Communications Lab

Is your project not working out?  Do you have no idea how you will finish it by Thursday?

Maybe try out the Auduino library

Here’s a video of it in action

We will have a show on the last Thursday of the school year to show off everyone’s projects!  To advertise we’ll print out and email flyers with the names of the projects that you’re creating.  How wants to volunteer to draw up the flyer?  Something that will grab people’s attention and tell them that it’s about making music.

Looks great but only works on windows.  Give it a try at http://www.sculptris.com/

Make a musical instrument that requires two or more people to play.

1. Make a list of project ideas
2. Decide on a project idea and have Matt approve it.
3. Write a half page project proposal with a labeled illustration of your project.
4. Write up a list of required materials.
5. Build it!

The app modifies the song your listening to by detecting changes in motion, light, and sound. Check out the video (at home that is, it’s on youtube).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ADb9-n7sD8

Read http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Sketch

Answer the following on a sheet of paper and place in the assignment basket.  You make work with your group, but each person must turn in their own assignment.  Be sure to write you name!

Part 1 – Define:

1. Sketch
2. Variable
3. Function

Part 2 – What does the following code do?

1. /* Don’t erase this line */
2. digitalWrite(2, HIGH)
3. setup()
4. loop()
5. delay(200)

Part 3 – Answer the following:

1. Why should you add comments to your code?
2. Why are variables helpful?
3. What is the difference between the setup() and loop()?

http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Tone2

Here are the instructions for your first group blog assignment:

1. Create a group blog and name it after your group.  If your’re group 1 then title your blog Group 1.
   1. Once your logged in, move your mouse over “My Blogs” at the top of webpage and click on “Create a Blog!”
2. Add your group members to the blog by clicking on “Users” in “Dashboard” and enter in the email address of your group member(s).
3. Add a new Post with your groups blog with your response:
   1. Observe a person using a musical instrument.  Write a 150 word (half page) response (WordPress counts the number of words as you type in text to a new post, this has been 97 words so far).
      1. Title the post entry “Group Blog Assignment #1″
      2. How does the person make sound with the instrument?
      3. What parts of their body are the most active?
      4. What are they doing with the rest of their body?  How do they move while playing the instrument?
   2. Notes:
      1. Make sure your actually observing someone.  Don’t just try to imagine someone playing an instrument or remember watching someone, you could be missing important things.
      2. This is your “research“

This quarter we will exploring music.  To start out your first web assignment, let’s think about this quote by composer Joesph Shillinger.

“…music is a form of movement. Any physical action or process has its equivalent form of expression in music. Both movement and music are understandable with our existing knowledge of science.”          ’Schillinger System‘ – wikipedia.org

Assignment:

1. Sign up for an account on lab.sciencefor.us if you have not already
   • Do not create a blog, yet…
   • Use your first name, not last name, keep it appropriate.
2. Click on the Groups link and join the Arduino Fan Club
   • You can also join the super cool Film Club if you want
3. Click on the forums section in the Arduino Fan Club and respond to the following topics
   • Music Quote
   • Old instrument, new tricks

Welcome to the class!