The music played in this video is a fragment of Soaring through Sparks, the world’s first ever Clarion concerto written by Michael Betteridge and commissioned by ABRSM.
Alessandro Vazzana started playing the Clarion at his special school. He now performs with the Alton Concert Orchestra.
Watch Alessandro play the Clarion with head movement, using a Quha Zono head mouse.
Now watch the same fragment being played with the hand.
The Clarion can be played with movement from any part of the body including feet, elbows, or even eye movement using eye-gaze technology.
Customise it – Notes, which are represented on screen by different coloured shapes can be adapted to a musician’s preferences, including their position on screen for ease of playing. Choose between 13 high-quality instrument sounds to play.
Be creative with music, even if you don’t read notation. You can play by ear. The Clarion is a visual instrument where scores are represented as patterns. Each tune offers different patterns to explore: some arrange all the notes in the correct order. Others help you practice memorisation or encourage improvisation. Follow a score if you like, or play the patterns in any order you choose. You can even create your own!
Progress – The Clarion brings the same possibilities for musical progression as conventional instruments. You can download it and start playing within 5 minutes. It’s a very intuitive instrument, but it will take practice and musicianship to play it well.
Everyone can try the Clarion for free. Simply download the Clarion app on your iPads (from the App Store) or your Windows PC devices (from the Microsoft Store) and start experimenting. Our trial version of the Clarion has four instrument sounds unlocked, and four tunes you can play: First Steps, Happy Birthday, Amazing Grace and Blow the Wind Southerly.
Get the Clarion through Open Orchestras (annual licences):
This is highly recommended for special schools and Music Hubs wanting to set up and run ensembles in special schools.
An annual subscription to the Open Orchestras programme comes with 20 12-month Clarion licences, access to an exclusive set of 12 pieces of music with patterns for everyone to play; as well as training, schemes of work and a community of practice. Open Orchestras Clarion licences also unlock ‘My Cloud,’ a feature that lets you share patterns across devices.
Open Orchestras subscription fees for 2025-26 are £750 for new orchestras and £550 for renewing orchestras.
Buy the Clarion through Clarion Education (in perpetuity licences):
Clarion licences bought through our Clarion Education programme are for organisations with educators and music therapists who don’t run special school ensembles such as Open Orchestras. It includes free training and the flexibility to buy as many Clarions as your organisation needs.
Clarion Education licences unlock the instrument’s full functionality, including all instrument sounds, the ability to edit and create patterns, and ‘My Cloud,’ a feature that lets you share patterns across devices.’
Clarion 1.28
Free version
Clarion Education
Open Orchestras
Patterns
Free Clarion patterns *
Additional Clarion patterns **
Open Orchestras repertoire
BBC Ten Pieces Grasswalk and Magic
Create new patterns
Duplicate patterns
Edit patterns
Delete patterns
Pages
Sounds
4 sounds
13 sounds ***
Folders
Ability to create pattern folders
Add new folders
Duplicate folders
Delete folders
Ability to share patterns through ‘My Cloud’
* First steps, Happy Birthday, Amazing Grace, Blow the Wind Southerly
** Pentatonic jam session, and all paid-for patterns released in the future
*** Plus any new sounds released in the future
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