Music and coding as an approach to a broad-based computational literacy

This chapter takes up two questions related to science learning in the twenty-first century. How do we develop broad-based computational literacy skills for the next generation of learners? And, how do we do that in a way that engages diverse learners whose voices have been historically marginalized in computing fields? To think about these questions, we provide a case study of student learning around music and coding in the context of a middle school summer camp. We reflect on the process through which multiple literacies (music as a literacy and computational literacy) shape student learning, creative expression, and engagement. We propose that developing computational literacy skills for the purposes of science might best be accomplished through a long-term, multidisciplinary approach in which students engage in many kinds of activities for diverse purposes, including that of personal creative expression. Music, in turn, provides a particularly rich context through which to explore concepts of computer programming.