Music Technology

Ideas and Links for your Digital Curriculum

This page is a resource for the educators who attended my seminar

on 'Creating a Digital Music Curriculum.'

Below, you will find information on various software titles and links to good websites to help you!

Add Students to Your World of Music

Most of the students in your school love music and want to create music - and they are not in your band or choir. In the presentation, I will offer successful and inexpensive methods and curricula to help you reach even more students. I will offer basic ideas to create a simple low-cost way of introducing students to the magic of creating their own music.

As the instructor of Music Technology at Westshore Community College and Shelby High School for many years, I have discovered the allure of this technology with students of all interests. This type of class can bring a variety of new students into the music department at a low cost and with simple curriculum ideas.

WHY?

There are many students that traditional band and choir do not connect with. I am sure you know many students that quit in 6th-7th-8th grade but you know they had talent and a love for music. Some of the reasons that they left:

They didn't want to practice
Couldn't afford the instrument
Didn't like the goofy uniforms
"I have to show up for a concert?"
"I want to hang out with my friends at the games"

No matter what the reasons are, many would love the opportunity to create music differently and this is YOUR opportunity to broaden your reach and teach what you love in a different way.

HOW?

The first hurdle is finding the time, the equipment, and the administrator who understands this idea. Teaching music technology's first challenge is the equipment. The instrument you are teaching is a phone, a tablet, a Chromebook, or a desktop with an app (workstation) on it.

It's that simple.

THE TIME

Many teachers are teaching non-music subjects - why not propose a class that gives students access to another form of music instruction other than traditional band or choir?

THE EQUIPMENT

A computer room that is open at an hour/period that works for you.
Most students now have access to Chromebooks
Phones work well, but many schools do not allow students to access them during class time and can be a headache to control
No keyboard needed - in the software
No microphone needed - on the computer
Headphones are a must, but you can get these for $2 online and most students have them

THE ADMINISTRATION

There is a population of students out there that are not interested in the traditional classes
The big question of 'WHY?' is simple
- They are learning computer skills
- They are learning music skills that include skills not included in band or choir

THE APPS

The digital device needs an app and/or program that gives the student a workplace/sandbox to learn and create. These applications run from free to very expensive. However, you can easily find what will work for you in the suggestions I have for you. I have used many applications, and I believe you need one that has MIDI inputs, LOOPS, and AUDIO abilities. The following is my shortlist.

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
- AUDACITY (simple and free)
- BANDLAB (the perfect tool for a tech class
- SOUNDTRAP (a paid-for app that works well for me) - $349 for 50 seats for the school year.

*There are MANY programs, but I know these work well and integrate into LSMs such as Google Classroom, Blackboard, and Canvas.

Notation programs
- MUSESCORE A free music notation site with excellent training for your students
- NOTEFLIGHT A free music notation software that works well for you and your students.
- FLAT IO Another notation software that can get you started

* All of these apps are free but will spend most of their time trying to get you to go premium - which i am not a fan of - at all!

Social Connections
- YOUTUBE- Have the students create an account linked to their school email.
- SOUNDCLOUD is my choice but is sometimes blocked by the school
- BANDCAMP - This site works well and I use this with great success
- WEVIDEO - a video-editing software I use for creating videos to complement my students work

WHAT?

Now, you have convinced the admin that you can do this and you have figured out the equipment and have an idea of the software, what do you teach?

Some of my Golden Rules:

Decide the outcome and reverse engineer
Do popular song-based instruction - ask the students what they listen to.
Start listening to the type of music you are creating
Start creating on your workstation
DO NOT teach them notes - be organic - do not teach band or choir in this class
All the outcomes are project-based
Not grade/judged on talent - just following the methods
Just begin . . . . . .

My basic curriculum is

Music and Sound Creation
- Teaching the software through:
  - Loops
  - MIDI
  - Audio
- Teaching music elements
  - Beats
  - Chords
  - Melody
  - Bass lines
- Teaching song creation through
  - Chord Progression
  - Tempo
  - Genre
  - Form
  - Key
Podcast Creation
- This is a popular information/education/entertainment vehicle and is fun for everyone
- This format uses the workstation to teach many of the elements you are demonstrating
  - Audio recording
  - Mixing
  - Music creation (theme song, etc)
  - Distribution techniques
Mixing and Production
- Mixing and balancing the work (whether it is 4 bars or 64 bars)
- The use of various tricks of the trade to polish a performance
- Adding artwork/video to further develop the idea
Distribution
- Preparing it for Soundcloud, YouTube, or Bandcamp
- Copyright rules (a great teachable moment)
- Sharing the work in a safe and effective way