Sound Visualization for Deaf Assistance Using Mobile Computing

This thesis presents a new approach to the visualization of sound for deaf assistance that simultaneously illustrates important dynamic sound properties and the recognized sound icons in an easy readable view. .In order to visualize general sounds efficiently, the MFCC sound features was utilized to represent robust discriminant properties of the sound. The problem of visualizing MFCC vector that has 39 dimension was simplified by visualizing one-dimensional value, which is the result of comparing one reference MFCC vector with the input MFCC vector only. New similarity measure for MFCC feature vectors comparison was proposed that outperforms existing local similarity measures due to their problem of one to one attribute value calculation that leaded to incorrect similarity decisions. Classification of input sound was performed and attached to the visualizing system to make the system more usable for users. Each time frame of sound is put under K-NN classification algorithm to detect short sound events. In addition, every one second the input sound is buffered and forwarded to Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) classification algorithm which is designed for dynamic time series classification. Both classifiers works in the same time and deliver their classification results to the visualization model. The application of the system was implemented using Java programming language to work on smartphones that run Android OS, so many considerations related to the complexity of algorithms is taken into account. The system was implemented to utilize the capabilities of the smartphones GPU to guarantee the smoothness and fastness of the rendering. The system design was built based on interviews with five deaf persons taking into account their preferred visualizing system. In addition to that, the same deaf persons tested the system and the evaluation of the system is carried out based on their interaction with the system. Our approach yields more accessible illustrations of sound and more suitable for casual and little expert users

Axmedis 2005

The AXMEDIS conference aims to promote discussions and interactions among researchers, practitioners, developers and users of tools, technology transfer experts, and project managers, to bring together a variety of participants. The conference focuses on the challenges in the cross-media domain (which include production, protection, management, representation, formats, aggregation, workflow, distribution, business and transaction models), and the integration of content management systems and distribution chains, with particular emphasis on cost reduction and effective solutions for complex cross-domain problems

INNOVATIVE AND PRIZE-WINNING EDUCATIONAL MUSIC ACTIVITIES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION THOUGHT THE ETWINNING PROJECT

The Thessaloniki Music School has been repeatedly awarded for its innovative activities in eTwinning programs in special music education. Students with visual impairments and with developmental disorders were encouraged to participate in these programs. Digital music was exchanged from many European countries and original musical compositions were produced and presented. The European and traditional music scores were presented for the first time in electronic Braille form. For students with learning difficulties and pervasive developmental disorders there were special educational presentations with a combination of special educational methods, Relationship Development Intervention, the Irlen method using light sensitivity, and Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH method). The greatest achievement of the project was the composition of the e Twinning hymn whose lyrics are about friendship in various musical arrangements and languages. Our hymn was presented at concerts, conferences, the Grundtvig European workshop and was uploaded on websites. Article visualizations

Making Graphical Scores More Accessible: A Case Study

This paper explores new ways of making graphical scores more accessible for visually impaired users. Existing assistive technologies demonstrate a gap in providing accessible tools for composing and performing contemporary music with non-traditional western notation. The two case studies presented, Blocks Sound and Logothetis Sound examine the interactive relationships and affordances through tac- tile interaction and how this interaction can influence their experience and understanding of both graphic scores and interactive composition of users. We present the process and limitations and propose the use of haptic technology and tangible experience for making contemporary graphic scores more accessible and inclusive

AXMEDIS 2007 Conference Proceedings

The AXMEDIS International Conference series has been established since 2005 and is focused on the research, developments and applications in the cross-media domain, exploring innovative technologies to meet the challenges of the sector. AXMEDIS2007 deals with all subjects and topics related to cross-media and digital-media content production, processing, management, standards, representation, sharing, interoperability, protection and rights management. It addresses the latest developments and future trends of the technologies and their applications, their impact and exploitation within academic, business and industrial communities

Information technological aspects in the field of music. Overview

Uurimuse põhieesmärgiks on anda lugejale ülevaade nootide (noodilehtede) ettevalmistamist ja muusika esitamist toetavatest tarkvarapakettidest ning tutvustada olulisemaid aspekte, mis on seotud nende rakendamisega muusikavallas. Üksikasjaliku ülevaate esitab töö tulemusena valminud veebisõelmete andmebaas koos seda esitava veebirakendusega, mis sisaldab nimetatud tarkvarapakette iseloomustavaid kirjeid. Töö tekstiline osa, st dokument, kirjeldab kokkuvõtlikult olulisemaid aspekte koos mõningate tarkvaraliste näidetega. Osutub, et kõige rohkem leidub internetis noodigraafika töötlemise ning diginoodiks teisendamise vahendeid – vastavalt 98 ja 13 rakendust. Nende valdkondadega seotud töö jaotistes sätestatakse erinevad kriteeriumid, mida nimetatud rakenduste andmebaasi kandmisel arvesse võeti, aga ka meetodeid ja probleeme, millega vastavate rakenduste kasutamisel arvestada tuleks. Uurimust alustades oli üks esmaseid eesmärke koguda võimalikult palju informatsiooni intelligentsete muusikaseadmete, eelkõige elektroonilis-intelligentsete noodipultide kohta. Paraku leidub just nimelt selles valdkonnas kõige vähem vahendeid – kokku vaid 4 rakendust, millest reaalselt kasutatav on vaid üks. Töös kirjeldatakse rakenduste võimalikke omavahelisi võrdlusmomente, analüüsitakse vaadeldava valdkonna nüansse ning tutvustatakse arenguperspektiive. Informatiivsuse huvides on esitletud aga ka tarkvarakomponente ja -pakette (sh raamistikke), mis kaudselt toetavad nootide (noodilehtede) ettevalmistamist ning muusika esitamist – kokku 55 kirjet. Lisaks kirjeldatakse muusikaõpet toetavaid vahendeid. Nendest on andmebaasi kantud kokku 14 rakendust. Antakse põgus ülevaade olemasolevatest huvitavamatest noodikogudest ning nende kasutamisvõimalustest; andmebaasi lisatud vastavalt 13 kirjet. Tutvustatakse aga ka uurimuse kontekstiga seotud bibliograafiat ning ühte tuntumat konverentsiseeriat (ISMIR), mille raames on paljud publikatsioonid valminud. Publikatsioonide loetelu on samuti lisatud töö käigus valminud andmebaasi – kokku 113 kirjet. Arvestades, et pakettide kasutajaliidesed on reeglina ingliskeelsed, on koostatud vastav inglise-eesti terminisõnastik.The main purpose of this thesis is to give an overview of the existing software packages and tools, oriented towards the simplification of musicians everyday work. Since the field is quite extensive, only a subset of the available software has been taken into account – mainly programs designed to support preparing and interpreting sheet music. The thesis is divided into two major components – a database (appended on a CD), which contains all the information about the collected data (software, hardware, related bibliography, etc) and the document itself, where the criterions for comparing the software packages are listed and explained together with some illustrative examples. The first two chapters of the document are dedicated to the ways of generating sheet music – describing and comparing the different software tools for displaying and editing sheet music using note graphics software. Also, an overview of intelligent music stands, which is still an underdeveloped branch in this field, is given. The third chapter of the document describes aspects of using music software as a learning intent complemented with some examples of a freeware program. Additionally, a slight overview of digital (sheet)music archives together with some interesting examples is given in the fourth chapter. Also, the field-specific bibliography (comprising years 1989-2012) is presented in the fifth chapter. In consideration of the fact that almost all user interfaces of the software packages use English language, an illustrated English-Estonian dictionary of relevant terms is appended. The database contains 184 entries of topic-related software packages – 4 intelligent music stand applications, 13 digital sheet music converter applications, 98 score editors, 14 study assistant applications and 55 miscellaneous applications; 13 digital note archives and 113 publications

Third International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation TENOR 2017

The third International Conference on Technologies for Music Notation and Representation seeks to focus on a set of specific research issues associated with Music Notation that were elaborated at the first two editions of TENOR in Paris and Cambridge. The theme of the conference is vocal music, whereas the pre-conference workshops focus on innovative technological approaches to music notation

Efficacy of Rhythmic Acquisition on Gait Performance Among Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease

The purpose of this study was to identify the ability of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to acquire different rhythmic complexity levels through individual home-based Improvised Active Music Therapy (IAMT) sessions. The study aimed to identify whether higher acquisition of rhythmic complexity levels improved gait performance, as well as beat perception and production abilities. In this single subject multiple baseline design, the study measured the ability of four right-handed participants with PD to acquire greater density of syncopation, as a measure of rhythmic complexity levels, while playing uninterrupted improvised music on a simplified electronic drum-set. An accredited music therapist led each session with an acoustic guitar. The study described how higher density of syncopation levels presented in participants’ playing related to not only gait performance, and beat perception and production abilities, but also to other music measurements. The participants’ music content was transformed into digital music data in real time using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). MIDI data was analyzed to determine density of syncopation, note count, velocity, and asynchrony during baseline and treatment IAMT intervention. Results from visual analyses and Pearson correlations indicated partial evidence for the ability of individuals with PD to acquire different rhythmic complexity levels through IAMT. Partial evidence was also found to support the overall effectiveness of IAMT sessions in increasing participant’s mean gait velocity and stride length, and reducing step time and stride length variability. The findings of the current study indicate that IAMT sessions could be an effective strategy to increase physical mobility among individuals with PD. Using MIDI in the IAMT approach can yield data to evaluate treatment effectiveness and assess patient progress, providing daily measures and analysis of data using statistical analyses alongside visual analysis. This method has the potential to lead to new evidence-based interventions modeled in music therapy