Hi everyone, welcome to our video page! We're looking forward to discussing the future of Computer Science learning.

This looks to be a great way to engage students.  I see you have a link to a guidebook.  How easy has it been for teachers to learn how to use the platform?  Has that differed based on the background of the teachers?

I think there's a lot of promise in connecting music and computer programming in this way. I've played around with similar platforms (like Georgia Tech's EarSketch) and see their potential for students. In particular, I like TunePad's apparent integration of a virtual keyboard to make the connection to instruments more direct.

Are students programming in a proprietary language in TunePad, or is built on top of a standard language?

And do you see TunePad as a tool for classroom use? If so, what courses / units could you envision teachers and students using TunePad, and how?

Thanks for mentioning Georgia Tech's EarSketch! They are also part of this grant, and we're building TunePad as part of the growing EarSketch ecosystem (https://earsketch.gatech.edu) with the intention that they'll work together.

TunePad uses the Python programming language and we're hoping that it will be used in media computing, computer science, and music classrooms.

Hi Mike, this project reminds me so much of our work with electronic textiles where we get students to learn CS concepts by making physical, fabric-based computational artifacts. From my experience so far, learning programming within this context (language and the environment broadly) substantially shapes the set of concepts that students and teachers get to explore more deeply or even touch upon.

I like your interface design that seems to draw learners' attention to some very specific computing aspects in relation to making music. I was wondering if you have explored the range of computational concepts that learners engage with within TunePad.

What a great idea! It’s powerful to see an idea come to life that provides some connection across content areas that the average person might not see connection between. Finishing the video with the reference to our “diverse computational future” was a master stroke, eliciting both visions of the technology your platforms espouses with the human condition!

I’d love to learn more about the impetus for this idea. Was Tunepad created based on the platform or is the a platform a product of a vision that your founders had to begin with? I noticed reference to summer camps and would love to hear more about how you arrived at where you are today!

Thank you all for sharing the project. I'm impressed with the power of your platform, and the audiences you desire to reach and serve.

I know that Dr. Dave Shepherd at VCU is also working with an effort I believe he calls Code Beats, and I see similarities. I've shared your video URL with him as well as the folks at Code VA and Code RVA in Richmond, VA. I appreciate you all sharing what you are doing!

I have seen first hand how music integrated with coding is opening up new perspectives for students in the way they see themselves pursuing careers in computer science. Many of the programs and projects at CEISMC at Georgia Tech use similar software with middle and high school students. I love to see the "Aha moments" where they suddenly figure out they have been tricked into using code and realize they like it. I see TunePad making the same impact on students that may have never considered themselves to be computer scientists or musicians. As a musician myself, It is very inspirational to hear the young man in your video saying that he has never used a drum in his life and he loves it. Keep up the good work!

Michael, it was so exciting to see this video! I remember you talking about this a few years back when we kicked off our preschool CT project. I think tunepad is such a brilliant idea; I really appreciate that it allows children to understand how CT can be applied to real life situations and highlights coding as way to engage in very creative endeavors. I am interested to learn more about the sample you have tested tunepad with? What age group would you recommend for use? I haven't downloaded the app, but I can imagine very young children being interested in the idea. 

We'll wait for Mike to chime in, but in the meantime, let me take on a couple of your questions: the age group is actually quite flexible, but we've found that middle-school kids/age seems like a sweet spot. We've tried to design the application to have a fairly low floor/barrier to entry, but a pretty high ceiling; in short, middle-school and up.

You can actually take TunePad for a spin at www.tunepad.live without having to download anything :)

Hi Mike!  Where do I sign up for this summer camp?  This looks like so much fun! It's videos like this that truly make me envious of the experiences that the current generation has for learning to code in ways that offer such wonderful opportunities for creative expression. I'm sharing this video with my cousin who is a music teacher. Cool stuff!

Terrific work providing insights into how there can be multiple routes to STEM engagement. 

Thank you for an uplifting video. Combining music and coding is such an inspired idea and it's neat to glimpse the creativity and inquisitiveness among participants. As you embarked on this project, did you encounter any unexpected challenges, and how did you work through it?

This is SO awesome, both the project and the video which was full of inspiring moments. It made me want to start playing around with the program immediately. Very excited to share this project with educators and learners (of all ages)!

What a great way to empower children (and adults) to use the power of computational thinking to do something we all love and appreciate. Music is culture. It's what we do when we are not working. Its something we share with our besties. Great project!!

Terrific project, and thanks for sharing your work, here!  I'm intrigued with the possibilities, and I'm wondering how large your study size is, so far and what are your next steps? I also enjoyed and wrote down a couple of your statements from the video; notably, "coding enriches the human experience...makes us more human", and "work toward a more diverse computational future".  Great statements that are packed with meaning and so appropriate for conveying the broader possibilities.

Hi Michael and team!  I'm so glad I found your video.  Like the previous commenter, I noted the phrase "a more diverse computational future" and found it inspiring.  As a computer scientist turned educational researcher, I'm eager to hear more about the specific overlaps you've found between music and coding - and how those coding concepts come up naturally in the creation of music.  I think this is one of the challenges of making computational thinking broadly accessible - how do we position coding concepts as useful and consequential for students?    

Love this work.  What a great platform TunePad is! To learn the sciences through the arts is how it all started.  

1) Can the students import outside sound banks?

2) Is the software web based, app based, or local to the machines?

3) What kind of data does this project produce? What are your research questions/hypotheses? What outcomes are you measuring?

Thank you for sharing.