If you are a music teacher and want to integrate modern technology into your music teaching, it is essential to stay informed about what is available on the market. One way to discover the latest developments in music technology is by visiting trade fairs and exhibitions dedicated to this field.

One of these events is Superbooth in Berlin — an international event for electronic music, aimed at synthesiser enthusiasts and professionals fascinated by some truly remarkable electronic and digital musical instruments.

I attend the event to get inspired, get to know the latest music gear and meet the makers of so many inspiring electronic and digital musical instruments. My main focus was exploring which of these innovations could be relevant to music education in primary and secondary schools.

In this post, I will share a selection of highlights, many of which you will undoubtedly read more about on this website in the future.

Please note that these devices belong to a higher price range than, for example, the Korg Volca series or the Roland Aira Compact range.

Drum by Dato

With the introduction of the Drum as the newest member of the family, Dato Instruments now offers two strong options for music education: the Duo, a professional synthesiser and sequencer, and the Drum, a professional drum sequencer.

Do not let my use of the word “professional” mislead you. Although both devices are serious electronic musical instruments that feel perfectly at home in a live electronic performance or music production setup, their playful design and intuitive controls also make them highly accessible for young children.

You can read more about both instruments in my earlier articles:
Dato Drum en Dato Duo

Bullfrog Drums by Erica Synths

Where the Duo and Drums by Dato focus on the playful exploration of synthesised sounds, the Bullfrog and Bullfrog Drum by Erica Synths are in the first place designed from the idea of teaching and learning about synthesis and sound design (Bullfrog), and drum sequencing and sampling (Bullfrog Drums).

This educational focus becomes immediately clear from the extensive teaching manuals supplied with both the Bullfrog and Bullfrog Drums. In addition, the Bullfrog is available in two sizes: a smaller version for student use and a larger classroom version for teachers. The larger version features the same layout as the smaller Bullfrog, but also includes an oscilloscope, allowing students to visualise the sounds being generated by the synthesiser.

Chompi by Chase Bliss

The Chompi by Chase Bliss Audio shares similarities with both the Duo and Drum by Dato and the Bullfrog Drums by Erica Synths. Both Chase Bliss and Erica Synths use a style of buttons similar to the mechanical keys commonly found on computer and gaming keyboards.

The designer of the Chompi, Tobias — who is also a music educator — told me that earlier versions with different buttons were rejected by his students. They preferred the “real” buttons they were already familiar with from gaming culture.

The similarities between the Chompi and the Dato instruments can be seen in their playful and inviting design language.

Move by Ableton

The Move by Ableton could perhaps best be described as a hardware version of Ableton’s music-making app, Note. Ableton presents it as a device that allows users to capture musical ideas quickly and on the go before developing them further in their software environment, Live.

The Move is a standalone device with a built-in battery, microphone and speaker. It comes equipped with sounds, samples, synthesisers, effects, four tracks with eight clips (for loops or samples) each, a sequencer with sixteen physical pads, and eight rotary controls for shaping instruments and effects. In short, it is a compact studio that can be used virtually anywhere.

I can already imagine my students walking through the school with it, using the sampling function to capture interesting sounds and transforming them into melodies, basslines, chords or drum patterns to express their creativity and musicality.

You can read more about the Move and Note in my earlier articles: Ableton Move and Ableton Note

And if you want to learn the basics of Live, I have a crash course waiting for you as part of my Free DAW Guides

Phase 8 by Korg

The Phase 8 by Korg is, in short, a synthesiser with a sequencer — but it is a very unusual synthesiser.

Rather than generating sound electronically in the conventional sense, the instrument uses metal tone bars that are set into vibration electronically and then amplified, much like the strings of an electric guitar. This makes it possible to manipulate the vibrations of the bars while the sound is being produced, for example by placing objects on the bars so they vibrate differently or less freely.

Korg therefore describes the Phase 8 as an “acoustic synthesiser”. The vibrations can be triggered manually using the physical trigger buttons, programmed through the built-in sequencer, or controlled externally via MIDI from a computer.

Because of these features, the Phase 8 offers fascinating opportunities to connect music education with physics and digital literacy, promoting exploration and creativity.

Kalimba by Bastl Instruments

Another electronic musical instrument that is on the explorative side of the technology spectrum is the Kalimba by Bastl Instruments —an electronic interpretation of the African thumb piano.

This is not simply an acoustic kalimba fitted with a contact microphone and output jack. Instead, it is a synthesiser featuring touch- and velocity-sensitive tone tines made from the same material used in printed circuit boards. Bastl has treated the acoustic instrument as a starting point, while adding an imaginative electronic twist.

The tone tines trigger synthesised sounds and can be played with the thumbs in the traditional way, but by touching the tone tines, notes can also sound before the tine is physically plucked. Tilting the instrument changes the sound, as do the small metal buttons and various rotary and push controls used for looping, sequencing and arpeggiation.

The Kalimba comes with a built-in battery and speaker, ready for your students’ creative sonic explorations — most likely producing sounds far removed from those of the traditional acoustic kalimba we are all familiar with.

First Love by Love Synthesizers

For many music educators, music was probably… well, you know. For the Icelandic makers of Love Synthesizers, their First Love takes the form of a synthesiser, which will become available from September 2026.

The First Love synthesizer combines large illuminated physical knobs and buttons — arranged in a layout strongly reminiscent of the classic compact cassette — with a touchscreen of roughly the same size.

The synth is portable, offers optional battery power, and includes a built-in speaker. It allows up to four instruments to be played simultaneously and includes many features expected from a modern synthesiser. What makes it particularly interesting is the clever combination of tactile physical controls and touchscreen interaction, allowing users to connect instruments and functions simply by drawing lines between them on the display.

Finally

Have you already used any of these devices in your teaching practice?
I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

Also, there is a special version of SUPERBOOTH —Mini Booth, which is targeted at children. See: https://fez-berlin.de/veranstaltungen2026/minibooth