Method of instructing an audience to create spontaneous music

• US 8,487,174 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sounds Like Fun, LLC
• Original Assignee: Sounds Like Fun, LLC
• Inventors: Bentson, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David S.
• Application Number:
  US13/399,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 84600-602, 846/09, 846/15, 846/47, 846/49, 846/53
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 1/00 Means for the representation of music

Abstract

A method of instructing an audience to spontaneously create music at an entertainment event is disclosed. The method comprises providing noisemakers to groups of participants, the noisemakers being distinguishable between the plurality of types and each noisemaker sounding a single note. A dynamic display comprising a screen and a notice period shows instructions to the participants. The instructions direct the participants to sound their respective noisemakers at different times. The combined sound from the various noisemakers thereby produces a musical score.

Claims

1. A system for creating spontaneous music, the system comprising:

a plurality of noisemakers comprising a first group and a second group, the first group of noisemakers configured to generate a first musical note and to be distributed to a first plurality of participants in an audience at an event, the second group of noisemakers configured to generate a second musical note and to be distributed to a second plurality of participants of the audience;

a controller comprising a computer;

a plurality of musical control routines electronically stored on the controller, the controller configured to allow an administrator to select a selected musical control routine from the plurality of the musical control routines, the controller further configured to output the selected musical control routine as instructions;

a video display unit configured to receive the instructions from the controller and to present the commands on a display as a first prompt, a second prompt, and a target, the first and second prompts configured to move relative to the target so that the first prompt meets the target at a first time and the second prompt meets the target at a second time thereby indicating to the first and second pluralities of participants when to sound the respective first and second groups of noisemakers;

wherein the first and second musical notes and the first and second times are configured so that the sounding of the first group of noisemakers with the first musical note at the first time and the sounding of the second group of noisemakers with the second musical note at the second time combine to form a desired musical work.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to present the commands as a third prompt, the third prompt and the target configured to meet at a third time thereby indicating to at least one of the first and second groups of participants when to make a noise other than with the noisemakers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the noise other than with the noisemakers comprises a hand clap, foot stomp, or shout.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least the first group of noisemakers comprises a generally cylindrical element.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least the first group of noisemakers comprises an idiophone.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the video display unit is integrated with the display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises an electronic screen in a stadium or an arena.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the audience comprises at least 1,000 participants.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to initiate an alert to the first and second pluralities of participants before presenting the first prompts, second prompts, and target.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display presents not more than a total of three of the first and second prompts concurrently.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to avoid identification of the musical work by the first and second plurality of participants prior to the first and second prompts being presented by the display.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to present the first and second prompts with respective notice periods, the notice periods being configured to allow the participants to predict when the first prompt will meet the target and when the second prompt will meet the target.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the notice period comprises about 3 seconds.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the target is generally stationary and the first and second prompts move relative to the target.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the video display unit is configured to present a first path and a second path on the display, each of the first and second paths extending across the display and intersecting the target, and wherein the first prompt moves along the first path and the second prompt moves along the second path.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first and second paths extend from a first edge of the display across the display and to the target.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first and second paths are straight.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein each prompt moves along its respective path to the target and then leaves the display.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the first group of noisemakers cannot generate the second musical note.

15. A method of creating spontaneous music among an audience, comprising:

designating a first plurality of participants in an audience as a first group, each participant in the first group having a first noisemaker configured to create a first tone;

designating a second plurality of participants in the audience as a second group, each participant in the second group having a second noisemaker configured to create a second tone; and

instructing the first and second groups of participants with a dynamic display so as to indicate when the first and second groups of participants are to sound their respective first and second noisemakers, the dynamic display comprising a screen;

wherein instructing the first and second groups of participants comprises;

displaying a target on the screen;

displaying a first prompt on the screen, the first prompt spaced from the target;

converging the first prompt and the target until the first prompt and the target meet, a first notice period defined as the time from when the first prompt and the target begin converging until the first prompt and the target meet, the first notice period being configured to aid at least the first group of participants in predicting when the first prompt and the target will meet;

displaying a second prompt on the screen, the second prompt spaced from the target;

converging the second prompt and the target until the second prompt and the target meet, a second notice period defined as the time from when the second prompt and the target begin converging until the second prompt and the target meet, the second notice period being configured to aid at least the second group of participants in predicting when the second prompt and the target will meet; and

timing the respective meetings of the first and second prompts with the target so that if the first noisemakers are sounded when the first prompt meets the target and the second noisemakers are sounded when the second prompt meets the target, a desired musical sequence is created.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising designating the first and second groups of participants so that they are intermingled together substantially randomly.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising indicating that at least one of the first and second groups of participants are to make a sound other than the noise generated by their respective noisemakers.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising indicating that the first prompt corresponds with the first group of participants and the second prompt corresponds with the second group of participants.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing portions of the desired musical sequence with a sound system.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising limiting the total number of the first and second prompts displayed on the screen to six or fewer.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second notice periods are the same length of time.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein converging the first prompt and the target comprises moving the first prompt across the screen along a first path, and converging the second prompt and the target comprises moving the second prompt across the screen along a second path, and the first and second paths are spaced from one another.