I’d like to start a new project with an MP3 module and BrainPad for our public school music contribution to STEAM: the ‘A’ part being for the Arts ie, performing arts here in the music area of Branson , Missouri. I think it would be interesting to involve music teachers in the Technology part using JavaScript in MakeCode with electronics but attach a higher grade of player to the electronics circuit. The one featured in this video looks to sell for $1.50, thereabouts, on E-Bay. Is it possible to wire it up as in the video to the BrainPad and then use the music composition feature of MakeCode to create a song which teachers could demonstrate to a class; let the students write their own songs on their computers in simulation and then download each song to the teacher’s BrainPad for demonstration? Has anyone here done this already with an MP3 component ? I think I could fit it all on a 5 volt powerpack and 170 tie hole breadboard to make it portable. However the small speaker ($6.00) would need to be wired and carried separately. Thanks : Arduino Project: MP3 player using Arduino and DFPlayer mini MP3 player module from banggood.com - YouTube
A much easier approach is to use midi. Through serial commands you can generate some very nice notes or full music using a midi synthesizer. I know this is easy using C# and TinyCLR. I am not sure what block support there is shot serial port in make code.
The other option is to use a mp3 decider chip on a click module plugged into the BrainPad. This is more advanced. Click modules simply plug into the BrainPad MP3 click - Breakout board for VS1053 Stereo MP3 codec
I don’t know enough about midi nor anything about C# nor TinyCRL but I found this link on the MakeCode forum. I don’t know if this is suggesting that midi can be used with block coding but I can’t understand why it would be discussed and linked if it were not possible. Do you think this Github repository is saying that midi COULD be used with block coding? This would only be useful if it worked with Chromebooks and a BrainPad or similar device on MakeCode or Maker MakeCode.