• TuneScope Workshop Support Materials

Glen Bull, Jo Watts, and Rachel Gibson - University of Virginia Online Workshop

Creation of music offers an engaging way to introduce coding to novices. Participants in this workshop will have an opportunity to explore creation of music using blocks developed in TuneScope (www.tunescope.org), an extension of Snap! (Note: it is possible that by the conference, these blocks will be available as a music library in Snap!)

The music blocks introduced in the workshop were designed in consultation with the Music Department and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Virginia as well as with extensive assistance and support from within the Snap! forum. The format of the blocks is designed to support both novices who have limited experience with music and students who may play a musical instrument.

The music activities that will be explored during the workshop are drawn from a course, EDIS 2200: Creating Art, Animations & Music through Coding, taught in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. The course has also been approved by the Department of Computer Science as an elective in the Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (BACS) degree program.

https://maketolearn.org/creating-art-animations-and-music/

The workshop will be supported by instructional videos and resources designed for the course. Three major activities are planned for the workshop:

1. Rhythm across Cultures
2. Creating a Backing Track with Chords
3. Composing a Melody

The end product will consist of a tune with several tracks, including a melody, a backing track, and a drum track. Participants in the workshop will have the opportunity to see music created by students using these tools. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their creations with one another.

Reference

Bull, G., Watts, J. & Nguyen, N.R. (Eds.) (2021). Creating art, animation & music through coding. Association for Advancement of Computers in Education.