Music Ed Mentor Podcast #050: Coding and Music

Today’s episode is a bit off-brand. While I typically stick to non-pedagogical topics – like fundraising, personal development, and classroom management – today’s guest, and her passion for sharing coding and music with students, is just amazing.

Shawna Longo teaches grades 6-8 general music and serves as a STEAM facilitator in New Jersey. She’s been awarded the 2018 “Master Music Teacher” award from NJMEA, the 2019 New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education for Music, and the 2019 “Mike Kovins TI:ME Teacher of the Year” award.

I’ll be real honest with you – integrating classroom technology has never been of massive interest to me, but after hearing Shawna share some of what she’s doing, it totally makes sense. While creating samples using a Makey Makey plugged into a carrot might not totally be my personal thing, it might be THE thing for students. Tech is becoming second-nature to our kiddos, so we can fight it or we can embrace it. Shawna provides a perfect example of how to embrace it with great success.