Music Education with Loops: Experiments with Accessible Digital Tools

Abstract

This article presents an initial investigation into the use of accessible digital technologies to support musical creation by people without formal musical training. Based on a conceptual analysis of the relationship between art, technology, and repetition, the article discusses the role of the loop as a central technical and aesthetic element in contemporary music. From experimental workshops, the article explores widely available or open-source tools such as WhatsApp, LMMS, Pure Data, and Mixxx. The experiments focused on observing how each tool enables basic operations such as recording, manipulation, and organization of sounds. WhatsApp proved useful for quickly capturing audio, although its limited control made it difficult to use loops precisely. LMMS offered a more suitable environment for the visual organization of sound events and for working with repetition. Pure Data allowed the construction of simple patches to explore the relationships between sound objects and signal flows. Mixxx was used to manipulate audio snippets in real time and create repetitions during musical performance. The results suggest that, even in informal environments or with non-dedicated software, it is possible to stimulate creative and compositional practices, opening up new ways of engaging with electronic and digital music, particularly in activities that involve repetition and simple sound manipulation.