By John Quaranta

Project Description
The “One Man Jam” is a musical device that, with minimal physical contact, allows you to create and manipulate musical sounds using your voice and the movement of your hands. It could be described as a unique combination of a virtual theremin simulation with microphone input. It would operate by having a small device rigged with sensors as the primary input device, which would be attached to a computer, providing additional input options. The computer would allow users to not only change the effects created by the instrument, but to apply a backing track that they could try to play along with. People would be drawn to the bizarre sounds the installation would send out and the ease with which they are created and altered in harmony with the backing tracks. Besides, music is essentially a universal interest. Studying the relationship between music and the movement of our bodies is bound to generate enthusiasm in just about anyone.

Bio
John Quaranta is a sophomore at Hunter College primarily focused on Media Studies. He is seeking to translate his passion for interactive gaming and technology into a body of work that explores not only how we can further integrate media into society, but also how we, as individuals, can become more engaged in the process. He actively enjoys drawing, playing guitar, amateur movie production, game design, and experimenting with computer technology. He hopes to channel as many of his interests as possible into a future career in media.