Mesa Public Schools is rocking the world of cross-curricular STEM, blurring the boundaries between the arts and engineering, between music, science, and technology in K-12 learning! We recently caught up with Stacy Barraclough, the Arizona school district's Music Content Specialist, to hear how they are bringing Makey Makey and a fresh, tech-infused energy into their already robust music program.

Setting the Stage: Mesa’s Music Education Program

Mesa Public Schools doesn’t just dabble in music education; they have built a powerhouse program. The district has a long history of strong institutional support and offers their students an extensive lineup of opportunities to learn about and to create music. Every student in kindergarten through sixth grade gets 30 minutes of general music instruction each week. By fourth grade, students can jump into band and orchestra, and as they head into junior high and high school, the options expand to include choir, guitar, piano, AP theory, and even specialized music tech classes in some schools!

Plugging Makey Makey into the Music Curriculum

The district’s Makey Makey journey started small, a few years ago, when one teacher used an ESSER grant to bring a couple of kits into their STEM lab. Wowed by the graphite pianos and other imaginative projects the kids at that school had created, Stacy recognized an opportunity for the district to level up the creative impact. They successfully secured an arts grant from the Arizona Department of Education, allowing them to purchase 12-unit Makey Makey STEM Packs for every one of the district’s 55 elementary schools.

That’s some imaginative thinking – bringing STEM kits in through a state arts grant. Who’d have thought of it?! The only downside: Stacy says the STEM teachers are jealous that the music teachers are the ones that have the Makey Makeys.


To pique kids’ interest in continuing their musical journeys – and partly as a way of generating early interest in those music tech electives available to students in junior high – Mesa decided to plug Makey Makey kits into their curriculum mainly at the 5th and 6^th grade level, with introductory sessions for the 4th-graders. In addition to practicing on their traditional instruments, these kids are making beats by hooking up alligator clips and coaxing electronic notes out of the wildest objects. We’re talking graphite drum sets, gummy worm keyboards, and metal flower pianos connected directly to Makey Makey apps online! Based on the experience in Mesa schools, Stacy advises teachers to start with simple, guided group work with a cross-curricular bonus – focused on learning which objects and materials are conductive, and then progress to more complex, independent musical constructions, letting students find creative inspiration from one another and from the many online Makey Makey project examples.

Overcoming Tech Intimidation

Introducing new technology like Makey Makey into a traditional arts space can be a bit daunting. At first, many of the Mesa music teachers were hesitant to spend their scarce free time learning something new – understandably intimidated by “technology” and a little reluctant to dive in. But Stacy knew exactly how to turn the tide. On a district service day, she set up a hands-on, low-pressure professional development session that was basically an adult sandbox. She brought in buckets filled with everyday materials – metal, wood, plastic, water tubes – and told the teachers to get their hands dirty and figure it out, just as she had previously done with a group of 6^th graders. This relaxed, play-based approach dissolved their fears, significantly boosting their comfort levels and helping to get Makey Makey successfully adopted across the district.

Big Impacts with Cross-Curricular STEM

Stacy says this program has had an eye-opening impact. The introduction of Makey Makey into the music curriculum has provided students with a different perspective on music making and creative, technological expression. And general adoption of this tool has created some exciting cross-curricular crossovers.

Music classes are dipping into science lessons, teaching kids all about circuits, switches, atoms, and material conductivity in the context of music making. Makey Makey kits have even made star appearances at school STEM nights, bringing music and technology right into the heart of the broader school community. Looking ahead, Stacy envisions further opportunities for cross-subject projects and even formalizing these sorts of creative technology projects in 5th and 6th-grade music curricula at Mesa.

Mesa Public Schools is hitting all the right notes, showing us that when you mix a stellar foundation in music education with a little STEM innovation and a whole lot of playful learning, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. Bravo, Mesa!

Based on an interview with Stacy Barraclough, Music Content Specialist at Mesa Public Schools on 22 May 2026.

Find time HERE to talk with the Makey Makey team about a district rollout!