Makey Makey Revolution

Designers: Caitlyn Higgins and Grace Mead

Technologies Used:
● Makey Makey board- This controller will be used to connect the computer to the
instrument with alligator clips
● Scratch coding system- Scratch was used to code the instructions for the Makey Makey
● Google Forms- Google Forms will be used to assess the participants’ experience
Link to Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TQ5Odmnx8s5SbhDZpZgF3ynFdwmCIXg_9D-
zwwjFQhA/edit

Learning Goals:
 MU:Cr1.1.T.Ia Generate melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for compositions or
improvisations using digital tools.
 MU:Pr4.3.T.Ia Demonstrate how context, structural, aspects of the music, and digital
media/tools inform prepared and improvised performances.

Assessment:
Participant experience with a Google Form survey about their experiences. In the survey, the
participant will be asked to rate their experience, describe what they learned about music, and
share the likelihood that they would purchase the Makey Makey Revolution if it were sold? This
assessment will help give feedback in order to possibly improve techniques and the product in
the future.

Project Overview:
Participants will use the Makey Makey Revolution to play both chords and single pitches of a
scale without requiring prior knowledge of music theory or notation. One board has 8 pitches
that are played by touching silver arrows: an E flat major scale. The arrows are labeled by the
degrees of the scale, numbers 1 through 8. The other board consists of four chords via these
arrows that are commonly found in songs in the key of E flat major: E flat major, F minor, B flat
major, and A flat major. The participant can play both boards simultaneously or with a partner,
play one board at a time. This can create a more complex song than just creating a melody line.
We will be setting up the Makey Makey Revolution and ensuring that everything works well.

Rationale:
This project gives people the chance to make music without the pressures of music theory and
reading sheet music. This instrument can be used by anyone regardless of ability or experience.
This instrument encourages inclusivity and adaptability to the needs of students (Hammel and
Hourigan, 2017). A student with rigid finger dexterity and/or low lung capacity could easily enjoy
playing the instrument, which encourages ensemble inclusion. Creating this instrument required
creativity and technological skills to create the physical board and to code the instructions and
close the circuits. Technological approaches can help find new ways to adapt and teach (Bauer,
2014).

Plan for Success:

In order for the Makey Makey Revolution to be a success, we need to ensure that it is as user
friendly as possible by hiding the wires, and we need to make sure that the arrows’ labels are
easy to understand for someone that does not have prior knowledge of music theory. We also
need to ask a few of our peers to test it out and ask for their feedback.