When I think of composition, I automatically picture staff
paper (literal paper or computerized) and a piano. This is how I have gone through the process
of composition my entire life. When I
first played around with Garageband a few years back, I was confused about how
to start. What do I use? How do I “write” what I want? Thank goodness for things like Youtube videos
that show step-by-step processes for so many programs and applications! I experienced a similar feeling of confusion
as I watched Soundation videos this week and started to “play” around with the
program. It’s a completely different
approach to composition. Instead of
starting with a melody, I started with a pre-made groove in the free MIDI sound
files. I started to experiment with
using clips within the samples that sounded interesting. I am still working on this first composition
at a snail’s pace, but it is a very interesting process.
Soundation reminds me a little of an iPad app called Monkey
Drum. It is geared for children, but it
allows the composer to create three different parts (played cute animal characters) in a similar way that one can compose for a drum kit in
Soundation.
I can see another way that digital audio workstations and
notation software programs are helpful.
As my fifth grade students were working on a written composition project
last month, I noticed that some of my best musicians didn’t do as well because
they were not capable of writing down what they played. Their musical ideas of melody and rhythm were
too complex for their writing knowledge.
They knew what they wanted to create, but they didn’t know how to write
it. Computer software could capture their
sounds and possibly translate it into notation.
The readings and activities for class this week opened my
eyes to the possibility of a non-performance music composition class for my
middle school students. As a 1:1 iPad
school, my middle school students have immediate access to the necessary
technology for such a class. There are
many students who are very interested in music, but are not necessarily
performers. Teaching a class like this
would be a little intimidating at first.
I would be learning along with my students, and perhaps they would really
be teaching me. It would be an exciting journey
we would make together.
I experienced the same confusion you described when working with the different programs. At first, I always find it very overwhelming but once I start to experiment with the program, it hasn’t taken very long to get the hang of the basics. For our Soundation project, I found a clip that I really liked and built my project around that. I can see the similarities with Monkey Drum. I have had a few young students use that app during their percussion lessons while they wait for their siblings lesson to be done and they seem to be able to spend forever just messing with all squares and creating their own song. Take that up a few notches to Soundation and I agree that the higher elementary school aged kids could really get a lot out of this program. They know enough to know what might sound right but not quite enough to actually notate it and this is a nice medium. There is talk of our school going 1:1 with iPads within the next few years and if we do, I am finding many programs that would make some great lessons for my elementary school kids.
ReplyDeleteFor the "paper-trained" teacher, it is a bit intimidating to teach digital natives! Learning with and through your students will happen. Just yesterday, I was showing my orchestra how to use Garage band on their iPads. I was trying to mute a few tracks in the way I knew, when a bunch of students started shouting out a quicker way that they knew. So, if using technology means that I will be learning with and taught by my students, I will learn to accept being a guide instead of an expert. Let the learning begin!!
ReplyDeleteKarin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! I can relate to your post since I also teach in a 1:1 district, albeit with Chromebooks and Netbooks. The reading this week also sparked a desire in me to better treat my classroom music classes to the joys of composition without the steep learning curve that is traditional notation. I started to see a strong connection between the use of DAWs with composition for non-traditional (and traditional) musicians, and I am also going to try learning to use these programs alongside my students.
If you would, please post a follow up on your blog about the experience you have in class with this experiment. It would be interesting to see what someone else's experience dabbling in this newer artform is.