TEACHING AND LESSON STATEMENT
Our philosophy when designing lesson plans is akin to our philosophy when designing software: we believe that, “Software [and these lesson plans!] should be easy to use.” Thus, the student projects in this manual have been engineered to maximize ease of operation. The lesson plans have detailed (but not convoluted) instructions which permit students to work through a project without the need for previous experience with the software. Additionally, there are close to a dozen topics that are covered by lessons usable in virtually any classroom or for any curriculum. Lesson topics vary from the simple and straightforward to the challenging and creative. It is our hope that educators and students alike will enjoy working through these lesson plans and will have as much fun as we did designing them.
As music technology advances and current music hardware and software is either updated or replaced, lesson plans run the risk of becoming archaic. Mindful of this, we have selected activities that we believe will endure such technological innovation and change. Though the medium through which music is made or expressed may change (and most certainly it will with the advent of new musical interfaces and software), it is our hope that these lesson plans can be adapted and that the creative strategies they teach will become and will remain an integral part of any education system.
Each project begins with a brief overview of the lesson plan. The required materials and lesson activity are covered along with both the recommended classroom setup and with the ideal workflow for the project. Finally, to facilitate teaching, educators have available a teacher’s edition which contains additional insights and information about the lesson topic; supplemental lesson plans to modify or combine with the main project; and a list of suggested literature for educators whose interests extends beyond the lesson.
A uniform layout is found across all the lesson plans in this book. Each lesson plan contains the following information:
NSME (National Standards for Music Education) are labeled in the upper right hand corner of each lesson plan by their numerical value. Educators can use this information to quickly judge what and how students will learn about music.
Student demographics are supplied in the upper left hand corner. Each lesson is marked with an appropriate age group such as “grade school,” “middle school,” or “high school.” Some lesson plans might be well suited for older students while others were designed with the younger student in mind.
Class Time is an estimate of a lesson plan’s completion time.
Skills Learned lists both technical and creative skills that students will learn as they progress through each lesson plan. Some lesson plans were designed to teach standard audio engineering skills while other lesson plans grant students a large degree of creative freedom and the opportunity to explore their artistic talents.
Required Materials are the minimum amount of hardware and software needed to set up and complete each lesson. Many of the lesson plans only require Mixcraft, a computer, and an internet connection to get started. The “Additional Materials Download” file also contains examples for many of the lesson plans.
Recommended Materials are additional tools that can be used with each lesson plan. Some lesson plans might benefit from a MIDI keyboard, while others might benefit from an external microphone.
Activity is a step-by-step walk through of the lesson plan. Included is both instruction and screen shots for many of the steps. Additionally, printable versions of the student lesson plans are included in the “Additional Materials Download” file.
Additional Lesson Plans are listed at the end of the activity and offer ideas for extending the lesson or creating an alternative of the main project.
Further Reading suggests texts that educators may find intellectually fulfilling but also practical to teaching.
SHORT PROJECTS: TUTORIALS FOR RECORDING & EDITING AUDIO/MIDI IN MIXCRAFT
The shorter projects are engineered for skills acquisition and to prepare students for larger, multidisciplinary activities. Each lesson focuses on a primary function relating either to Mixcraft or to audio/MIDI recording and editing. The list below will help determine which projects are appropriate for a curriculum. We recommend students complete one smaller lesson before tackling the larger projects:
AUDIO TUTORIALS:
Vocal FX Project: The Vocal FX project utilizes Mixcraft’s built-in effect plugins to explore digital signal processing. Students will first learn how to record a speech, poem, or vocal improvisation. Next, students will acquire essential audio editing techniques to arrange their recording for play back. Finally, the lesson examines several important audio effects to help students create interesting mixes.
Mixcraft Mixlibs: Most educators will be familiar with this game, as Mixcraft Mixlibs is a twist on this classic kid’s game: players submit a noun, verb, or adjective whenever the text calls for one to fill blanks in a story. Once completed, the narrative is read aloud and shared with everyone who played the game. With Mixcraft, Students will first load Mixcraft Mixlib templates, each marked with flags to denote where a noun, verb, or adjective should be recorded and inserted. Students then record their own words to finish the story. In this lesson, students will acquire basic audio editing and recording skills.
MIDI TUTORIALS
MIDI Instrument Survey: A music-orientated activity, the MIDI Instrument Survey project is a journey through different instrument families. Students will learn practical applications of MIDI by quickly assigning virtual instruments to melodies composed with MIDI. Students will also learn to work with MIDI files by importing several popular children’s songs that have previously been coded in this universal format.
MIDI Beats: The MIDI Beats project teaches basic MIDI programming skills by using Mixcraft’s drum virtual instruments and MIDI functions. Students can program an original drum beat or use a popular drum pattern and experiment with different drum samples. The beat is then mixed down and saved for possible use in a later class project.
LONG PROJECTS: INTERDISCIPLINARY LESSONS
In addition to the short projects, we have engineered large, interdisciplinary lessons that educators and students will find to be stimulating and creative. Though not necessary, it is recommended that students have some familiarity with Mixcraft before tackling these longer projects. Since much of the material is interdisciplinary it might be best to partner these lesson plans with other courses (music software is not just for music lessons but can also be invaluable for slide presentations and for video creation). We hope that educators will find additional ways to incorporate Mixcraft into other educational programs, especially non-music courses. These lesson plans could lead to a more diverse and multidisciplinary curriculum. Below is a list of the longer projects available in this book:
Remix Project
Sound Collage
Radio Jingle
Classroom Rap Improvisation
Lyrical Songwriting
STOMP Instruments
Music & Film Project
TV Commercial Project
Live Loop Improvisation Project
Beatboxing Project