For the past two weeks in MUS150, we have been exploring the technologies Scratch and Makey-Makey. Jesse gave us two prompts to choose from and design an experience from that using the two technologies listed before. My partner, Erica, and I initially chose the prompt for the child with a disability, but by the end of our creation realized that our experience could have easily fit for either prompt. We decided to do the prompt for the child with limited movement abilities because we thought it would be interesting to design an experience for a child with disabilities since we had never thought of encountering a situation like that before. The prompt shaped our thinking and acting because we knew we had to create something that would be easy for them to use, as well as easy for them to figure out how to use because the experience could not have notation. We had to break down the project to its raw materials to make this as easy and flexible for the child to use. In the end, we created a piano/xylophone looking instrument with a hodge-podge of materials that could be used with Makey-Makey. Jesse gave us the idea to look up easy Makey Makey piano on Scratch, which we did, and that spurred our ideas that came later. We wanted something that was easy to use and was fun to look at. We thought that using larger objects for lower sounds and smaller objects for higher sounds would give the student a better connection of what keys to press and how to figure out the instrument more easily. We connected each object to a different wire that could be connected to Makey-Makey, then used the Scratch program to allow us to connect the different notes on the piano to different objects. We had difficulty connecting the Makey-Makey device to the keyboard initially, so we confronted this challenge by asking Jesse for help. We also struggled with figuring out how to produce a sound by connecting wires to objects. After some random experimenting and looking at the instruction manual, we figured out that you had to be holding the wire that was connected to earth and then touching the objects that were connected to other buttons on the Makey-Makey to produce the sound wanted.
In a listening-based experience with middle school general music students, I could have them listen to a popular pop song and break down the different parts of the song. To make it even more interesting and challenging, I could also choose a remix of the same popular pop song and break down those parts of it. They would have to break it down by hearing the different instruments and loops and assigning each instrumental or musical part to a certain object. The project would force them to listen to the piece, hear each part, and then use Scratch and Makey-Makey to produce that same sound by touching an object that reminds them of that sound quality. With a non-formal community music making group with members from diverse populations, I could have them be more interactive and communicative by putting them in groups and making them create their own melodies. With Makey-Makey and Scratch, they could either make an instrument, like a piano, out of household objects, that plays certain chords at once by clicking a single button, or they could draw a picture that has different loops depending on which area of the picture is pressed. This experience allows people of all different interests and abilities to join in to create music and learn about what sounds good together. With an honors ensemble in a performance situation, we could use Makey-Makey and Scratch to produce the interesting sounds required for a piece without actually having the instrument if we are limited on resources or we could add creative loops and extra noises to add to the performance. If resources are limited, such as not being able to find enough Whirlies or tuned wineglasses for a piece, they could explore and discover how to use Makey-Makey and Scratch, to program these sounds by pressing simple objects like pots or pans. You could also have students learn to create loops that could be pressed with their foot to create a back drop for them to play to if it was an honors jazz ensemble. The original experience’s main goal was to provide a way for students to learn how to use DAWs to create music, and learn how harmonies and technology work together in the everyday music they listen to. They would learn this by choosing their own song from a given topic and then working in small groups to put together loops and their own voices in a DAW software. In order for students to learn this skill, they would need access to computers with the DAW software installed, as well as already have a good background knowledge in vocal technique to sing the harmonies and melodies.
My thoughts on remixing this experience would be to engage a younger demographic who have certain disabilities. Music therapy is becoming more common in helping children with disabilities and I think it would be cool to incorporate more innovative technology in treatment, rather than just traditional methods. The society that these kids live in is becoming increasingly technology based, so I think that incorporating music along with current technologies that the children interact with on a daily basis would be exciting and helpful for them. The remixed experience would still include learning about DAWs and how they work, but the child may not necessarily be the one fully using the software or know how it works technically. The process of how the software will be projected onto a screen, explained, and demonstrated, but it is simply to give a visual aspect to show the child what they are creating and how it’s being done since they may or may not be the ones fully using the software depending on their capabilities. I would continue to give each student a topic, but instead of a giving them a song, I would have them arrange a song to a given movie scene and try to convey different emotions. This allows for the student to be even more engaged and attentive. The leader would work with an individual student and help them to record different sounds they create with instruments and objects. They would facilitate the learning experience by asking questions about what emotion they want to convey and what their thought process is behind using certain instruments. The leader would also help convert the sound recordings so that the participants can press different buttons on Novation to create and choose their own loops of sound. It would look like the student is playing different instruments, then recording them, and then sound like a combination of all the sounds they have recorded in whatever order they desire to create an interesting arrangement to fit the movie scene. This experience is very much interactive and conversational so that the child can learn more about music and feel capable of creating their own song. The job of the leader is to facilitate this by putting together the loops and recording the song in order to make it easier for the child to develop their arrangement. My remixed experience is geared towards elementary children with disabilities, physical or mental. It would be provided on a weekly basis in a room with lots of space for a small group of kids as a kind of music therapy. My hope would be that for each child, there would be an individual teacher so that the student can have the proper attention necessary to ensure a fulfilling experience. I would need computers with recording capabilities and a DAW software installed on it, along with a device such as Novation that can play recorded loops through the push of a button. Also instruments that can be easily played or fun objects that can make sounds, like keys, would be helpful for the children to play and record. In order to lead this experience, I would need to know how to work with special needs children and how to encourage them in the proper manner. I would also need to know how to use the computer to record sounds, how to input those sounds into Novation, how to use DAW software to loop, and how to project the computer screen I am using to show what I am doing with the DAW software in real time. A potential barrier would be to keep their attention and help them remain active because they could get easily bored or distracted if the task at hand does not interest them. Since they are kids with disabilities, their attention tends to wander. To combat this I would make sure something is always being done. I would ensure that there are plenty of instruments that they can play with that we can record and I would keep asking them questions that help expand their musical knowledge like, “What are you hearing?” and “How does this make you feel and what instruments are causing this emotion?”. My hope for the participants is that they would be engaged and when they get home, they would excitedly share with their parents what they did. My hope is that they are made aware of DAWs and the interesting things you can do with them, even if they may not understand the technical aspects of the software. I hope to give them music as an another outlet that they can enjoy and help them realize that they are capable of creating music and arranging their own loops and pieces. Giving them the “I can do it” attitude is so important for these kids who may feel like they are not capable of certain things other kids can do because of their disability. In the end, my hope is that the participants increase or develop a strong love for music. I would assess the experience by asking myself and each other teacher to fill out an evaluation form of questions that ask how they thought it went, the response of the child, and whether or not the child was able to create their own song. I would also ask the parents to fill out an evaluation of how their child reacted or shared their experience when they returned home and to have a conversation with their child about what they enjoyed or disliked about the experience. Then after looking at all these evaluations, if the child enjoyed the experience and learned something I would say it was a successful experience. In my musical experience design for high school students, I imagine them playing around with the technologies Makey Makey and Scratch. My goal for them would be to create a melody with three different instruments that they have originally created. I envision a classroom full of groups of three people who have not interacted much before designing their own instruments using whatever objects they can find, whether it be humans, fruits, vegetables, or Play-doh. They can model their instruments after actual instruments, like a celery and carrot stick piano, or they can create something new using Play-doh. They should then be giving their instruments different sounds to help make their melody. Once their instruments have been designed and named, they are free to make a short melody and record it. The students have a wide range of possibilities of what they can use; they free to squish Play-Doh or tap on bananas to create their melody. The sky is the limit on what they use as their musical instruments. This should be a stress free experience full of laughter and enjoyment as students get to know each other and see an example of the kinds of technology available to them and realize how anything can be music.
These technologies are facilitating the students breaking the ice within their groups and creating an open area for conversation. It is also allowing them to put different sounds to inanimate objects, such as a cymbal crash for a piece of Play-doh shaped like a C. Through these technologies, students can work on their more audial skills by imagining different sounds and hearing them, rather than focusing on notation. As a teacher, I would be there to ensure that good conversation is occurring and that relationships are being built. If a student needs help with the technology, I would be there to answer a question, but my goal would be to stay mostly hands-off and allow the student to ask their peers for help before coming to me. I would also be there to help start ideas, but afterwards let the students take those ideas and either develop them or be inspired to create something different. Though this experience is nothing ground breaking and not having it would not be detrimental to the students, I believe it would be a great ice breaker and conversation starter about how easily anything can be music. I want the students to realize not only that everything can make music, but how different objects can be manipulated to produce different sounds that also create music in a way that they did not imagine before. The public good of this experience is building relationships with others in their class and sparking conversation and interest in music combined with technology. For those students who do not love music, my goal would be to start a seed of love and interest because it is so interesting and applicable to their daily life because they are using everyday objects to produce a melody. For those who are involved in music, my hope would be to provide a different perspective that takes them out of the minutia of technique and theory and simply allows them to appreciate music for its sounds. In this experience, students will only need a basic knowledge of music. They should know that instruments produce sound and they should have a basic knowledge of rhythm to ensure that they can keep a steady beat to their melody and so that combining the other two parts in their melody is easier. They need the skills to hit objects and the creativity to build different instruments by putting together different objects. Through this experience, their ear should become more attuned to what pitches or noises sound prettier together and what sound harsh. To make sure they develop this, I would give students feedback on how their melodies sounded as they were a work in progress. I would ask why they decided to put certain sounds together and their overall goal, and then ask and give feedback if that goal was met by me, the listener. I will know that they have developed this skill adequately when they can give each other effective feedback and improve upon their own melody without my help. Another skill these learners will develop is how to use the programs of Makey Makey and Scratch. The students will be able to plug in the different wires to different objects and choose their own noises on Scratch. I will help them along if they are confused about how to use the technologies, but I will allow them to ask one another for help first. I will know when they have adequately developed this skill when they can do it on their own for their other instruments after I may have given them help with one. The next steps and extensions for this experience would be to design a notation for their melody so that others can replicate it. They could give certain noises pitches and notate it on staff paper or they could create a graphic or comic book style of notation, like George Crumb. More instruments could also be added to make the melody more complex and longer. There could also be a performance aspect or they could try recording their piece live and then adding loops to their melody to make it more interesting. I entirely enjoyed our first day of class getting to work with all the different technologies that I had never heard of before and Makey Makey and Scratch stuck out to me because of how versatile and easy it was to use. I enjoyed having that conversation starter and building relationships through music and technology. I also have noticed how dull some of my high school music classes were and wanted to spark some life into them. High school can also be a very stressful environment, so I wanted an experience that was simplistic and could allow the students to enjoy music and school without a stressful activity. |
Davina MiawOn this page, I will present examples of my leadership through videos, lesson plans, and reflections. Archives
December 2019
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