Code and Chords believes that showing students ways in which technology, music, and visual art can interact will increase their motivation to explore whichever of those fields they are less familiar with. This is a large part of why the Code and Chords team from the University of St. Thomas has created software that uses real time audio inputs to create a visual representation of a song’s affect. These visuals can be customized through coding to present different displays. The team, excited to bring Code and Chords software to K-12 education, created a workshop designed to motivate students ages 7-17 to explore technology, music, and visual art. The two-hour workshop was broken down into 5 larger sections: 1.) Introduction to Computer Programming, 2.) Coding Shapes, 3.) Coding Colors, 4.) Understanding the Emotion of Music, and 5.) Combining Coding and Music through Code and Chords. This workshop was tested at various informal educational settings. By the end of the workshop, students were able to code shapes and colors, describe technical and emotional aspects of music, and alter the Code and Chords software to better display a song’s affect. The resources provided in the resource exchange will equip educators with activities from the workshop that help students engage with computer engineering, as well as how those activities follow the engineering design process.
Alyssa Eggersgluss is a K-12 Vocal Music Education Major from the University of St. Thomas. Passionate about interdisciplinary learning, she works as a part of Dr. AnnMarie Thomas' Playful Learning Lab to create learning opportunities for students. She is currently focused on exploring different ways to engage students with sound.
I am a computer engineering student at the University of Saint Thomas and am a researcher at the Playful Learning Lab. I am passionate about educating and promoting self efficacy with the youth across all socioeconomic levels.
AnnMarie Thomas is a professor in the School of Engineering, and the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, at the University of St. Thomas where she is the innovation director of the UST Center for Engineering Education. Her research group, the Playful Learning Lab, focuses on engineering and design education for learners of all ages.
Esmée Verschoor is a Communications and Journalism major at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is passionate about graphic design, visual communication and cultural studies. Currently, Esmée is the Visual Manager at the Playful Learning Lab, led by Dr. AnnMarie Thomas, where she creates, designs and implements educational materials focused on incorporating joy, whimsy and play into education.
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