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The aim of this project is to enable the public release and long-term support of software prototypes developed during the NETEM research project, thereby vastly increasing the impact and dissemination of the research. The NETEM ('Networking Technology and the Experience of Ensemble Music-making') project asked whether a wireless network of tablet computers could be transformative to the experience of musical ensemble playing. To explore this question, we developed two apps for Apple's iPad: NETEM Conductor and NETEM Performer. These apps display musical scores in the place of conventional paper scores, and synchronise the performers' scores with the conductors score. With synchronised scores, musicians cannot lose their place in the music. This reduces stress and increases confidence, enabling the whole ensemble to focus on musicality. It also enables access to ensemble music for less experienced musicians, and supports ensembles with performers of varied abilities. The NETEM project followed a participatory ethos, and the apps were developed with regular testing and feedback from a primary school orchestra and with a varied set of local musical ensembles, musicians and conductors. Feedback from these groups has demonstrated that the NETEM apps would be valuable to many musical ensembles. The apps in their current form are research prototypes, designed for the NETEM research project, and to be used with the support of the research team. They lack some user interface features and basic functions that everyday users would normally expect from a public release. Users without specific technical expertise may find them difficult to use. This project will develop the apps from research prototypes into consumer quality releases, following a clearly defined specification of new features that need to be implemented. We will also build an online community hub to support users. We will make the apps available to a wide user-base by creating a new version for Android in addition to iOS. Building on the rich participatory ethos established with the initial project, we have organised frequent testing sessions with a student ensemble and with our partner ensembles: Lewes Concert Orchestra, Dorothy Stringer Secondary School Orchestra and Community Music for All Sussex. A core concern of this project is to ensure longevity of the outputs, beyond the lifetime of this and future research grants. To achieve this, we are collaborating with Sussex Innovation Centre (SInC), a business support hub at the University of Sussex. SInC are conducting market research within the UK education sector and with community orchestras, and are identifying structures and organisations that will help us engage with stakeholders in these sectors. They will work with us to create a plan for setting up a company to support the apps and the community of app users. The company will operate with sustainability and affordability as its priorities. Revenue will pay for future updates and repairs to the software, and for long-term support for the community of users. Our collaboration with SInC is supported by a £5,000 grant from the University of Sussex Enterprise Panel, and will lay the foundations for an ongoing partnership through the company we form. The apps will be released in spring 2017, with a public launch event in London. At the event, members of the public of any musical skill level will be able to take part in an ensemble rehearsal and performance with professional musicians, supported and enabled by the software. A similar event will follow at Edinburgh Science Festival.
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