Funki creates new pathways to accessible music

In a space in Södermalm, Stockholm, we meet Maria Svahn, one of the founders of Funki, music therapist Corinne Elfving, and of course the main characters: Titti, AC, Kay and Ove. The latter four make up a quartet of instruments designed to work for everyone.

Text: Jessica Stjernström

TITTI is the yellow hybrid, featuring both a touchpad and a joystick, while with the orange AC, music is just the press of a button away.

The light-green, versatile KAY offers a high degree of creative freedom, while the white OVE’s two joysticks provide endless possibilities for combinations.

Funki was founded in 2019

FUNKI WAS FOUNDED IN 2019 when Maria Svahn and Josefine Hölling, both students at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, met during a course on musical communication.

The course leader wanted them to organise a musical activity at Rullen, a special needs school where Maria happened to have worked. With their knowledge of the pupils and the challenges they faced, Maria and Josefine quickly realised that there was no way for people to play music together if they were unable to play traditional instruments. It was there and then that Funki’s first adapted instrument was born, built by Maria and Josefine themselves.

– Music is a language that everyone understands.

Even if we have different ways of communicating verbally, and may not always understand what the other person is saying, we can find each other through music.Maria Svahn

Even if we have different ways of communicating verbally, and may not always understand what the other person is saying, we can find each other through music, says Maria, who still works extra with riding lessons for Rullen’s pupils.

Maria particularly remembers a mother who contacted her and told her that her daughter had been able to take part in her very first leisure activity at the local music school thanks to the school having purchased Funki instruments. Her daughter was around seven years old and had previously been unable to find a leisure activity that worked for her needs.

Music is all around us, almost everywhere, and Sweden has a strong tradition of making music, for example through its municipal music schools. Sweden has become a leading exporter of music, and many children and young people have probably dreamed of being able to play or sing like their idol.

– 87 percent of Sweden’s population listens to music, but only 10 percent plays an instrument once a month, Maria says.

Interest in music is widespread, but the opportunities to make music yourself are limited.

Music therapist Corinne Elfving

CORINNE ELFVING is a music therapist and runs workshops using Funki’s instruments.

– It feels fantastic to be able to offer a key that enables participants to start making music together so quickly. Funki removes what so many people say – that they “can’t play”, Corinne explains. It drives me to see a person light up when music becomes accessible.

Funki removes what so many people say – that they “can’t play”. It drives me to see a person light up when music becomes accessible.Corinne Elfving

When Corinne runs workshops with young people who are not used to playing music, they initially play only their own instrument. Soon, they begin to notice the sounds coming from the other instruments and start communicating with one another through tones, without using spoken language.

CORINNE REMEMBERS a young girl who was very quiet and did not communicate verbally. After they had been playing for a while, she began making sounds and expressing her engagement through those sounds.

– It became a confirmation for those of us who work with this that music really matters.

Maria and Josefine build every instrument by hand in their space in Södermalm. Once all the components have been prepared, it takes approximately two days to build a set of four musical instruments. Genuine craftsmanship. This is where new TITTI, AC, KAY and OVE instruments are born. They connect to an app that provides endless musical possibilities. All four instruments are synchronised with each other, and the app is used to configure key, volume, sound and much more.

TITTI, AC, KAY and OVE can be made to sound like string instruments, piano, harp, organ or virtually anything you want. Even if OVE becomes a piano and TITTI a trumpet, and they are played by different people with different levels of experience, they remain synchronised in terms of sound, key and rhythm, creating a harmonious musical performance together.

FUNKI’S INSTRUMENTS simply help users stay within a common key and scale, and within the same section of the musical composition, from their very first attempt.

Today, Funki’s instruments can be found in 17 different municipalities, with the municipal music schools in Leksand and Hallstahammar among the first to recognise their potential. Interest is coming from several directions, and Funki’s instruments are slowly but surely finding their way to more people who want to play music but may not yet have found the right way to do so.

Funki tries to inspire its customers to organise shared music lessons for students with and without disabilities. More people need the opportunity to experience how enjoyable it is to bring together people with different abilities and create something beautiful together.

– We need to remove the pressure to perform when it comes to music. We need to encourage people to dare to try, say both Corinne and Maria. It is wonderful to be in that creative space and see how music creates community and joy, and builds new pathways for communication.

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Inclusive musical instruments

• Real, physical musical instruments with a robust and durable design.
• Can easily be adapted to work for many different users.
• Require no prior knowledge or experience, either from the user or from support staff.

THE INSTRUMENTS’ integrated software assists users with the most cognitively advanced aspects of making music in a group. The physical design makes independent music-making accessible to people with a wide range of motor abilities.

Funki’s four family members

TITTI – the hybrid

With a combination of a touchpad and joystick, TITTI is fun to play both individually and together with others.

KAY – the versatile one

KAY’s touch surfaces consist of twelve squares that can be used individually or paired together to create a smaller number of larger surfaces, depending on the user’s preferences and needs.

AC – music at the press of a button

AC is played using two buttons. Each button can be programmed to play a sound or a sequence of sounds. The sounds can either be played in a set order or randomly.

OVE – in every direction

Two joysticks provide a sense of control while allowing you to play both individual notes and chords.