Class Description
Do you have something to say and want to say it through music? In this MAPS after school workshop, you’ll use digital production software to create your own original songs from scratch, learning how to record, loop, mix, and shape your sound the way professional artists do. You’ll also develop your skills as a writer, crafting lyrics that express your ideas. All skill levels welcome: whether totally new to music or a musician who’s ready to dig deeper, this class is your chance to experiment, create, and make something that’s truly yours.
Learning Objectives: in this class, students will learn about
- Record and produce original music using industry-standard digital audio workstations (Reaper and GarageBand), including tracking live instruments, layering loops, mixing multiple audio sources, and exporting a finished composition of at least two minutes;
- Craft original lyrics using foundational writing techniques – including rhyme schemes, rhythmic meter, metaphor, simile, and sensory imagery – and integrate those lyrics into a recorded or performed musical work;
- Collaborate as both performer and producer, rotating creative roles across group projects including a class-recorded cover song and a Day 1 collaborative original, developing the communication and coordination skills that real recording sessions require;
- Apply basic electronics and the science of sound by building a functional distortion effects pedal from scratch – developing soldering and wiring skills, understanding how electrical signals shape audio, and incorporating the completed pedal into their own recordings;
- Explore and compare a diverse toolkit of music technology – including Rocksmith, Paradiddle, Aeroband, Aerodrums, Playtronica, BandLab, Hooktheory, and DaVinci Resolve – building fluency in navigating new tools and understanding how each serves a different creative purpose;
- Create a visual companion to their music using DaVinci Resolve, syncing lyric or mood visuals to their original audio and developing a foundational understanding of how music and image work together in professional media;
- The art of the peer critique and give peer critiques on the progress of student work;
- Opportunities and potential resources on career pathways;
- How to distribute, exhibit, and promote artwork for a variety of audiences.
Equipment
- iPads
- Instructor iMac
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
- Focusrite Scarlett 18i20
- Shure Mics
- Soundbrenner metronome watch
- MIDI keyboards
- Launchpad Mini beat sequencer (plus hyperdrive adaptors)
- eDrums
- Physical kit
- Aerodrums
- Aeroband
- Drum Pants system
- Guitars
- Bass
Software
- Aeroband
- Aerodrums
- Davinci Resolve
- GarageBand
- ParadiddleReaper (instructor MacBook)
- Rocksmith and Rocksmith +
- SUNO AI
- Udio AI
- Hooktheory
- Music to sheet music sync system
- Rhythm Master
- Bandbox
Deliverables: Students and Class Projects
- Students will create, perform, and record original riffs or musical ideas on one or more instruments, rotating roles between performer and producer;
- Class will create an original song collaboratively with multiple instruments and layers with Reaper DAW;
- Students will learn electrical engineering by building an effects pedal from scratch and utilize that effect in their recordings;
- Individually or collaboratively, students will include a recorded original music composition (minimum 2 minute), created using Reaper DAW;
- Students will also contribute to a group class cover, recording separate instrument or vocal tracks to be mixed into a unified piece.
