David E. Thomascall, PhD
Spark a love of STEM with exciting, ready-made lessons and activities.
Excited to share that I’m featured in the latest issue of STEM Connect!
Check me out on social media or email me at STEMbits@gmail.com
Beats and Bytes: Teaching Music and Coding Together
Known as the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace was a true visionary. She believed computers could be more than just calculators; they could be tools for expressing creativity and exploring the world around us. She even imagined them composing complex and beautiful music. This isn't so surprising when you realize how much music and coding share in common. Both music and coding have their own unique languages, each with specific rules and structures. In music, there are notes, scales, and rhythms; in coding, there are conditionals, loops, and syntax. Just as a musician creates a song by arranging notes and phrases, a coder builds a program by organizing functions and lines of code. Sequencing is vital in both, whether it’s the order of musical notes or the flow of commands in a program.
COLLABORATION
When music and technology teachers join forces, amazing things can happen in the classroom. Together, they can design lessons that let students explore music composition with code, create interactive sound experiences, and learn about the history of music technology. This kind of collaboration not only boosts students' musical and technical skills but also encourages creative problem-solving and cross-curricular thinking.
Song Maker
Forget sheet music, Chrome Music Lab's Song Maker lets students code their own tunes, no experience required. Imagine dots transforming into melodies – that's the magic of Song Maker. Just like ones and zeros power computers, dots on the staff bring music to life. The adventure starts with drawing shapes on the staff, each creating a unique sound. Then, students become musical detectives, filling in the missing notes of familiar tunes. It's a captivating blend of coding and music, perfect for sparking creativity and igniting a love for both!
Scratch Band
Calling all future rockstars and coding whizzes! Scratch, a free coding platform for kidfs, lets students create their own orchestra... with code! Forget boring lines of text - Scratch uses drag-and-drop blocks to build melodies and even animate a musical band. Learn about how Scratch lets students become musical coders, revealing the surprising connection between making hit songs and creating computer programs. Get ready to code, compose, and conduct your very own digital orchestra!
Music Boxes
Imagine a world without digital music players or streaming services. Instead, music comes from a tiny box that tinkles with a crank of a handle. That's the magic of the music box, a centuries-old invention that continues to charm listeners of all ages. But beyond the delightful melodies, music boxes hold a surprising secret: a connection to the history of technology. This article will unlock the inner workings of these fascinating instruments, explore their unexpected link to the past, and guide you through a fun activity that lets your students create their own music box masterpieces.