Inclusive Design for Arts and Computing Education

The entry barrier for novices to make compelling music and art with technology has never been lower. Yet, creative technologies can prevent access among individuals with diverse abilities, interests, and values, perpetuating cycles of exclusion. For example, music notation and production environments use highly visual interfaces that limit engagement among Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) people.

To advance arts and computing education, I develop interactive systems that leverage multiple modalities (e.g. audio, tactile, visual) and machine learning (e.g. pose detection). I use an iterative, inclusive approach to research: I conduct formative studies, co-design prototypes with educators and learners, and deploy creative systems in learning environments that culminate in original art and performance. In this talk, I will discuss my work with The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Community School for BVI musicians (aka the Fil'). Together we built SoundCells, an accessible web application used to compose braille and large print music, and formed FiLOrk (Fil' Laptop Orchestra), a collaborative music coding ensemble made up of five BVI high school students. I will conclude by outlining future plans to broaden participation in both the arts and computing.
 

Bio: Willie Payne (https://williepayne.com/) is a PhD candidate in Music Technology at NYU. Across his Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research, he uses participatory methods to co-design and deploy creative technologies with community partners. Willie has published at highly selective computing venues, and his work has been honored with a Best Paper Award at Web4All and an Honorable Mention at CHI. During his graduate studies, Willie co-taught the undergraduate course Creative Learning Design, led an applied research course for undergraduate engineers, and taught code to high school students with his research partners The Fil' and STEM From Dance. Willie holds degrees in Computer Science and Music Composition from CU Boulder.

Inclusive Design for Arts and Computing Education

The entry barrier for novices to make compelling music and art with technology has never been lower. Yet, creative technologies can prevent access among individuals with diverse abilities, interests, and values, perpetuating cycles of exclusion. For example, music notation and production environments use highly visual interfaces that limit engagement among Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) people.

To advance arts and computing education, I develop interactive systems that leverage multiple modalities (e.g. audio, tactile, visual) and machine learning (e.g. pose detection). I use an iterative, inclusive approach to research: I conduct formative studies, co-design prototypes with educators and learners, and deploy creative systems in learning environments that culminate in original art and performance. In this talk, I will discuss my work with The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Community School for BVI musicians (aka the Fil'). Together we built SoundCells, an accessible web application used to compose braille and large print music, and formed FiLOrk (Fil' Laptop Orchestra), a collaborative music coding ensemble made up of five BVI high school students. I will conclude by outlining future plans to broaden participation in both the arts and computing.
 

Bio: Willie Payne (https://williepayne.com/) is a PhD candidate in Music Technology at NYU. Across his Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research, he uses participatory methods to co-design and deploy creative technologies with community partners. Willie has published at highly selective computing venues, and his work has been honored with a Best Paper Award at Web4All and an Honorable Mention at CHI. During his graduate studies, Willie co-taught the undergraduate course Creative Learning Design, led an applied research course for undergraduate engineers, and taught code to high school students with his research partners The Fil' and STEM From Dance. Willie holds degrees in Computer Science and Music Composition from CU Boulder.