Week 9: The Maker Movement

Part of today's lesson was IT-based. We worked on Scratch, a coding software, through which we got to experiment with different sequences and code blocks to eventuate in a moving animal that makes sounds! Despite how challenging the task was for me, I was able to enjoy the end result. 

Combining this with my previous experience with scratch in primary and high school, I am able to envision a classroom that incorporates more technology-based activities, enabling students to stay updated with their contemporary world that is rapidly advcancing technologically. Through our Technology in Music Education lessons, I find our tech-based activities helpful as I am not tech-skilled. I feel challenged to incorporate more technology in classroom activities as my future students will likely appreciate these kinds of tasks in the classroom, outside the classroom for personal enjoyment and skill-building, and in their future careers, i.e. where their tech skills can be harnessed into transformative existential and societal solutions. Coding can be a positive use of technology that fosters creativity as well as logical and critical thinking and decision-making and problem-solving skills. 

The Maker Movement also shares a similar vision. I found the Makey Makey invention kits a great resource for keeping kids engaged with technology in a positive way, leveraging their nature - curiosity, altruism, problem-solving - to build invaluable skills, starting from the basics. Learning is made interactive and personally challenging by, for example, building sensors, testing conductivity, crafting a circuit and simple instrument-making. During our own Tech class, though, we got to make our own Ableton live instruments (a controller) where switches can be turned to adjust sound (music) in a live setting! 

I really appreciate learning about the Maker Movement's manifesto which emphasises a humanistic approach to technological learning and skill-building. Reflecting on our our technology-reliant and advanced world, technological skills can be exploited and people can be treated poorly in various tech-involved industries. However, the Maker Movement's ideas include people as creators who enjoy what they do, share it, and use it to strengthen their self-esteem and self-identity. I love this vision and it makes me excited to imagine a future where children can enjoy learning in this way.

Now, all this tech-talk does come with actual making, and this requires real resources! (apart from kits and online applications and software which we've explored). The resources available to us depend on our global circumstances, and part of being a creator, means being resourceful! We learned about "Reverse Garbage" created in light of the COVID-19 lockdowns. At home, we may not have all the complex resources and circuit pieces we need, but we can still create! Little pieces found in your recycling bin and lying around your desk can be made into a musical instrument, all the while practicing environmental friendliness. 

Speaking of environmentally friendly practice, upcycling is another fantastic way to challenge creativity in light of resourcefulness. It was encouraging to see James' PC upcycling project. It was fascinating for me to realise that even outdated technology can be rewired to enable real-time electronic music jamming. 

Advocating engineering and inventing as core attributes of musicians means that we, students at the Con, can use our talents and refine our skillsets towards STEM. This is important because the Arts are "starved for money" while STEM is well-resourced in our current economy. If musicians can access STEM resources through collaboration, both the science and arts fields can further thrive together as well as in their respective pursuits.

Not only will this cross-sectional collaboration be economical, in a music education setting, some STEM students and schools are placing equal emphasis on art, particularly music due to "social, psychological, cultural, and self-regulatory" benefits of music for them personally. Check out this article by Study International about how music has helped STEM students explore self-identity as well as maintain open mindedness to try new things, which has helped them thrive in a way that enables them to confidently say that "just like gaining digital skills, music matters." 

Knowing how music can positively impact people in unexpected ways, demonstrates that music matters more than we think it does! This personally, gives me great purpose in teaching music education 😆