iPad Composition Activity

• Molly Raimondi
• Posted 11/16/20
• 0 comments

Inspiration Strikes! 

In January 2020, I started searching for a new activity to do with my upper-grade music classes. Then, I remembered taking a college class about technology in the music room.  I learned about iPads and Apple laptops. “GarageBand!” I said triumphantly out loud, and thus, my favorite project of the year was born.  

For this project, I slightly altered the process for each grade. I knew I needed some iPads (obviously) and headphones for each group. I also created a “recording studio” in one of my practice rooms, so kids could record their vocals without picking up other voices and sounds. With five iPads, my school’s first experiment in GarageBand begins! 

Student Assignments

I decided to try this project with my third, fourth, and fifth graders. The first thing I did was model how the different instruments work and how to change chords and add measures.  Then, I divided each class into five groups since I had five iPads, and they got to work, exploring GarageBand. 

I required each group member to participate in the composition process and sing on the final recording. The third-grade group built their composition around a pre-determined topic. We picked “shoes.” The students created lyrics about shoes, and each of their songs contained two verses and a chorus.  

My fourth and fifth-grade students choose their topics, with the caveat that their topic was school-appropriate. After the initial tutorial, I divided them into groups, and students started creating their music on shared iPads.  After they composed the music, the fourth and fifth-graders added their lyrics.  Every group member was required to participate in the composition process and sing on the final recording. 

I believe that by requiring the students to sing in the final recording, they were encouraged to participate in the group composition and had a more personal stake in the final product. 

Timeline & Project Outline

The entire project took  5-6 weeks.  I saw each class once a week for 30 minutes.   

Week 1: First, I demonstrated how the GarageBand App worked and introduced the basic functions.  I divided students into groups and handed out numbered iPads. (This is especially important because if a group saves their song on iPad #2, they need to use iPad #2 every class or lose their song!) Each group then explored the GarageBand App. 

Weeks 2-5: Students created their music and songs from scratch.  Each group did the following tasks : 

• Recorded a drumbeat 
• Created a second track using piano or guitar chords.  For this part of the assignment, I explained chords’ function, and the students experimented with different chord combinations. Through the students’ exploration, we even heard what it sounds like if you use a C major chord and a D major chord together in the two different tracks (which led to the discussion that the chord needed to match across the other instrument tracks). 
• Then the fourth and fifth-grade students created lyrics for their piece.  
• The third-grade students created their lyrics first and then composed their music.  I noticed the third-grade groups moved more quickly through the process.  I think this is because they had their lyrics completed first. 

Week 6:  Each group recorded their vocals in the “recording studio.”  I allowed them 10-15 minutes to complete their recording.   
 

My students loved this project! I plan to try it again this school year – knowing that I may need to make some adjustments for my school’s COVID safety protocols. 

Tips and Tricks for Integrating iPads 

Want to integrate iPads into your elementary music classroom? Here are some of my best tips for you. 

1. Allow exploration. Allow students time to explore the software/apps to see what they can create without boundaries.  It allows time to get their creative juices flowing.   My students spent most of Day 1 playing in the app with no real intention of recording- Just exploring.  Hands-on time more beneficial than watching a video or the teacher explaining how to use GarageBand. Kids will often discover new things that you have not even considered. 

2. One iPad is better than none. I had five devices and split my students into groups of four or five.  It does not matter if your school is 1:1 or you only have access to a few devices; the point is to let kids explore music technology! This project can be adapted using Chrome Music Lab. Work with what you’ve got.  

3. Encourage creativity. Final submissions last year included spoken word, rap, choral singing, and everything else in between! Some songs sampled other songs; some had body percussion, while others kept it very simple.  

One of my favorite final projects was by a group of 3rd-grade boys. As I said before, the topic we decided on for 3^rd grade was “shoes.” They got extremely creative and found the auto-tune effect, and went to town with it! You can listen to their song below. Remember: Do not limit music exploration- Let students try, and see what happens!! 

4. Teach them how to use it all. This pandemic has proven to us how much (or how little) our students know about technology. My goal this year is to teach my students to use iMovie, GarageBand, Google Drive, and many other programs we use regularly. Adding this to the general music curriculum I teach is essential for my students. Knowing how to record themselves, share music and videos, and communicate is vital, especially this year in our classrooms. This technology knowledge expands their technical vocabulary in the music room, as well as in other disciplines.