measure phrases. Along the way, teach students to fade and balance volume levels, and to use pan to create an interesting audio environment. Allow a minimum of 3 class meetings to work on and revise the composition.


D. Require self-reflection and peer feedback/critique of


work in progress. Ask students to document their ideas and progress each session using pencil & paper or a notepad. (Hint: Assign this task to one member of the group as the Re- cord Keeper who ensures that ideas and work notes are writ- ten down.) For peer responses, have each group play a small section of work in progress (10 seconds) for the whole class on the second day of composition work. At the start of the third class, require all students to trade seats/devices, listen to another group’s project in its entirety, and provide suggestions based on expectations for the finished project.


E. Mini-Concert. Play all student compositions for the class in their entirety. With younger students, you may wish to complete this last phase over the course of several classes to allow time for singing and other activities. Older students can contribute to the evaluation process by completing a simple rubric for each project.


Version 2: Single Sound Project (Intermediate and High School)


*Presented at the 2017 NAfME National In-Service Conference by Clive Davis of The Berkshire School


Duration: 10-15 class periods (40-45 minute sessions) The Single Sound Project draws upon music such as Hugh


Le Caine’s “Dripsody.” Le Caine used the recording of a single drop of water to create this piece with audio tape recorders and players. The original sound sample (one drip of water) was processed to create different pitches, new sounds, and looped at different speeds. These techniques can be easily replicated using Audacity to process the initial sound sample.


A. Play “Dripsody” for the class.


Explain that they will need to capture a single sound that lasts 5 seconds or less. Each student must record his/her own original sound and will compose inde- pendently. (Adapt this aspect to have


students work in pairs as necessary.) Special thanks to Clive Davis for sharing his expertise and


B. Import the sound to Audacity. Trim and isolate the sound, and save this unprocessed clean sample. C. Generate a minimum of 20 permutations of the origi-


nal sound. Using Audacity’s built-in effects, try pitch shifting JANUARY 2018


45


allowing his work to inform the thinking behind this article. &


TEMPO


and techniques like reversing or stretching. Trim very small pieces of the sound by zooming in to a granular level. For samples shorter than 1 second, students may need to fade out the very end of the clip to avoid getting a “click.” Use the “loop play” feature in Audacity (shift-spacebar) to hear a se- lected clip play repeatedly. Export each new permutation as .wav or .aiff. Be sure each exported version has a unique name that will make it identifiable when placed in a folder of all of the permutations.


D. Import the clips to a new, dedicated folder of samples in Logic, ProTools, or Ableton Live.


E. Use the clips to create a coherent whole without using loops and samples built into the software. While working, continue to modify the sounds with EQ, compression, sweeps, and other effects. Use the clips to create original loops (ostinati).


F. More advanced students can load one or more of these original samples into a MIDI track. Now that sound can be played or recorded using a MIDI keyboard or pad. Students can even draw in original melodies using these original samples.


G. Prepare a preliminary rubric for the project based on


your class structure and normal procedures, and include musi- cal elements as well as audio engineering elements. Share the rubric with students once they have begun the composition phase of the project. Encourage them to “grade trade” on the third day of composition, and offer meaningful suggestions for project expansion and enhancement.


H. On the next day, have all students select a short seg- ment to play for the class (10-20 seconds). Continue the pro- cess of seat trades, sharing of work in progress, and peer coach- ing over the remaining working days of the project.


I. Consider setting up a “gallery walk” when all work is complete. Empower students to complete full rubric-based evaluations of the work of 3 different classmates. If you are comfortable with the objectivity of the evaluations, include these scores as all or part of the final grade for the project. (This process is used by Richard McCready, TI:ME Teacher of the Year 2013, River Hill High School, Clarksville, MD.)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76