German class alive with the sound of music

On December 14, GHS German students combined their curriculum with innovating technology to create music in a Goethe Institute workshop.

Carsten Galle, who works with the Goethe Institute and the Institute for Advanced Technologies in Music and Arts (FATIMA), introduced German students to various types of music through unconventional means. Fruits and vegetables, footballs, Wii remotes, and smartphone apps were among the many platforms used to create melodies throughout the day.

“On the basis of easily accessible applications, he taught the German students at Gloucester High School the intuitive use of the hidden possibilities of the new technologies in a playful and didactic way,” said German teacher Anne Paganetti.

Galle’s interactive workshop used “tools” from his artistic works. For the majority of the day, he spoke in German when explaining the technology and methods used to produce his music. He will also produce a song by combining the music and lyrics created by GHS students with products of his other workshops.

“GHS students will have a little work of art in the hands, which they have produced in the interactive use of the new technologies themselves, and have the necessary skills to creatively implement their own ideas in other contexts,” said Paganetti.

“It was a lot of fun,” said German student Nick Soares. “We did a lot of new and cool things in the workshop and I’m glad I was a part of it.”

“Carsten was really nice and I liked that I could understand him when he spoke in German,” said German student Jacob Belcher.

“This workshop truly put the A in STEAM: we were learning about the Math and Art behind these apps, as we were using all kinds of technology and we did it all in German while making music,” said Paganetti. “This was definitely my highlight of 2015. A big Thank You to the Goethe Institute for making this happen at our school.”