On 6 December 2020, an online workshop is organised by the LifeLong Music Engagement Research Unit of SoScieAtH at European University Cyprus. The activity connects visual programming, tangible interfaces and music creation through a STEAM framework.
Scratch and Makey Makey are combined with everyday conductive objects to create music applications and improvised digital musical instruments. Participants experiment with sound and physical interaction, connecting programming with music creation in activities that can be used both face to face and online.
Interaction with physical objects helps participants connect abstract programming instructions with immediate actions and sonic results. Constructing improvised instruments creates space for testing, redesign and musical improvisation, while the digital platform allows mappings between objects and sounds to be changed. The workshop therefore highlights the combination of programming, making and musical creation. The approach is especially useful when learners need to see and hear the consequences of a technological choice immediately and revise it through experimentation.
