What’s next for Arcana Strum? A catch-up with Haim Kairy
(L to R) Richard Llewellyn, Haim Kairy and Kate Rounding
What’s next for Arcana Strum? A catch-up with Haim Kairy by Richard Llewellyn
Kate and myself had a fun lunchtime at The British Library with Haim Kairy, one of our international partners. As well as being a good friend and supporter of TiME, Haim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana. We’ve been working with him for a few years now, helping to raise awareness of the Arcana Strum, and supporting his work.
For those who don’t know, the Arcana is an accessible, adaptive electronic guitar instrument designed for individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities. It features a unique physical handle or joystick for strumming and a set of silicone buttons to play chords.
Haim was over in London with his family, having a well-deserved holiday break.
· We asked him how things were going with the Arcana?
Yes, things are going very well, thank you. There’s always something exciting going on and we’re making some good progress.
· What good news stories are there?
Arcana Strum
Well, we’re about to start Clinical Trials, testing the Arcana out in different scenarios. There are four medical centres that we’ll be working with, each looking at a different element; these include PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), as well as OT (Occupational Therapy) for Children, adults, and the Elderly. This is being funded by a government grant and starts in October, running for 6 to 8 months. This will help define which additional resources may help people with different disabilities and at different rehab stages. We’ll be posting news and the outcomes of these projects in due course.
Matei plays the Arcana Strum - Read the case study in the TiME free membership area
It’s also heartwarming to be receiving messages from parents of disabled children, pretty much every day, who are playing the Arcana, saying that they can’t believe that their child is actually playing music and really enjoying it! This is very empowering and helps to motivate children to progress their playing skills and enjoyment of music.
· What plans do you have for the future?
We’ve got some exciting new plans on the software side of things, as we introduce a new app which will automatically connect with your iPhone/iPad for linking the Arcana Strum up to GarageBand. It will scan the area and then auto connect, so making setup even quicker. We’re also developing the Arcana Music School website with more features and pieces of music to play.
We’ve also been selling more Arcana’s to countries such as America, Australia and The Netherlans and Italy (especially into schools) and developing other markets.
· What’s the most exciting development you are seeing in accessible inclusive musical instruments?
As Active Chair of the Music Accessibility Special Interest Group within The MIDI Association, I’m seeing a clear shift toward instruments that genuinely support progression and technique development. While some devices still function primarily as simple controllers or interfaces (useful, but limited in how far you can shape a personal sound) an increasing number of developers are creating instruments that are expressive, tactile, and behave far more like traditional musical instruments. These new designs allow players to build real technical skill, refine nuance, and develop an individual musical voice.
Find out more at Arcana Instruments