a USB device).
Caption: Photo of the Beamz
Package Contents
The Beamz box contains the controller unit packaged in semi-rigid, form-fitting foam. A USB cable, the Interactive Song Installer DVD, and three small print documents (the Beamz Installation Guide, Important Safety Instructions, and a card describing the free Activity Guide) are included. Currently the included documents are only available in small print.
Documentation
The print Installation Guide directs you to the Beamz website to download the drivers and Beamz software. This process is not fully accessible, but the manufacturer is in the process of addressing that issue. Sighted assistance will be needed during the installation and set-up process. Once all of the software has been installed, the user will have access to the User's Guide as a partially accessible PDF document (the images do not contain alt-text descriptions) using the Adobe read function or a screen reader.
My First Performance
With the Beamz software installed and the controller connected to the USB port on a computer or via Bluetooth to a tablet, you are ready to begin to make music. Running the Beamz software initiates the horizontal projection of two parallel red laser beams between the center post and the left post and between the center post and the right post. The parallel beams are about 4.5 inches apart.
The software displays an image of the controller with the four laser beams represented by purple lines between the posts. The bottom of the screen displays eight icons representing the eight buttons on the Beamz controller and five additional icons for controlling the Beamz software. I selected the first song in the playlist, "3 a.m. Blues." Once the song is loaded, the purple lines representing the four laser beams now have the name of a musical instrument printed directly above each of them. You can use the Tab key to move around the screen and hear the names of the instruments and the 13 icons. This is not very practical, but the manufacturer is working to improve this part of the experience. I was told that the manufacturer had not intended for the system to be used independently by a person with no usable vision. With input from the blindness community and some consultants, the manufacturer is striving to improve this situation.
I placed my hand between the left and center posts to interrupt the laser beam and heard the sound of a synthesized saxophone. Interrupting the lower beam produced the sound of an organ solo. The beams on the right side of the controller produced a piano solo and a one-beat drum fill. The identified instrument will play continuously as long as your hand, finger, or other object interrupts the beam. You can swap the original instruments for two additional sets, providing a total of 12 different instruments or sounds available for your performance. After experimenting with these sounds a bit, you are ready to play a song. You will need to press the "Start/Stop Rhythm/Song" button to begin the background track. Once the background track begins to play, you can try out the different instruments to make your own music.
I have included a short MP3 recording of a song I made using the Beamz. The recording begins without the rhythm/song track. Some of the 12 available instruments are introduced individually, then you'll hear the instruments with the rhythm/song track included.
Select this link to hear the recording.
As a frustrated musician with limited performance skills, I have to say that I find the Beamz to be an interesting tool for making music. The thing I like most about Beamz is how easy it is to make music that I can enjoy playing. I am not sure how much enjoyment others may receive from my creations, so using the system to perform for others may take some additional time and practice. There are 32 songs included on the Education and Health Care DVD, with dozens of additional selections available on the Beamz website. They include a wide variety of genres: blues, classical, country, dance, disco, Disney, DJ sound Fx, electronica, environmental, hip hop, indie pop, Jazz, Latin, Latin Jazz, metal, nature, new age, pop, pre-k, R&B, rock, rock & roll, and smooth Jazz. Additional genres available on their website include: kids, world, holiday, karaoke, golden oldie, and early learning. With all of these genres there is certain to be something that appeals to every audience.
The Tactile Buttons
The tactile buttons on the Beamz controller are listed below:
- volume down
- volume up
- vocals mute (button will light up when this is an option): used to turn a vocal track on or off on songs that include vocals
- advance to previous song in playlist
- advance to next song in playlist
- start/stop recording: allows the user to record the music they make using the Beamz and save it as an MP3 or WAV file
- swap sounds (go to another page of instruments): lets the user select from the three different sets of instruments assigned to each song
- start/stop rhythm (play background track): gives the user the opportunity to either experiment with just the instruments/sounds available or use them along with a background track
Playing along with the background track gives the user the opportunity to experiment with the various instruments available and listen to how they interact and fit into the song. This was my favorite part of using the Beamz. With the background track playing, I found it very easy to play the various instruments in such a way that made the music sound pleasing to me. I could experiment with making the instruments play continuously with the background track or just use my hand or fingers intermittently to interrupt the laser beams creating variations in the melody and rhythm. This feature makes the Beamz an interesting and motivational tool. The challenge of making music gives the user the opportunity to plan, organize, develop some basic music skills, and have fun while doing it.
The Beamz for Therapy and Education
The Beamz is a great tool for getting people to move and interact with music and sounds. Let's start with older adults. Some older adults have sedentary lifestyles and limited social interactions. Therapists and staff at facilities that provide services to older adults use the system to stimulate movement. In order to make sounds and hear music, participants must use upper body, arm, and hand movements to interrupt the laser beams. These movements can be part of a physical therapy regimen or simply just movements for flexibility and fun. The other benefit touted for this group is social interaction. Music has the ability to stimulate people to talk, share stories associated with songs, remember things from their past, and the like. A recent threaded discussion on the Vision Rehab Therapist list discussed the use and benefits of music and music therapy with older adults experiencing dementia and Alzheimer's. Many facilities serving older adults may not have a music therapist or a visiting music program. This is one of the situations where the Beamz can become a valuable tool that staff members can use to stimulate physical activity and social interactions. The system is very easy to use and does not require any musical training.
On the company's website, there are numerous resources, videos, and testimonials about the use of the Beamz with adults, youths, and children of all abilities. Beamz has also collaborated with Lekotek to develop a variety of activities to use with the Beamz music system in play for young children and those with multiple disabilities.
During the time that I have had the Beamz on loan from the manufacturer, I loaned it to a music teacher, Ms. Jacqueline Howard, who works with infants and toddlers at Atlanta's Center for the Visually Impaired BEGIN (Babies Early Growth Intervention Network) program. Jacqueline introduced the Beamz to several of the children she works with and provided the following comments about the system:
I started out by showing the class how the Beamz worked. You can play four different sounds at one time on the Beamz, you can choose to have the background music playing, or just make sounds by themselves. Really these sounds are riffs, not just a chord. My students on this day preferred the Bluegrass sounds: a nice crisp banjo, a fiddle with attitude, drums, and piano. We took turns passing the Beamz around, helping the children hand-over-hand at first to produce some music. After a few tries, most students made beautiful music. The parents also loved making music themselves. The children preferred having the background music playing. Every baby in the room had a big smile on its face. It was beautiful to behold. The parents loved it, because everyone could have fun with the Beamz, it was exciting for everybody, and the parents started coming up with additional ideas of how to use the Beamz as a learning tool and as a fun tool.
The teaching of basic concepts such as cause and effect, directionality (up, down, left, right, in and out), and turn taking are just a few of the educational activities Ms. Howard noted in her comments. It was interesting to hear that parents immediately grasp the concept that the Beamz is something the whole family can participate in and all have fun.
Accessibility
Though the basic operation of the system is accessible to people who have visual impairments, currently the Beamz has more potential for parents, families, teachers, therapists, and other service providers than for independent use by individuals who are visually impaired. The company is making a diligent effort to improve the accessibility of the software interface, the installation process, and all of the information and resources on their website. I recently received an updated version of the software that fixes one of the problems I had while using a screen reader and keyboard commands.
The Bottom Line
I am often asked by parents and other family members to recommend gifts for a child or adult who is blind or visually impaired. It can be difficult to find an appropriate gift for someone experiencing vision loss. This is why I wanted to write this article for the holiday issue of AccessWorld. I think the Beamz can be a good gift for this population, particularly children and older adults. The Beamz provides opportunities for physical, mental, and social interaction while having fun at the same time. The system is available in three configurations: Beamz Home Edition ($249), Beamz by Flo ($249), and Beamz Professional Edition ($349). While the Beamz may seem somewhat expensive, too often gifts are purchased that are either not accessible or that will be used a few times and then discarded because of limited opportunities for interaction. When viewed from this perspective, the price tag for the Beamz may not seem quite so high.
Beamz is a fun and easy music system that has great potential for use with individuals of all ages and abilities. The basic operation of the system is accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. However, sighted assistance is currently needed for setting up the system and accessing some of the software and online resources. A parent, family member, educator, therapist or other support staff member can perform these tasks and then make the system available for independent use. Some accomplished musicians may find the system a bit simplistic but most people will experience it as a fun and easy-to-use device that facilitates an enjoyable musical activity.
Product Information
Beamz Home Edition, $249
Beamz Professional Edition, $349
Beamz by Flo, $249
Available from:
Beamz Interactive, Inc.
15354 N. 83rd Way, Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
480-424-2053
