Musical toy
by Murray Woodman on Sep.01, 2003, under Know Idea
Children need to be stimulated when they are young to aid their development. They should be provided with stimulating toys that are fun to play and offer some developmental benerfits. Musical instruments essentially provide different interfaces to making air vibrate. The best instruments provide some analogue controls so that the musician can express themselves.
Idea
Why not develop a musical toy for children that has a really simple interface but quite complex electronics so that a variety of sounds can be played. We’re looking at a modern synthesiser converted into something kids can get their hands into. I’m imagining a cube with a different musical “aspect” on each face.
- beats + tempo: pads select beats which loop. There is a slider for the tempo.
- keyboard: there is a very simple one octave keyboard to bang simple melodies out on
- samples: pads to play certain sample
- distortion: a couple of sliders play simple effects
- input/output: connections to upload samples, plug in to stereos, batteries, on/off
The toy would be covered in bright rubber and would be very robust. It would be an all round funbox for kids, big and small alike.
Inspiration
I did see a child’s toy that did play a few sampled sounds when they pressed the keys. Why not take it to another level?
