CHORUS: A MODULAR INSTRUMENT THAT HELP KIDS MAKE THEIR OWN MUSIC

Music is a language in and of itself, and learning it, let alone producing it, is difficult. As a result, while there are some schooling options available to make learning music more accessible to all, those options are only available later in life, and we all know that learning a new language is easier when we’re young. Terrene Huang designed Chorus, a modular music-making product for children between the ages of nine and thirteen, with the goal of bringing the whims of music production into the everyday lives of children.

The entire Chorus setup consists of a guitar, microphone, piano, drum machine, live instrument, reverb, filter, EQ, and delay modules. Users can create loops with each instrument module within a time limit of 16 beats. Aside from that, the main module allows the user to interact one-on-one with an animated bird who serves as the user’s instructor. When young musicians are having difficulty with chord progressions or drum beats, they can refer to this consistent visual for guidance. This main module serves as the nerve center of the entire operation, providing module calibration, a volume slider, and a tempo adjustment knob on the front panel. When the tempo knob is pressed, users have access to the rest of Chorus’s features, which include music production fundamentals such as reverb and equalization. Children’s musical learning progression is kept on track with mini-lessons that help to cognitively place the music production students, but Huang was careful to accommodate their preferences for supplemental learning opportunities. Children learn skills and knowledge primarily through sensory learning, which includes the senses of sight, touch, and sound in this instance. Chorus’s modular structure is designed to appeal to sensory learners, thanks to its bright and colorful color scheme as well as the modules that are easily removable, stackable, and customizable. Each module is also easily magnetized to the others and color-coded, which adds to the product’s user-friendly design. Users can incorporate audio effects such as reverb, delay, EQ, and filter into their compositions in addition to the instrument modules provided by Chorus.

The combination of instrument modules and music studio capabilities is what distinguishes this children’s product design from the rest of the competition on the market. With Chorus, children are given the opportunity to not only play music on real electronic instruments, but also to produce and mix that music in a way that is understandable and manageable. Chorus takes young learning seriously and helps to ensure that users are also enthusiastic about learning.