In class I worked with a fellow classmate, Joseph. I found the experience quite valuable because we got to choose between two prompts in class in how we would use the makey makey to introduce music learning in our community or influence others. We chose the prompt to use the makey makey for some kind of large scale piano at the mall, we had this idea because we always though that cool things at the mall always had a big influence over little kids, we remembered as we were kids how the projects like these going on at the mall always excited us as we walked by. We had to overcome some ideas about how to put it on a larger scale possibly which we could do with a lot of extenuation chords and some larger metal plates. Another thing we must have overcome was the fact that a lot of people would want to try this, and we decide maybe make multiple stations where many kids can try different things with the makey makey. Basically our prototype we ended up building in class was just a piece of cardboard with some tinfoil on it as well as the makey makey wires running to different pads on the cardboard, we used scratch and put a bunch of electric drum sounds on it, sadly before class was over we didn't get to experiment with much else because we had to figure out how the program worked as well, which was still very beneficial as well as now we understand how scratch operates with makey makey and will be valuable to future assignments.
Now I will list situations and ways I could use makey makey for the experience of others in a teacher setting In a listening based experience with middle school general music students: I could have the students hit the button on the makey makey which will then play a sound. This whole assignment they will not be given pitches but they will just hear the sounds, then I would have them play the sounds and try to figure out the order of the sounds and place them in the order of a scale. This will engage my students ears and help them recognize the intervals of a major scale. For multiple experiences I would give them a chance to find intervals like 4ths or 6ths as well so they might be able to try something really difficult, keeping in mind that that is something they would possibly need a little more help with, and then wright the notes out on the board after the experiment and showing them ways and having them share their ways they might have identified the distance in pitch. With a non formal community music making group with members from diverse populations: Ive always thought of music as a universal language, I actually went to the saxophone symposium this past year and I realized that theory in my head when I was watching these French and Asian and America saxophonist all preform together without ever even speaking, it was beautiful . That leaves me no doubt that we can't do that in the classroom. So first off I wouldn't even have the students speak, I would give them each a makey makey and I would have them put a drum set, or piano, or whatever miscellaneous combination they make on their own, then I would have them switch stations and have them edit the design of the last student, then I would have them switch again and I would have them do the same thing again, I would repeat this process about 4 times in total. As an end result I would have the students show me how their experiment was changed and I would have them wright on a notecard 3 things that they liked and disliked about what the other students did. This experiment would be great I believe because it gives students a chance to interact with each other with just music, and then it allows the students to look at their project a different way, opening their eyes to the creativity they could also explore. With a Honers Ensemble in a Performance Situation: This would be a good chance to get creative in an ensemble, I would hookup a makey makey in the back with a percussion interment like bells for instance, something metal so it actually plays. I would then try and find a song to feature some kind of sound effect like a synthesizer or something or maybe just something as cool as sound effects. Like for example a song theme around superhero, we could have the music from a fight scene and add those cool hitting sound effects in the background. Though it may be difficult to find effects such as, but honestly we could record our own and then convert it into a bunch of mp4s and put the audio clips on to the makey makey ourselves, that way we don't limit our creativity with our recourse. That just being an example I feel like honest the results are endless because when you combine technology with an instrument the only limitations you really have are the ones you set for yourself. While I was writing this blog I have opened myself up to new situations and made realizations for what I may be able to accomplish with makey makey in the future, I feel that the limitations are inviolable and my creativity is everlasting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Brandon RhinehartHere I will be posting lesson plans and reflections. Archives
December 2019
Categories |