Abstract
We have been developing a novel electronic musical instrument Cymis (Cyber Musical Instrument with Score), showing that persons with neural or motor impairments such as cerebral palsy can play the piece easily. The aim of the present study is to propose a basic idea of prospective music performance on the Cymis which may attenuate cognitive impairment and reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly. In the beginning, we have tried to show that Cymis performance could be an effective cognitive stimulus. Five subjects, university female students majoring music, were instructed to perform a song, keeping the constant tempo, with pointing each head of note displayed on the touch monitor. Two popular songs that they knew well were selected, under the conditions of with and without sound production, and regular tempo of 84[BPM ] and extraordinarily fast tempo of 150[BPM]. By examining both answers to fourteen questions regarding cognitive functions and results of performance, it was indicated that Cymis performace could be an effective stimulus to cognitive function.
