Carlin McLellan, 33-year-old father and music therapist, was recently named Thunkable's app developer of 2022.
Thunkable is an app-building platform with millions of monthly users, and the award is determined by the impact the apps have on people.
Founder of Play Anything Music Therapy in Broadmeadow, McLellan noticed a gap in the app store's accessible music app offering and, despite his lack of experience in building apps, decided to do something about it.
Now, after just two years in app development, McLellan has 10 apps in the App Store and Google Play, and 50 more almost complete. The apps he has released have been downloaded thousands of times.
Original concepts
There's Pentatonic Piano with its colour-coded keys. Old MacDonald has a simple interface for playing animal sounds encouraging vocalisation and joint attention. Trace Numbers and Letters helps people of varying abilities learn their numbers and letters. RAMSR Intro supports young children with executive function development.
McLellan has always had a passion for music, and for helping people. A friend recommended a masters in music therapy as a possible path. With more than 10 years experience as a disability support person and a long history of playing in bands and producing music, it felt like the perfect fit.
"During my time as a disability support worker, I informally saw how music benefited the people I worked with," McLellan said.
"I wanted to work with people and I love seeing creativity help people thrive and express themselves."
Since founding Play Anything Music Therapy in 2017, McLellan has worked with hundreds of people through music therapy, workshops, and speaking at international conferences.
"I saw that lots of people I worked with loved using technology, but there were really no good inclusive, accessible apps," he said.
"Some were overstimulating or had too many ads, others were badly made, and many were expensive."
He said anything labelled as accessible for people with disabilities automatically came with a big price-tag.
"I saw the potential well-made apps had in helping people reach their music therapy goals, and wondered if I could make something myself," he said.
Making apps
Through online courses and experimentation, McLellan taught himself to make apps in 2020.
"I became obsessed," he said. "I really enjoyed the process, working late nights and early mornings. I enjoyed seeing that I was creating something of value and became really immersed.
"My first app, Pentatonic Piano, is just five coloured buttons that each play a different note. It really sums up my philosophy when it comes to making apps. Simple and intuitive is what's best and most accessible. I remind myself to push back against human tendency to overcomplicate."
McLellan says he has barely scratched the surface of the need and want regarding inclusive apps, and sees huge potential in making people's lives better through music and technology.
One of the apps McLellan has in the works uses an AI chat-bot to write song lyrics, while another compiles lyrics to many of the world's sea shanties.
The future
With more than 50 instruments and two licensed music therapists, the future looks bright for Play Anything, which started as part of Renew Newcastle in 2017.
Music therapy is an approved service within the National Disability Insurance Scheme, offering support to people of all ages and abilities. McLellan works with young kids and toddlers all the way through to older adults.
Play Anything Music Therapy offers assistance to people living with various kinds of psychosocial and mental health disabilities as well as neurological and developmental disabilities.
"The idea is collaborative goal-setting," McLellan said. "Music is a medium to work through and is great for lots of people, for example, kids on the autism spectrum."
"I'm stoked to have the opportunity to bring music therapy to other people, especially since it's not a particularly well-known therapy. We help people work on communication, social and emotional goals," McLellan said.
"Music therapy is really a musical way work on non-musical goals."
He has no plans to stop making apps, and says he is hoping to keep connecting to people who are interested in how music can make communities better, more accessible and more connected.
"The more music we have in society, the better things will be," he said.
"We need to break down the barrier between musician and non-musician. Music is such a good way to express emotion and tell your story."
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