Software for Interactive and Collaborative Creation in the Classroom and Beyond: An Overview of the Soundcool Software

Abstract

This article presents a free framework for collaborative creation of interactive and experimental computer music called Soundcool. It is designed to fill a gap between rigid ready-to-use applications and flexible programming languages. The system offers easy-to-use elements for generating and processing sound, much like ready-made applications, but it enables flexible configuration and control, more like programming languages. The system runs on personal computers with an option for control via smartphones, tablets, and other devices using the Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. Originally developed to support a new music curriculum, Soundcool is being used at different educational institutions in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Romania through EU-funded Erasmus+ projects. In this article, we present our system and showcase three different scenarios as examples of how our system meets its objectives as an easy-to-use, versatile, and creative tool.

Elaborating Advanced Machine Learning Techniques in the Music Class

“…Such software includes acoustics and audio, MIDI concepts and basics, advanced production and DAW's, music notation, aural awareness, and teaching and learning [7], [8]. Furthermore, recent resources offer teachers the possibility to develop software by themselves according to their needs [9], [10].…”

Conclusions: Music as an Economic, Social, Cultural, Creative and Resilient Activity

“…Soundcool started as a nonprofit project and it could be classified as a DIY (do-it-yourself) service, but now it needs to incorporate a business model to be able to offer more and better content on the platform in the long term. It has recently an incubator programme which should help the system to move to the next level in the mid-term, through market and financial analysis of the educational field, which is the most developed part of the app (Scarani et al, 2020).…”

Soundcool: A Business Model for Cultural Industries Born Out of a Research Project

“…Mobile phones need to be part of education, as they are a part of life. Schools have to harness the potential of technology in the classroom to address the digital divide (Scarani et al, 2020) and give students the skills they need in today's connected world (OECD, 2015).Moreover, the current pandemic has had an enormous impact on global education, with more than 1.3 billion learners being unable to go to school (Hagan, 2020). In order to ensure the continuity of learning, educational institutions have embarked on setting up technological platforms to deliver online learning programmes to students.…”

“…Mobile phones need to be part of education, as they are a part of life. Schools have to harness the potential of technology in the classroom to address the digital divide (Scarani et al, 2020) and give students the skills they need in today's connected world (OECD, 2015).…”