Level 3: Music Maker

Official Raspberry Pi Project

This lesson is based on the official Raspberry Pi Foundation project. Open it alongside this guide to access the starter project, step-by-step instructions and community remixes.

How to use it: Click the link above, then click See Inside on the Scratch project to explore the finished version. Use Remix to get your own copy to edit.

What You Will Build

Build a project to compose and play back original music.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this project you will be able to:

• Use Events blocks to start scripts and respond to clicks
• Combine Motion, Looks and Sound blocks to create behaviours
• Use variables to track game state and scores
• Apply the specific Scratch concepts introduced in Level 3

You Will Need

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Add a music studio backdrop.
2. Use the Music extension in Scratch.
3. Create instrument buttons (piano, guitar, trumpet, drum).
4. When each button is clicked: play instrument [X] for [0.5] beats at pitch [60].
5. Add a keyboard of notes (C D E F G A B) as clickable sprites.
6. Create a recording list variable that stores note sequences.
7. Add a Record button: when active, every note played adds to the list.
8. Add a Play button: loop through the list and play each stored note.
9. Add a Clear button to empty the list.
10. Add a tempo slider that controls playback speed using a variable.

Extension Challenges

Try these after completing the main project:

• Add multiple tracks (melody, bass, drums) that play simultaneously.
• Add a visual waveform that animates while music plays.
• Let users save and share their compositions as project remixes.

Reflection Questions

1. Which Scratch blocks did you use most in this project?
2. What would you add or change if you had more time?
3. How could you reuse the ideas from this project in a different context?

Share Your Work

When your project is complete, click Share in Scratch and post the link to your class or the Techbase community.