Speaker
Speaker Info
- Name
- Joke Veltman
- Organization
- IQ Health Radboudumc Nijmegen
- Country
- The Netherlands
- Biography
- My name is Joke Veltman (1955). I graduated the Conservatory of Amsterdam with piano as my main instrument in 1980. Since then my professional practice has concentrated around concerts, lecturing and teaching. Due to a genetic defect I slowly lost my hearing, starting in my early thirties. With old-fashioned analogue Philips hearing-aids, I could continue my music-work rather well. But, after years of gradual deterioration of my hearing, I became a CI candidate in 2013. A cochlear implant is an artificial hearing, allowing CI users to understand speech, but music really is a challenge due to the sound processing strategies of the electrodes in the cochlea. This urged me to retrain myself in music listening, tone discrimination and harmonic hearing. After finding myself happy behind the piano again, I started working on a musical listening training program for CI users, in collaboration with CI-therapists, scientists and over 120 CI users until now. The development of the Melody Game is part of this process. At the moment, I work as a PhD candidate at IQ Health Radboudumc, to make the most of the Musi-CI project and help as many as possible CI users regaining music enjoyment.
- www.linkedin.com/in/jokeveltman/
- www.facebook.com/MuziektrainingCI
- Photo
Presentation Info
- Title
- Melody Game for music training for cochlear implant users
- Summary
- The Melody Game is a serious game designed to help cochlear implant (CI) users distinguish pitch and short melodies. It features seven levels of increasing difficulty, from differentiation between 2 tones to discrimination of short melodies. Players assist conductor Cinie in collecting instruments for her band by scoring points. These instruments appear on her stage, allowing users to mix sounds and experiment. Target Audience and Purpose The game is aimed at CI users of all ages, from children to seniors. CI’s convert sound into electrical pulses in the cochlea, allowing deaf people to understand speech after extensive training. However, music often sounds distorted, making melody recognition difficult. The Melody Game supports music enjoyment, social participation, and quality of life. It is part of the Musi-CI training program, an initiative of pianist and CI user Joke Veltman, developed with CI teams from Radboudumc and UMC Utrecht. Since 2020, around 120 CI users have contributed to its development. Development and Features The Melody Game is an intuitive online training tool, requiring only a phone, tablet, or computer. Bluetooth streaming provides the best audio quality. A second version, funded by Agis Innovatiefonds and StITpro, launched in 2024, introducing: - Replay options for better learning - A test function to track the progress and support researchers - Enhanced visuals and gamification for an engaging experience Future outlook Integrating the game into Ci rehabilitation and developing new training apps are key goals. The CI-Toolbox is also in development to reach more users.
- Keynote