Musicalization with educational robotics

Abstract

The integration of music and educational robotics remains underexplored, even though both areas offer strong potential to promote active, interdisciplinary, and meaningful learning. This work investigates how musicalization can be incorporated into robotics to enhance student engagement and support the practical understanding of musical, elec tronic, and computational concepts. To this end, the study proposes EcoMusic, an ecolog ical musical device built from electronic components and recycled materials, programmed to play melodies through interactive buttons. The research is grounded in the competen cies of Brazil’s National Common Curriculum (BNCC) and in theoretical foundations from music education, robotics, sustainability, and creative learning. The study was con ducted with prior authorization from the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal Uni versity of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), ensuring compliance with ethical standards for research involving human participants. EcoMusic was implemented in a public school with 25 students aged 11 to 17, over two instructional sessions that introduced concepts of sound and frequency, programming, device assembly, and musical experimentation. Data collection involved questionnaires administered to both students and the classroom teacher. Results indicate that integrating musicalization into robotics increases motiva tion, stimulates curiosity, facilitates understanding of musical concepts, and strengthens skills such as collaboration, creativity, and logical thinking. The use of recycled ma terials also encouraged reflections on sustainability and conscious consumption. The findings demonstrate that EcoMusic is an accessible, interdisciplinary, and curriculum aligned pedagogical tool that expands opportunities for active experiences in music and technology within basic education.