Re-imagining the Blues: A Captivating Back-to-School Project for Bandlab Participants

Re-imagining the Blues: A Captivating Back-to-School Project for Bandlab Participants

Restyling the Blues: Engaging Back-to-School Activity for Music Tech Teachers Using BandLab

Music educators can kick off the new school year with an engaging and creative activity called "Restyling the Blues" using BandLab, a music collaboration platform. This activity allows students to explore various musical styles as they create a 12-bar blues backing track with keyboard and drums, write lyrics using the blues AAB structure, and sing or rap over the track.

This project is an excellent opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of the blues genre while experimenting with sounds, lyric-writing, and drum styles. The lesson plan is adaptable and can be completed in a single class period or stretched over multiple sessions depending on the class length and students' abilities.

The "Restyling the Blues" activity is part of a series of student projects presented in an online course specifically designed for music teachers. The course offers comprehensive resources, including software and gear guides, teacher and student videos, worksheets, and access to a designated community forum. Teachers can share their projects, get feedback from fellow educators, and seek expert tech advice within the community. The best part is that each project includes instructions for GarageBand, BandLab, and Soundtrap, ensuring compatibility with various platforms.

Advanced students can further their skills by delving deeper into chord structure, composing with inversions, or other challenging aspects without requiring prior knowledge. The activity allows for differentiation by letting students choose their digital instruments, work in pairs or groups, and select their preferred chord progressions.

Through the "Restyling the Blues" project, students will learn nine basic music tech skills, such as adding software instruments, manually entering chords, copying and pasting regions, transposing notes, and recording vocals. By completing this and other projects in the course, music teachers can easily incorporate technology into their existing curriculum while providing students with a rich, creative learning experience.

Two examples of "Restyling the Blues" projects completed by music teachers inside the Midnight Music Community showcase the potential outcomes of this activity. Music educators are invited to join the exclusive online course and gain access to the complete project, student videos, worksheets, expert help, and detailed instructions for implementing "Restyling the Blues" and other creative projects in their classrooms.

[1] Katie Argyle, Midnight Music Community (www.midnightmusiccommunity.org)

[2] BandLab (www.bandlab.com)

[3] GarageBand (www.garageband.com)

[4] Soundtrap (www.soundtrap.com)

[5] Music Tech Teachers - 'The Bandlab Blues' by Doug Carey & 'Morning Blues' by James Kotora (www.midnightmusiccommunity.org)

1. Music Tech Teachers are encouraged to refine their professional development by enrolling in an online course, which includes projects like "The Bandlab Blues" by Doug Carey and "Morning Blues" by James Kotora.
2. These online courses offer a vast array of resources, such as software and gear guides, videos, worksheets, and access to a community forum, all aimed at music educators.
3. The "Bandlab Blues" project, for instance, is just one example of the engaging and creative activities teachers can implement for their students using BandLab.
4. Through this project, students are tasked with crafting a 12-bar blues backing track, writing lyrics, and recording vocals, thereby fostering their understanding of the blues genre and promoting both sonic and lyrical exploration.
5. Advanced students can further fine-tune their skills by delving into chord structure, composition, and other complex concepts, whatever their prior knowledge level.
6. Teachers can adapt this lesson plan to suit their class duration and students' abilities, be it a single class period or a series of sessions.
7. The music tech skills students learn through such projects include adding software instruments, manually entering chords, copying and pasting regions, transposing notes, and recording audio.
8. By weaving technology into their existing curriculum, music educators can provide an enriching, creative learning experience for their students.
9. Furthermore, teachers can avail themselves of expert tech advice within the community, share their projects, and receive feedback from fellow educators.
10. Students, in turn, benefit from the opportunity to engage in fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and shopping discussions, as they involve relevant elements in their music compositions.
11. Seamless integration of projects across various platforms like BandLab, GarageBand, and Soundtrap ensures a consistent learning experience for students accessing them on different devices.
12. Music teachers worldwide are invited to join the Midnight Music Community and gain access to the complete lesson plan, student videos, worksheets, expert help, and resources necessary for implementing projects like "Restyling the Blues" in their classrooms.
13. Whether you're a veteran music teacher or a beginner, this community offers a welcoming and supportive environment to explore new ideas, share your work, and collaborate with others.
14. Embracing technology in music education empowers students to develop their creativity, foster critical thinking skills, and, ultimately, shape their unique lifestyle while strengthening their connection to the world of music.

Read also: