CMPSR
Price: £299
CMPSR (pronounced ‘composer’) is a digital instrument that works with any DAW. Playing the CMPSR is intuitive: you move the joystick to play notes and use the eight square pads for functions including sustain and octave up. With the chord pad selected, the joystick will trigger simple triads, and you can add extensions such as a 7th, 9th or 11th, plus inversions. CMPSR comes with an accessible notation system called ‘Arrownotes’. Students follow the arrows and colours, gradually developing knowledge to progress to traditional notation. It also comes with an online library offering customisable activities, scores and ready-made projects for BandLab and GarageBand (Ableton, Cubase and Logic versions are coming soon). Together with CMPSR, these resources offer an integrated and accessible music education toolkit. Multi-buy discounts available. Powered via a rechargeable long-life battery.
Carry-On Digital Wind Instrument
Price: £39
The Carry-on By Blackstar Digital Wind Instrument is a digital descant recorder and a MIDI wind controller, with useful features for beginners and beyond. Available in white or black, it has 10 built-in sounds, ranging from soprano recorder to tenor saxophone. The built-in speaker produces a reasonable sound, given the instrument's compact size, and there is a headphone jack for quiet practice. Settings and sounds are accessed through buttons on the rear of the instrument. There are two fingering styles: standard descant recorder, and a simpler version. You can transpose up or down 12 semitones, and adjust for three levels of breath sensitivity. It's true potential is when it's used as a MIDI controller. It connects via Bluetooth, opening the option to use with a DAW. The process is simple: press the Bluetooth button and select it from your list of MIDI controllers. The washable silicone mouthpiece promotes good hygiene. The instrument is compact and light enough to throw in a school bag. Comes with a carry case and Micro USB cable for charging.
- Available from various retailers
3rd Avenue Roll-Up Piano
Price: £49
The 49-Key Rainbow Soft Touch Roll-Up Piano, from 3rd Avenue, is a great starter keyboard for young children. The silicone keys are soft and colourful, and it offers plenty of choice, with 128 sounds, 128 backing rhythms, and 14 demo songs. Its roll-up design makes it easy to store and carry, weighing only 500g. The piano can be rolled out on any flat surface, and its silicone material is durable and flexible, capable of withstanding wear and tear. While the keys are soft, they require a firm touch to produce a sound, which encourages intentional playing. Additional features like drum-kit sounds and being able to plug in a microphone add extra possibilities. You can also record and playback. It has a built-in speaker and a headphone jack for quiet practice. Powered via USB or four AAA batteries.
- Available from various retailers
Theremini
Price: £349
Created in the early 1920s, the theremin was one of the world's first electronic instruments. The Theremini, by Moog, blends the classic theremin with contemporary features, making it versatile and user-friendly. Sound is produced by moving your hands around two antennas. The left-hand antenna manages volume, which is increased by moving your hand away. The right-hand antenna controls pitch, which is raised or lowered (across an impressive eight octaves) by moving the hand closer or away. One of the Theremini's most exciting and valuable features is its scalable pitch-correction function. When activated, this allows you to play accurately on the scale you have chosen. With 32 customisable presets, you can produce a huge variety of tones, from classic Moog drones to ethereal, spacey sounds, making it ideal for composing film scores, soundscapes and electronic dance music. It has a built in speaker and can also be connected to external speakers. There is MIDI in/out and USB to connect to a DAW. Includes AC power adaptor.
