From accessible audio engineering and adaptive instruments to classroom music technology and student festivals, upcoming 2026 events show how MIDI continues to connect education, creativity, technology and inclusion.
Several upcoming events and conversations are especially relevant to The MIDI Association’s work in music education, accessibility, MIDI 2.0, creative technology and industry collaboration. Together, they show a growing global interest in inclusive music making, accessible audio tools, classroom production workflows, adaptive instruments, podcast conversations and new ways for students and creators to work with digital music systems.
MIDI has always been more than a technical specification. It is a shared language that helps musicians, educators, developers, manufacturers and students connect creative tools together. In 2026, a wide range of events across music education, accessibility, live sound, classroom technology and digital music making are demonstrating just how important that shared language remains.
Modern Band Festival — May 19, 2026
The 5th Annual Modern Band Festival at Anoka-Ramsey Community College takes place on May 19, 2026, with campus information listed for Cambridge and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The event is part of Anoka-Ramsey’s music program and provides a strong example of how modern band, contemporary music education and student performance continue to grow in schools and colleges.
Learn more about the Modern Band Festival.
For The MIDI Association, events like this are important because modern band programs often depend on keyboards, controllers, DAWs, drum pads, loop-based tools and other MIDI-enabled technologies. These programs help students connect performance, composition, production and technology in practical classroom settings.
Microsoft Ability Summit — May 19–20, 2026
Microsoft’s 16th annual Ability Summit takes place May 19–20, 2026. The digital mainstage session begins May 19 at 9:00 AM PT and focuses on accessibility-first, AI-powered innovation, including education, employment, productivity and business transformation.
Learn more about Microsoft Ability Summit.
This event is highly relevant to The MIDI Association’s accessibility initiatives because it brings together disabled experts, accessibility professionals and technology leaders. As music creation tools become more digital, connected and AI-assisted, accessibility must be considered from the beginning of product design, not added later as an afterthought.
Music Technology 2026 — May 20–21, 2026
Music Technology 2026 includes two days of sessions focused on practical music technology in education. The programme includes topics such as how local music hubs can support music technology, remix activities in the classroom, accessible music technology, DAW-based composition, AI in inclusive music classrooms and practical music technology at secondary level.
View the Music Technology 2026 programme.
The programme also includes a session titled “Teaching with MIDI: Controllers, DAWs and Creative Sound Design”, presented by Athan Billias of The MIDI Association. The session explores practical classroom uses of MIDI, using MIDI controllers with students, integrating MIDI with DAWs, creative sound design approaches, and setting up and troubleshooting MIDI-based classroom environments.
The session also introduces the free Coursera course MIDI In Music Education developed by The MIDI Association in partnership with SAE Mexico. This course gives teachers and learners an accessible pathway into MIDI fundamentals and supports The MIDI Association’s broader mission to make MIDI education available to more people around the world.
Sound Without Sight Webinar with DiGiCo and the Audio Accessibility Alliance — May 21, 2026
Sound Without Sight is hosting a webinar on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM BST with DiGiCo and the Audio Accessibility Alliance. The session will demonstrate a prototype known as “Codename DiGiVoice,” designed to enable DiGiCo digital mixing consoles to provide speech feedback for blind and low-vision engineers.
Learn more about the Sound Without Sight webinar.
The project was developed in collaboration with the Audio Accessibility Alliance and is intended to make digital mixing workflows more accessible. The webinar will include a demonstration of the prototype working with a Quantum mixing console and a connected Mac, as well as discussion of future plans for refinement, expansion and wider availability.
This is an important example of how accessibility in professional audio is moving beyond awareness and into practical engineering solutions. It also connects directly to the kinds of problems MIDI and related music technology standards can help address: discoverability, control, feedback, interoperability and consistent user experience across devices and software.
The MIDI Association is actively working on a way to send text over MIDI so there is a standardized way to do accessibility.
Joey Stuckey Q&A: Creativity, Accessibility and Authenticity
Sound Without Sight has also published a new podcast episode titled “Joey Stuckey Q&A: Creativity, Accessibility and Authenticity.” The episode features Joey Stuckey, a performer, producer, studio owner and accessible music technology advocate. Stuckey discusses the solutions he has developed throughout his career to produce and perform, how he runs Shadow Sound Studio, accessibility trends in the music industry and his favorite accessible music technology from NAMM.
Listen to the Sound Without Sight Joey Stuckey Q&A.
Joey Stuckey is an award-winning artist, producer and speaker whose work spans performance, recording, education and accessibility. Blind since early childhood, he has built a career centered on sound, creativity and resilience. He is also the owner and chief engineer of Shadow Sound Studio in Macon, Georgia, and has been named the Official Music Ambassador of Macon.
Learn more about Joey Stuckey.
The MIDI Association will also be joining Joey Stuckey on his Stuck on Sound podcast to discuss MIDI, music accessibility, education, creative technology and the future of connected music-making tools. The conversation will be another opportunity to highlight how MIDI can help make music creation more accessible, expressive and interoperable for musicians, educators, developers and manufacturers.
DMLab Festival — May 24, 2026
Drake Music presents the first DMLab Festival at Rich Mix in London on Sunday, May 24, 2026. The festival is described as a full day exploring music, instruments and technology by and for Disabled and Non-Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent musicians and makers. Online participation is also available through a YouTube livestream.
Learn more about DMLab Festival.
The programme includes an instrument-building workshop, an afternoon session on accessible music technology, opportunities to try new musical instruments and an evening performance event featuring Clarion Trio, Liza Bec, Tim Palm and DJ Jeffo from Deaf Rave. The event includes BSL interpretation and live captions for key sessions.
DMLab Festival is especially relevant to The MIDI Association’s Music Accessibility work because it places disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent musicians and makers at the center of the conversation. Adaptive instruments, accessible controllers and inclusive performance systems are all areas where MIDI can provide a common technical foundation for creative expression.
APME LIVE Student Festival & Digital Music Showcase — June 4–6, 2026
The Association for Popular Music Education will hold the 2026 APME LIVE Student Festival & Digital Music Showcase from June 4–6, 2026 at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. The event invites middle school, high school and college student musicians to take part in a non-competitive, in-person festival celebrating creativity in an encouraging educational setting. Learn more about the APME LIVE Student Festival.
Student bands, soloists and producers from all genres will perform for peers and the local community while learning from popular music clinicians and professionals. The festival includes clinician feedback workshops, recognition for participants and opportunities for original works to be featured.
This event connects strongly with The MIDI Association’s education mission. Popular music education increasingly includes songwriting, beat making, DAW production, live performance, controllers, loops, virtual instruments and recording workflows. MIDI is one of the core technologies that helps students move between musical ideas, software instruments, hardware controllers and production tools.
AES Accessibility in Audio Summit — July 9–10, 2026
The Audio Engineering Society will hold the AES Accessibility in Audio Summit online via Zoom on July 9 and July 10, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM each day. The summit includes panels, keynotes, software demos and interactive sessions focused on expanding universal access to sound.
Learn more about the AES Accessibility in Audio Summit.
The summit agenda includes a RAMPD keynote panel, a session on accessibility in music software design, a session on accessibility in recording studio design and participation from the Audio Accessibility Alliance. Topics include disability culture, accessible music software, accessible studio design, blind and low-vision workflows, mobility access, neurodiversity and inclusive professional practice.
This summit is directly aligned with The MIDI Association’s Music Accessibility Special Interest Group and the broader goal of making music technology more usable by everyone. Accessibility in audio is not a niche topic. It is part of the future of music creation, music education, live sound, recording and product development.
Why These Events Matter to the MIDI Community
These events represent different parts of the same larger story. Music education is becoming more technology-based. Accessibility is becoming a core requirement for professional and educational audio tools. Students are creating with DAWs, controllers and virtual instruments from the beginning of their musical lives. Disabled musicians and engineers are helping define better tools for everyone. AI, adaptive instruments and connected music systems are changing how people learn, perform and produce music.
MIDI sits at the center of many of these changes because it provides a standardized way for musical devices, software, controllers and instruments to communicate. Whether a student is using a keyboard controller in a classroom, a producer is working in a DAW, a performer is using an adaptive instrument, or an engineer is controlling a complex audio system, interoperability matters.
The MIDI Association continues to support the companies, educators, developers and musicians who use MIDI to create new musical possibilities. Through MIDI 1.0, MIDI 2.0, MIDI-CI, Profiles, Property Exchange, Universal MIDI Packet and ongoing work in accessibility and education, the MIDI community is helping shape a more connected and inclusive future for music technology.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day — May 21, 2026
These events also take place during the same month as Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which will be celebrated on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The 15th Global Accessibility Awareness Day is focused on getting everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people worldwide with disabilities and impairments.
Learn more about Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
For the MIDI community, Global Accessibility Awareness Day is an important reminder that accessibility is not separate from music technology. Accessible instruments, accessible DAWs, accessible controllers, screen-reader-friendly software, adaptive hardware and inclusive education all depend on thoughtful design and interoperable systems.
MIDI has an important role to play in this future. By helping musical devices, software and controllers communicate in consistent ways, MIDI can support more flexible, more personalized and more accessible music-making experiences for people with different physical, sensory and cognitive needs.
Global Accessibility Awareness Day — May 21, 2026
These events also take place during the same month as Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which will be celebrated on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The 15th Global Accessibility Awareness Day is focused on getting everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people worldwide with disabilities and impairments. Learn more about Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
For the MIDI community, Global Accessibility Awareness Day is an important reminder that accessibility is not separate from music technology. Accessible instruments, accessible DAWs, accessible controllers, screen-reader-friendly software, adaptive hardware and inclusive education all depend on thoughtful design and interoperable systems.
MIDI has an important role to play in this future. By helping musical devices, software and controllers communicate in consistent ways, MIDI can support more flexible, more personalized and more accessible music-making experiences for people with different physical, sensory and cognitive needs.
Support the Future of MIDI Education and Accessibility
The MIDI Association connects the companies who develop MIDI products and new MIDI specifications with all the people around the world who create music and art with MIDI. Our work in music education, accessibility, MIDI 2.0, creative technology and industry collaboration depends on the support of the global MIDI community.
You can help support this work by making a donation to the MIDI Fund through the NAMM Foundation. Contributions help advance education, accessibility and outreach programs that make music technology more inclusive and available to more people around the world.
Learn More
- Modern Band Festival — Anoka-Ramsey Music
- Microsoft Ability Summit
- Music Technology 2026 Programme
- Sound Without Sight Webinar with DiGiCo and AAA
- Sound Without Sight: Joey Stuckey Q&A — Creativity, Accessibility and Authenticity
- Joey Stuckey Official Website
- DMLab Festival at Rich Mix
- APME LIVE Student Festival & Digital Music Showcase
- AES Accessibility in Audio Summit
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- Donate to the MIDI Fund through the NAMM Foundation
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