TunePad

The PD curriculum outlined on this website is a collaboration between the TIDAL lab at Northwestern University, the Music Technology Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology and a host of very talented informal education providers .

We are designing a series of professional development modules intended to support potential facilitators of music and code workshops with the basic knowledge of both music and code so that they can confidently design and run their own activities. We include exercises based on K-12 Computer Science Framework Practices that are designed to explore the role of music in society, music genres, critical listening, pattern recognition, rhythmic note values, song structure, and song composition.

Participants will learn the basics of Python code including logical flow, functions, parameters, loops, variables, syntax, and how to use those tools to create their own music. The final modules guide participants through the process of composing their own original songs.

We highlight both the creative and the technical aspects of music and the connections between societal and personal impacts of both. Our experiences are intended to be accessible to beginners yet inspire deeper dives preparing facilitators to feel comfortable recreating their own activities.