The recorder is a small wind instrument many American children learn in elementary school. It is very demanding on fine motor skills! For most kids this is a constructive challenge but sometimes students have physical limitations that make recorder impossible to play. This invention makes music class accessible for these students by creating the correct sound and pitch with a simple touch.

Supplies

MakeyMakey

PlayDoh

Laptop (a Chromebook will work!)

Step 1: Make the Buttons

Decide how many pitches you want to play and create that many PlayDoh balls. I decided to use three because that's how many my students are playing right now.

Step 2: Attach MakeyMakey

Plug MakeyMakey into your Laptop. Dismiss any pop-up windows.

Step 3: Connect Buttons

Use the alligator clips to connect PlayDoh buttons to MakeyMakey.

For my Scratch project I connect them this way:

B: Left Arrow

A: Up Arrow

G: Right Arrow

Don't forget to connect yourself to Earth!

Step 4: Use the Interactive Recorder Fingering Chart

In the browser on your laptop navigate to the interactive recorder fingering chart: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/362772071/

Step 5: Play!!

Now the musician can use the PlayDoh buttons to play the pitches. The adaptive recorder makes the same sound as an acoustic recorder so it will blend in with the rest of the class.