OVERVIEW

Activity Overview:

Different applications and disciplines often require knowledge of different communication systems and the ability to make sense of and decode those systems. Through this lesson students will create an original written code to communicate musical information to a group of their peers.

Meta description

• Subject Area: Computer Science, Music
• Grade Level : 3-5
• Computer Science Domains:
  • Networks and The Internet, Data Analysis
• Computer Science Principles:
  • Collaborating Around Computing, Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems, Creating Computational Artifacts, Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts
• Materials:
  • None
• Considerations: +

Lesson Plan

Overview

Different applications and disciplines often require knowledge of different communication systems and the ability to make sense of and decode those systems. Through this lesson students will create an original written code to communicate musical information to a group of their peers.

ASSESSMENT PRE/POST-TEST

What is code? What are examples of places that codes and symbols are used? Why do we use symbols and codes?

OBJECTIVES

1. articulate examples of where codes or symbols are used.
2. create their own musical code.

CATCH/HOOK

Show video of player-piano playing music from piano roll. Briefly describe how and why piano rolls were used: a system to communicate information to a machine to achieve a desired response from that machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXYslYDzF8o

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

Briefly discuss and show examples of other uses of written code (other alphabets, computer code, everyday symbols we are familiar with, etc.)

How and why do we use these symbols? How and when do we learn to decode or interpret such symbols?

Review musical notation concepts. Students should already be familiar with the basics of standard notation and alphabetic notation.

Discuss as a class and model for class various other ways that musical information could be communicated visually.

Have students work with a partner to develop their own unique musical code and write down a tune (could be familiar or original) using their system.

Have student groups explain their system to one another and see if the other groups are able to accurately perform their “music.”

Supplements

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REVIEW

Whole class discussion: how successful were we at communicating and interpreting one another’s musical code? How might we improve our systems, symbols, or code?

STANDARDS