Music, History and Technology Meet for an Innovative Experience

Traveling through a time machine, our fifth graders studied colonial life in the United States. The students participated in a live online streaming field trip, Colonial Idol, through the Williamsburg Foundation with students across the country. The field trip showcased 18th-century music, including Native American songs, military tunes, en- slaved people's work songs, and more. Throughout the broadcast the fifth graders had interactive opportunities, including sending and receiving tweets, participating in online polling, and voting for outstanding musical performances in Colonial Idol! Students submitted questions to the Williamsburg Foundation prior to the broadcast and two fifth grade Unity School students were selected during the call-in portion of the broadcast to ask their questions on the air.

Students then explored how we can create music in the 21st century using common conductive materials and interface them with a MaKey MaKey circuit board, a computer, and Scratch. The students collaborated in designing and building instruments using recycled materials. They coded and remixed Scratch projects to generate a variety of musical sounds. What creative innovators ...  especially with the 3-hole punch as a drum pedal!