Music Jam with an Intro to Facial and Text AI

In this first lesson, students modify their Music Jam project from the prior course, Animation and Games with Scratch. They start by delving into the intriguing world of Artificial Intelligence, learning how AI can detect specific facial expressions to activate different instruments in their project using MIT’s new platform, the RAISE AI Playground. This platform combines Scratch blocks with AI features, enabling students to experiment with both simultaneously. They also learn how to adjust an instrument’s pitch based on the intensity of their expressions. This lesson offers a fun and foundational introduction to AI, merging creativity with advanced technology. 

In this lesson, students further develop their Music Jam project from the Animations and Games with Scratch course. They integrate a text classification model that chooses and plays a song based on the user’s mood. Additionally, students explore the integration of voice recognition, allowing them to interact with the AI using spoken commands. By the end of the lesson, students gain a foundational understanding of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, empowering them with the skills to create their own AI models and continue enhancing their Scratch projects.