On September 13, 2026, we brought Dijilele to Waterloo Maker Faire for a full day of music, experimentation, conversations, and hands-on making in Uptown Waterloo.
This year’s event was especially exciting because Maker Faire returned to Waterloo Region after a 12-year absence, with Waterloo Public Square becoming a meeting place for makers, families, engineers, artists, musicians, students, and curious minds from across the region.
For us, it was also an opportunity to do something we care deeply about: put Dijilele directly into people’s hands and see what they decide to do with it.
What is Maker Faire?
Maker Faire is a family-friendly celebration of invention, creativity, learning, and making. Makers come together to show what they have built, explain how it works, and invite others to experiment with their creations. Around the world, Maker Faires bring together people working in areas ranging from engineering, robotics, and electronics to art, crafts, woodworking, music, and education.
The 2026 Waterloo Maker Faire took place outdoors at Waterloo Public Square in Uptown Waterloo, with live demonstrations, interactive exhibits, performances, and hands-on activities throughout the day.
After seeing so many people building and experimenting with their own ideas, Dijilele felt very much at home.
What surprised us most at Waterloo Maker Faire?
One of our favourite parts of the day was meeting other makers from Waterloo Region.
We were amazed by how many people had created their own musical instruments, music technologies, tools, and experimental projects. Some came to our booth because they were curious about Dijilele; others immediately started talking with us about how they had approached sound, electronics, instrument design, or music making themselves.
That exchange of ideas is exactly what made Maker Faire interesting for us. We weren’t only demonstrating an instrument. We were surrounded by people who understood the curiosity behind asking, “What else could an instrument do?”
What happened at the Dijilele booth?
A lot of playing.
Throughout the day, visitors picked up Dijilele, tried different sounds and chords, asked us how it worked, and explored what they could make with it themselves.
We received thoughtful feedback from musicians, parents, beginners, makers, and people who simply came across Dijilele for the first time.
And sometimes people used it in ways that surprised us.
One of our talented guests, Ronika, was working on her violin lessons. At our booth, she switched Dijilele to a violin sound and tuning and began practising her lesson on it.
It was a small moment, but a memorable example of what we hope a digital instrument can encourage: taking something you’re already learning and finding a new, versatile way to explore it.
Who performed with Dijilele at Maker Faire?
Jonathan Markov, our Dijilele artist, joined us for live performances throughout the event.
One of the best parts wasn’t simply hearing Jonathan perform. It was hearing people around our booth begin to sing along and harmonize with him.
For a moment, our exhibit became a small shared performance.
That’s one of the things we enjoy most about bringing Dijilele to public events. An instrument can start a conversation, but it can also give people a reason to stop, listen, play, and sometimes join in.
Frequently asked questions:
What is Dijilele?
Dijilele is a compact digital musical instrument designed around a familiar, hands-on string-playing experience.
Rather than making music only through a screen or keyboard, Dijilele gives you a physical instrument in the form factor of ukulele or setar that can produce different sounds and connect with digital music tools.
It is designed to make exploring chords, sounds, harmony, songwriting, composition, and digital music creation more approachable, whether you’re beginning to make music or already have musical experience and want a different creative tool.
Dijilele currently comes in two models: Dijilele S and Dijilele M.
What does Dijilele M do?
Dijilele M expands the idea of a digital string instrument to include microtonal music.
Players can enter and play microtonal notes directly, including quarter tones used in musical traditions such as Persian, Arabic, and Turkish music.
That means musicians can bring these notes directly into their playing, composition, recording, teaching, or DAW workflow without relying as heavily on manual pitch editing or complicated mappings.
At the same time, Dijilele M keeps the physical, multi-sound experience of Dijilele, so players can move between sounds and different ways of making music while continuing to interact with one compact instrument.
What can Dijilele do that an acoustic instrument can’t?
We don’t see Dijilele as a replacement for acoustic instruments. A violin, guitar, ukulele, piano, or other acoustic instrument has its own character, technique, and musical experience.
Dijilele offers a different starting point.
Its digital capabilities let one compact physical instrument become a space for experimenting with different sounds, chords, harmonies, and musical ideas.
Instead of needing several instruments or music gadgets to begin exploring different sounds, a player can experiment from one instrument and, when they’re ready, connect it with digital music tools for composition and recording.
For someone curious about making music rather than only learning one instrument, we think that’s where Dijilele can become particularly interesting.
Is Dijilele suitable for beginners?
Yes. Dijilele was designed to make getting started with music approachable.
Beginners can start by playing simple notes and chords and gradually experiment with different sounds and ways of creating music.
Dijilele S, in particular, is designed as a compact starting point for younger players, first-time learners, and anyone looking for an easy way to begin exploring music.
And because its playing skills can transfer to and from the ukulele, learning with Dijilele doesn’t have to exist in isolation from more traditional instruments.
Our experience at Maker Faire reinforced this for us: visitors didn’t need a long explanation before they could pick up the instrument and start experimenting.
What did we learn from letting people try Dijilele?
Events like Maker Faire are valuable to us because we get to watch what people actually do with Dijilele; not only what we expect them to do.
Some people immediately wanted to play songs. Some experimented with sounds. Some asked detailed technical questions. Some compared the experience with instruments they already played.
And some, like Ronika practising her violin lesson, found a use we hadn’t planned for at all.
Those moments, questions, and conversations help us continue learning how people understand Dijilele and what they want from a digital musical instrument.
Will Dijilele have more workshops in Waterloo Region?
Yes.
We want to create more opportunities for people in Waterloo Region to experience Dijilele beyond a quick demonstration.
Our upcoming workshops will give participants more time to learn how the instrument works, play together, experiment with its different capabilities, and ask questions.
How can I find out about the next Dijilele event or workshop?
The easiest way is to join DijiClub to receive all of our important news, along with exclusive membership discounts in your inbox. You can also check Dijilele.com/events, where we’ll share upcoming workshops, demonstrations, performances, and other opportunities to try the instruments in person.
We’ll have more opportunities to play Dijilele soon.
Until then, thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, played a few notes, sang along with Jonathan, shared feedback, or showed us something you had made.
Waterloo Maker Faire reminded us that making is better when we get to share it.