Makey Makey Stairs in Action

This week our students have created a Piano Staircase using a laptop, a device called the makey-makey, speakers and aluminum foil, connected to create a circuit.

Makey Makey Stairs in Action This week our students have created a Piano Staircase using a laptop, a device called the makey-makey, speakers and aluminum foil, connected to create a circuit. This week our students have created a Piano Staircase using a laptop, a device called the makey-makey, speakers and aluminum foil, connected to create a circuit.

The makey-makey is an invention kit for the 21st century, which turns any object into a touchpad, and when connected to the internet, simply amazing things happen - the possibilities are endless!

In our case, by covering the stairs with aluminium foil and connecting it to the makey makey, the stairs effectively became the piano keys. As someone stood on the stairs and held on to the railing, the circuit closed, sending a signal through the makey-makey to the computer and our virtual piano made a sound!

Students from all Key Stages have made as much musical noise as possible by walking up and down the stairs throughout this week.

This project was designed to help Year 10 students understand the use of inputs and how computers use electronic signals but also has been a great source of entertainment for all.

Last term our students created a banana keyboard for computer games and various musical websites. The next step is for the students to create and lead as many new creative, fun and innovative projects as possible!