Zero One Go!

School Radio > Music > Join in with Music

A musical adventure into the high-tech world of digital communications, computer science and video games!

The video

Zero One Go!

A musical adventure into the high-tech world of digital communications, computer science, smartphones, software and video games! It focuses on the way that digital information is transmitted as binary code - sequences of zeros and ones. The piece began as a song about programming computer code in the series Code Crackers and there are words focusing on robotic system clocks (‘tick tock tick tock’ ) and on some of the funny sounds in early computer games (‘beep, flop, dip, quack!’).

On-screen, the video suggests joining in with electronic keyboards and ukuleles (as chord instruments); with glockenspiels, keyboards, electric guitar, xylophone, melodica and panpipes (as melody instruments); and with claves, cymbals, drums, bongos, woodblocks and temple blocks (as rhythm instruments). Vary this list to suit what’s available at your school.

Body percussionists can use finger clicks along with claves and assorted claps and slaps, etc. They could also perform the middle section (‘beep, flop, dip, quack!’) as a fun actions game, where each word is represented by tapping a different part of the body (eg knees, toes, hip, nose!)

The overall plan is:

• In the Introduction, chord instruments play: C - - - | Am - - - | C - Am - | C - - - | and body percussion play a rhythm shown on the left of the screen. Four taps on claves lead to:
• Part 1, where notes A and C are shown on-screen by a ‘code’ of round, black blobs (short notes) and rectangles (slightly longer notes). Some pupils can sing along with the words (‘Zero One…’ etc) and instruments can join in the A and C notes, all keeping together. (NB for ukuleles, A is the first string open and C is played on the same string with a finger placed at the third fret).
• Then, Part 2 has standard rhythm notation and note names alongside the 'beep, flop, dip, quack!' words. Note the 'quacks' at each A note, and the drums playing loudly at 'STOP!'
• In Part 3, everyone can say or play robotic 'tick-tock' rhythms, with the help of drums, claves, castanets, woodblocks and temple-blocks.
• The 'Link' is just like the Introduction, leading to:
• Part 1 again as before, then a:
• Coda, where the 'Zero One' line is repeated three times, followed by a quiet cymbal-shimmer and everyone joining in with a 'Shhhhh', getting quieter and quieter.

Resources

School Radio > Music > Join in with Music