Oak School Students Use Technology, Engineering to Turn Laptops (and Each Other) into Instruments Thanks to Invention Kits

Oak School teachers recently discovered an exciting and engaging way to incorporate music, technology, and electrical engineering instruction. Using a product called a Makey Makey kit, students performed original three-note compositions this spring using unique hands-on instruments.

Oak School Media Resource Center Director Mary Morgan Ryan explains that the kits allow a user to turn everyday objects that conduct electricity into touchpads that interface with a computer. Ryan ordered the invention kits using funds supplied by the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization. She and music teacher Kristin Robinson experimented with them, hooking the kit’s metal clips onto coins, fruit, and drawings to see how they would interface with a laptop. “It was really exciting to see how the kits work and for us to begin thinking about the possibilities when integrating them into our curriculum,” Ryan notes.

Robinson worked with her third grade students to write their own musical compositions, and then divided the students into groups of four. The groups came into the school library to learn how to set up the Makey Makey kits and use the Makey Makey piano. The following week, classes came back into the library to play their compositions. With one student at the helm and three students each holding the kit’s metal clips, the students’ hands became touchpads to play each of the three notes.

“The students really loved creating their own music and learning something about electrical circuits at the same time. We are ready to start talking about future music projects. I have shown the kits to other teachers as well, and we are thinking about science integrations and other projects, too. This is just the beginning!”