A great starting point for your child is the Roland GO:KEYS keyboard. Portable and easy to use, it lets children explore sounds and have fun with music. When used together with the ScratchX extension, the keyboard becomes a powerful platform to inspire your child’s creativity in exciting new ways and lets them experience the benefits of coding and music at the same time.

For example:

• Program your own musical loops: If your child fancies themselves a budding songwriter, they can use the easy to understand ScratchX programming language to create an original song. Using intuitive ‘blocks’, your child selects the blocks they wish to use and orders them into a sequence to create their song. From selecting a key, playing a drum loop, or instructing the program to wait a measure, your child has all the blocks they need at their fingertips to arrange their very own song.
• Make a character move in time to the music: for a visual and musical coding experience, your child can order the ‘blocks’ to make a character move in time with the music and carry out different dance moves. It’s a great way for kids to learn more about rhythm and coding at the same time.
• Create an interactive animation: another fun way for your child to experiment with coding and music using the Roland GO:KEYS is to have them create an on-screen animation that is synchronised with their keyboard performance. Build the animation sequence using the ScratchX coding ‘blocks’ then watch it move when you play the keyboard.