Hip-Hop Turns 47: A STEAM Primer
Hip-hop turned 47 today and my upcoming book starts with a hip-hop moment in a STEAM Lab. Hip-hop, a cultural phenomenon that began with a Bronx house party, was the first popular music genre based on the art of sampling — being born from 1970s DJs who experimented with manipulating vinyl using turntables and audio mixers — see Lott’s History of Sampling. Hip-hop is what I refer to as re-appropriation, which is
[T]he cultural process by which marginalized or underrepresented ethnic groups reclaim artifacts from dominant culture and the environment.
Remixing involves tinkering or making do with whatever is on hand. Early hip-hop DJs used sound-system equipment such as the audio mixer, turntable or record player, and drum machine in ways not intended by the manufacturers. Improvisation refers to the spontaneous and inventive use of materials and content. These three creative modes of production involve STEAM; reflect practices of DIY making that are situated in hip-hop culture.
In 2012 I discovered a connection between hip-hop and STEAM/making through circuit bending that involves the customization of circuits within electronic devices such as low-voltage, battery-powered guitar effects, children’s toys and digital synthesizers to create new musical or visual instruments and sound generators.
The circuit bending process was developed largely by people with next to no formalized training in electronic theory and circuit design, experimenting with second-hand electronics in a DIY fashion, with things not associated with musical production. DJ Grandmaster Flash had little training when he customized the audio crossfader as a way to control more than one audio source. His torque theory allows DJs to find the breaks of recorded songs by marking vinyl albums with tape or a crayon.
In the STEAM Lab, electric paint was used to create electronic graffiti and devices such as Arduinos, or open-source electronic prototyping platforms replaced the sampler or crossfader. Ninth grade engineering students were taught how to create their own instruments and explore the use of electrical circuits and electricity. They presented their projects to Hank Shocklee.
Hip-hop creates a problem space that encourages creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving, such as what happens in established technology centers, makerspaces, and Fab Labs. Hip-hop practitioners make things in ways that constitute an explicit way of being, expressing, creating, or doing things. Using these creative modes in STEAM learning acknowledges the value of students’ experiences and communities, leveraging them as learning platforms for both content and strategy.
Traditional school settings don’t often validate the wealth of knowledge that communities of color express. As maker educators, we know that making can happen in many places, contexts, and communities.
I’m looking forward to further exploring ways to authentically bring culture (hip-hop, Afrofuturism, etc.) into STEAM and maker education. This includes this fall at the Maker Ed conference. Remote learning presents some interesting challenges that I think can be addressed through hip-hop and STEAM/making.