The Skoog cube is mounted on a wheelchair and a boy is pressing the side of the cube.
Strategy

SkoogMusic: Accessible Music Technology

Here is a device that enables all children to create music!

Skoog is a musical instrument that anyone can play!  Music and creating music draws and intrigues children; however, most musical instruments can be challenging to play for students with disabilities. This squishy foam cube enables students with disabilities to control sound through touch.  Touch, press, squish, twist, roll and hold the cube to make a variety of sounds.  Turn your composition into notes played by dozens of different instruments.

Connected wirelessly, Skoog is basically a tactile controller that triggers the app.  The device is simple enough to be used by anyone -with limited or no training involved.  Skoog is enjoyed by students with autism and helps these students socialize and communicate through music.  It can be mounted to a wheelchair and used by students with physical disabilities.

Apple now offers Skoog Field Trips in retail stores.

Editor’s Note: While I have not had the opportunity to personally try the Skoog, I did download the free Skoog app and quickly checked the app for accessibility.  Without the actual Skoog cube to trigger the app, I was limited to the beginning portion of the app.  This portion appeared to be accessible with VoiceOver with the exception of one activity that had a line of colored circles (these circles where not labeled) to indicate the order to press the colored circles on the cube.  Note, when using the Skoog with a totally blind student, the various colored circles can be identified by adding textures to the cube, if desired.

Please let us know if you have used Skoog!

The video below shows several students interacting with Skoog, including a student with autism and a student who has the Skoog mounted on his wheelchair.

By Diane Brauner

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