Music projects and experiences
We believe in the power of music to connect, transform, and nurture the human spirit—and we reject the notion that making music, performing live, playing instruments, expressing oneself through sound, and communing creatively with others are the exclusive domain of the able-bodied.
With hands-free music, we aim to restore, redefine and reinvent the music-making experience for people who are affected by speech and mobility disabilities. Explore hands-free music from Microsoft and our collaborators.
Microsoft hands-free music projects
Hands-free music are eye-controlled applications for music performance and composition. Our music project is a participatory design collaboration with members of the ALS community.
- Microsoft Hands-Free Sound Machine is a sound sequencer that provides users the ability to generate musical compositions via a combination of .wav and midi samples, and supports output to physical instruments as well as stage effects.
- Microsoft Hands-Free Sound Jam is a music environment for electronic loop-based performance and composition. It is designed using familiar design paradigms found in commercial music production software, which have been adapted to work well with eye control.
Hands-Free Sound Machine
Generate musical compositions using an eye-controlled, 16-step sound sequencer.
Hands-Free Sound Jam
An eye-controlled music environment for electronic loop-based performance and composition.
Student and intern music projects
Explore the inspiring hands-free music projects developed by our student and intern collaborators, including Parker Ciambrone, Cole French, Wesley Wei, Emily Ye (My Visual Piano).
My Visual Piano
A live performance piano software that allows users to perform piano music with eye tracking.