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Promoting Creative Computer-Based Music Education and Composition for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Terpsichore Software Music Interface

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Computers Helping People with Special Needs (ICCHP 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 12377))

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Abstract

In an effort to improve the quality of life for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by harnessing the therapeutic power of music, the Terpsichore software interface constitutes a proposal to center music-oriented activities around the development of compositional skills instead of the passive appreciation of music through the reproduction of existing content. This interface aims to assist learners with ASD in composing original tonal music and soundscapes, with a view of additionally contributing to the accomplishment of non-musical goals. To assess the software’s effectiveness, a pilot study was conducted in which twenty-eight adolescents and adults diagnosed with ASD, participated in a series of software instruction sessions administered at four institutions in the Attica region of Greece. The study attested that participants generally responded to Terpsichore in a positive manner, with regards to their comfort in completing required tasks and their shifts in behavior, communication and emotional state.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A number of screenshots for both Terpsichore modes is available via this link: t.ly/9SJm.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the three tutors based in Attica, Greece (Ms. Persefoni-Alexia Sergi, Mrs. Panagiota Kyriakidou, Mrs. Chrysoula Papakirykou) who assisted with the pilot study and contributed to its successful completion. This work was partially funded through a bursary by the A.G. Leventis Foundation (Zurich), as part of the associated doctorate degree undertaken by the author at the University of Kent; the author would like to acknowledge the Foundation’s invaluable support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Music and Audio Technology, University of Kent, Chatham, UK

    Georgios Kyriakakis

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  1. Georgios Kyriakakis
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Correspondence to Georgios Kyriakakis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute Integriert Studieren, JKU Linz, Linz, Austria

    Klaus Miesenberger

  2. Jack Baskin School of Engineering, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Roberto Manduchi

  3. Dipartimento di Meccanica, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Mario Covarrubias Rodriguez

  4. Support Centre for Students with Special Needs, Masaryk University Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

    Petr Peňáz

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Kyriakakis, G. (2020). Promoting Creative Computer-Based Music Education and Composition for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Terpsichore Software Music Interface. In: Miesenberger, K., Manduchi, R., Covarrubias Rodriguez, M., Peňáz, P. (eds) Computers Helping People with Special Needs. ICCHP 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12377. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58805-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58805-2_17

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