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Okay, hello! I’d like you to indulge me for just a second. I'd like you to cast your mind back and think about the first time that you enjoyed programming. I'll give everyone a moment to think. If you're anything like me, it probably was a moment where you were typing in some code you didn't quite understand, thinking, ‘Yeah, this is going to be great!’ and then suddenly, you hit run, and it worked. It’s a feeling of joy, right? In my case, I probably ran around the room with my hands in the air, exclaiming, 'Oh my God, I can't believe it worked!' That's an important feeling, one that everyone encounters at some point in their coding journey, and it's a crucial source of motivation on the path to becoming a programmer.
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So the question I pose is: how can we ensure that the maximum number of people have that experience at least once? After all, they should have the choice to say, ‘You know what? I do enjoy this! I am going to pursue a career in programming.’ Today, I’m going to discuss an attempt to answer that question through a tool called Sonic Pi. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Sonic Pi is a program that combines Ruby with synthesis to allow you to create music with code.
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Before we dive into it, let's outline what we are going to cover today. First, I’ll introduce you to the bare bones of Sonic Pi's API, which is a small API—nothing like Rails, so there's no need to worry! It can be covered in about ten minutes. Then, I’ll showcase some examples of what people have been creating with Sonic Pi and share some of my own experiments.
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Finally, we’ll discuss how Sonic Pi relates to education. To start, it’s important to note that Sonic Pi is a free, open-source project that you can download as an application. It’s cross-platform, working on Windows, OSX, and Linux. Additionally, it’s pre-installed on every Raspberry Pi. The reason for its name is that the Raspberry Pi Foundation sponsored its development to provide children who buy a Raspberry Pi for around 25 quid something tangible to do with it. Having sold 8 million Raspberry Pis, there’s a lot of potential for Sonic Pi to be people's positive first introduction to music making.
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Now, let's look at the Sonic Pi API, which can be broken down into four parts: synths, samples, effects, and sequencing. We’ll delve into each of these areas. First up, let’s see what we can do. Year five students in a computer science class often start their journey here, and teachers can feel nervous if they're unsure about the material.
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So, here we have our first program: ‘play 60’. This is written in Ruby. If I type `puts Ruby version`, we have a little console on the right, and you immediately get feedback with a nice beep. The first thing the kids usually do is experiment and see what happens if they try various inputs, leading to a delightful discovery. Even if it sounds a bit chaotic, this simplicity and flexibility mean kids can start making music quickly, which is very important for their engagement.
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The creator of Sonic Pi, Sam Aaron, was inspired by Logo, aiming for a straightforward paradigm. The rule we follow with the Sonic Pi API is that if a 10-year-old can't use and understand it, then it doesn’t belong in the API. It’s a gold-standard approach that could inspire future web frameworks. We also have the play command, and you can experiment with floating-point numbers and note names like 'C' and 'D'. Fun! Now, let’s perform our first tune. Everyone knows ‘Faka,’ right?
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So we can figure out the notes to play, but oh no, they all play simultaneously! This is actually intentional—it’s a feature, not a bug. With just two commands, ‘play’ and ‘sleep’, you can create captivating musical outputs. The interesting aspect is that with our flexible pitch and timing systems, you can represent most Western music using just these two commands, which provides a powerful level of abstraction.
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Right now, it sounds a bit limited since we’re just using beeps. Let’s try playing a classic synthesizer sound. Sonic Pi comes predefined with some synthesizers, but the most exciting part is that you can modify parameters. For example, using a release of two means the sound lasts for two seconds. That's all we need to know about synths; let’s delve into samples.
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Samples are really flexible in musical situations and can add immense value with minimal code. If you want a well-known sample, the ‘Amen break’ is a classic. Since it’s a loop, we’ll want to sleep for the sample's duration. The Year Five students understand this. They're enthusiastic and instinctively want to turn it into a rave! However, using sample duration might limit creativity, which is why we prefer to use sample BPM. This scales the current tempo to match any sample you provide.
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With Sonic Pi, samples can be played at various speeds, allowing exploration and fun. You can also specify start and end times for your samples, which can be incredibly engaging as you explore musical creativity. Let's experiment with first snippets to see the results.
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In addition to samples, effects are crucial in music. Sonic Pi offers built-in effects, allowing users to apply reverb, among others. Applied to our samples, the effects drastically enhance the experience. Live coding is another compelling aspect where the timing system allows users to create real-time music, keeping everything synchronized and engaging.
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Speaking of live coding, there’s a construct called a ‘live loop’ that makes a significant impact. It allows for threading, so you can redefine parts and have them stay in sync. It's a practical way of making music in real time, and I find it endlessly exciting. You can dynamically tweak your sounds, beat by beat.
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Once you start working with live loops, the possibilities become endless. With a multi-threaded structure, you can run multiple threads in time, enhancing the musical programming experience. When I began using Sonic Pi, I had a programming background, but I found it so intuitive and exciting to create music through Ruby.
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The ability to combine my knowledge of programming with music has led to countless experiments. While there’s much more to explore within the Sonic Pi API, it’s crucial to understand there’s built-in documentation available. There’s about 3,000 words of tutorials to guide you through every step if you wish to try it yourself or teach it to your kids.
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Let’s take a look at an example from the help directory. This showcases how quickly you can create something engaging using the commands you’ve just learned. Many students have successfully used projects like these in their classrooms, and seeing them enjoy it is heartwarming.
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Now, you might wonder how Ruby ties into all this. You have all the power of Ruby at your disposal, which will be particularly helpful for creating advanced applications. As an example, I wanted to build a sampler that could slice samples—a task that took me months previously using other environments. Now, I can accomplish similar results in Ruby much faster, effectively utilizing Ruby's range, methods, and enumerations.
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Through this, I've been able to tackle musical challenges using Ruby, which ultimately sharpens programming skills while creating something fun. The concept of working with slices, collecting them, and playing them back allows for endless experimentation.
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The ability to use any sound file on your system opens up more creative possibilities—like utilizing popular music samples and modifying them to create something new. You can blend sound effects with live coding, which is immensely satisfying. The exciting take here is that you’re not bounded by expensive hardware or complex setups when you can produce amazing results with just a few lines of code.
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As I delve deeper into the nuances of Sonic Pi, I have enjoyed incorporating authentic sounds from classic gaming, bringing fun elements to my code. This, combined with colorful programming, shows the delightful intersection between music and technology.
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The creative potential here is vast. You might recall my mention about Markov Chains earlier. With Sonic Pi's API, a community project introduced a Markov Chain generation feature, enabling users to create unique compositions based on simple input. The implementation is simple yet extends the expressive capabilities of music.
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Hopefully, I've given you clear insights into what you can create with Sonic Pi. The challenging concept of live coding allows you to meld music creation with programming, enabling real-time interaction with your code and dynamic expression.
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Returning to the aspect of creating compelling musical results without reliance on dedicated hardware highlights how Sonic Pi democratizes musical technology; anyone with basic coding skills can explore and create. I've been using it regularly, refining my skills while having tons of fun.
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Now, I want to encourage all of you to explore Sonic Pi. It can be an enjoyable, engaging experience for families sharing creative moments together. Imagine explaining your work to your parents and actually sharing your passion with them—it could be a game-changer!
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Before I wrap up, I want to extend my gratitude for everyone who made today possible, especially BathRuby. Thank you all for being such a wonderful audience! If anyone has questions about Sonic Pi, Ruby, or collaboration, feel free to find me afterward.
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To conclude, I invite you all to join me in the fun part of the session. We'll dive into some rocking out of the music! Thank you very much. Hi, everybody!
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As we step into a period of remarkable change impacting how we live and work, it's essential for workers to develop skills to succeed in an evolving economy. We must ensure everyone has a fair shot at succeeding in this new landscape, and that starts with education.
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The goal is to equip all children with the skills they need for future jobs—fostering analytical and coding abilities for a thriving innovation economy. Today's mechanic isn't just changing oil under cars; they're managing sophisticated machines with potentially hundreds of millions of lines of code. Workers across all fields need to break down major problems into manageable parts and identify effective solutions. Accordingly, computer science is not just an optional skill.
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I've devised a plan to help ensure that our kids learn computer science, especially targeting girls and minorities by introducing teaching programming support. This collective effort involves each of us doing our part, and that involvement is vital for success.
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So, as I share this information, I hope you find it enlightening and inspiring. I encourage active participation in such programs and initiatives, and sense the communal effort behind these endeavors.
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Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
