echobo : Audience Participation Using The Mobile Music Instrument

This work aims at a music piece for large-scale audience participation usingmobile phones as musical instruments at a music performance. Utilizing theubiquity of smart phones, we attempted to accomplish audience engagement bycrafting an accessible musical instrument with which audience can be a part ofthe performance. Drawing lessons learnt from the creative works of mobilemusic, audience participation, and the networked instrument a mobile musicalinstrument application is developed so that audience can download the app atthe concert, play the instrument instantly, interact with other audiencemembers, and contribute to the music by sound generated from their mobilephones. The post-survey results indicate that the instrument was easy to use,and the audience felt connected to the music and other musicians.