Evolving The Mobile Phone Orchestra

In this paper, we describe the development of the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra (MoPhO) since its inceptionin 2007. As a newly structured ensemble of musicians withiPhones and wearable speakers, MoPhO takes advantageof the ubiquity and mobility of smartphones as well asthe unique interaction techniques offered by such devices.MoPhO offers a new platform for research, instrument design, composition, and performance that can be juxtaposedto that of a laptop orchestra. We trace the origins of MoPhO,describe the motivations behind the current hardware andsoftware design in relation to the backdrop of current trendsin mobile music making, detail key interaction conceptsaround new repertoire, and conclude with an analysis onthe development of MoPhO thus far.