Investigating Embodied Music Expression Through the Leap Motion: Experimentations in Educational and Clinical Contexts

This paper describes a computer-based approach to foster embodied musical expression. The proposed system captures user's hand gestures through a Leap Motion controller, and the signals thus generated are sent to a software tool that converts movements into music notes. When applied to an educational or a rehabilitation context, this solution may foster the development of communication and motor skills by using free-hand interaction. The conceptual framework was experimented in two contexts: technologically-augmented music lessons in a primary school, and music therapy sessions for the rehabilitation of physically and intellectually impaired people.