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Week07

Week 7 (Field Activity)

Assignments

  • Field Activity 2: Programmable Electronic Musical Instruments

Process

  • Inspired by Makey Makey’s Electronic Guitar Makey Makey’s Electronic Guitar I created a musical instrument and using Scratch and Makey Makeys made it play sounds. Video
  • I tried the activity with my colleagues, which helped create more examples for my students.
  • After getting their feedback about the activity, we went and taught the lesson in our afterschool class. The students created instruments such as accordions, pianos and drums. Some followed our examples while others created their own instruments.

Lesson Plan

The students will create a musical instrument and connect it to a Makey Makey and Scratch to create an electronic working musical instrument. The SCOPES-DF lesson is here.

Reflection

  1. This activity combines the two aspects of the curriculum wholeheartedly: sound and technology. The technology is experienced in both the programming and the electricity, which I’ve previously taught in more bit-sized lessons before this one, while still integrating music, one of the most common ways we experience sound these days, although in the future, I would like to find a way to implement the theory of sound in a most clear way.

  2. Before this activity, my students had already experimented with electricity, sound and musical instruments, so by adding simple coding I was able to stay in a Zone of Proximal Development. Not only did the students felt comfortable working with the Makey Makeys and creating different instruments, but by receiving my help they were able to implement code into the activity. Tools like Scratch are an immense help since they are able to reduce complexity when working with young students.

  3. Examples and guidance were provided to the students in this specific lesson, which not only inspired them but also let them feel confident in what they can create. Having multiple examples helped in getting the interest of a diverse student group, as did giving them the freedom to choose the instrument and sounds they would like to play. Sitting them in groups also created an environment of collaboration in which strengths were shared between the students.

  4. A greater variety of materials would have helped to get more students, specially more advanced, older ones, to create something more akin to their vision. Being able to delve more into music theory would also have created a better match to the learning objectives and curriculum planned for the lesson.

Tools

Makey Makeys

Alligator Clips with Wires

Computers

Craft Materials

Aluminium Paper

Brass Fasteners