Introduction
As a music tech teacher, you know that creativity is essential to music. So why not start the school year with a fun and creative activity in Bandlab that will get your students thinking about music in a new way?
This Bandlab lesson, called “Restyling the Blues,” (also available for Garageband and Soundtrap) will let your students be creative and explore different musical styles. They will 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 activity is an excellent opportunity for them to learn about the blues genre and experiment with sounds, lyric-writing, and drum styles.
This activity is from a series of entire student projects that I share inside my Garageband, Soundtrap, and Bandlab Online Course for Music Teachers which will give you complete access to:
- Software, Gear, and Set-Up Guides
- Teacher Videos (to help you plan your lesson)
- Student Videos (I’ll teach your class for you!)
- Student Worksheets
- A Designated Community Forum
- Share Your Projects, Get Feedback from Other Music Teachers, and Seek Expert Tech Advice if You Run Into Any Issues Along the Way!
- And more!
The best part is that every project/activity in the course has multiple guides & videos for Garageband, Bandlab, and Soundtrap, so you can teach your students on the exact platform that you are using in class!
Important Notes for Music Tech Teachers
- Tech skills learned in this lesson can be applied to other songwriting projects.
- Often, students know they enjoy music and have some great ideas for music but aren’t sure how to get started. This project provides a fun and easy way for students to learn essential compositional skills using Bandlab in ways that will build the foundation for future composition projects!
- In this activity, we employ the 12-bar blues progression, but you could easily switch to other popular chord progressions like I/V/VI/IV or even a simple 3-chord progression such as I/IV/V.
- This Bandlab lesson is flexible and can be done in a class period or over multiple class periods depending on the class length and your students’ abilities, and can be used as an introduction to songwriting or as a stand-alone activity. It’s also a great way to get students familiar with Bandlab overall.
- If you don’t have Bandlab, no problem! I also offer detailed project notes for students and teachers on how to create this project in GarageBand and Soundtrap inside the course!
- If you are teaching more advanced students, you can also choose to expand on their existing skills, such as going into more detail about how chords are structured, composing with inversions, etc. However, students can still do this project without background knowledge.
- There are lots of opportunities for differentiation:
- letting students choose their digital instruments
- having students work in pairs or groups
- giving students a choice of chord progressions to use,
- and so much more!
9 Music Tech Skills Covered in this Project
Through the ‘Restyling the Blues’ project, students will learn nine basic music tech skills, including how to:
- Add in a software instrument
- Enter chords manually by entering notes in one by one. I decided to use this method to make it easy and accessible for non-keyboard students.
- Enter chords by recording to a click (optional)
- Copy and paste regions: this is a quick way to repeat sections of your song without re-recording them.
- Move & transpose notes
- Add a drum pattern using a pre-made loop or Bandlab’s sequencer
- Select and move a group of regions to create space for an intro
- Use existing material to create an intro/outro
- Record vocals (either rapping or singing) into an audio track.
Two Bandlab Examples of 'Restyling the Blues' Projects from Music Tech Teachers
The course is self-paced (you can join whenever you like) and there are no deadlines. I have been so impressed with the first group of music teachers that have already completed the ‘Restyling the Blues’ project!
Here are some fantastic examples from music tech teachers inside the Midnight Music Community who created their ‘Restyling the Blues’ project in Bandlab (you can also try playing the videos at varying speeds for a completely different experience):
“The Bandlab Blues” by Doug Carey
“Morning Blues” by James Kotora
Want This Complete Project & More?
To get this complete project, including ready-to-play student videos (I’ll teach your class for you!), student worksheets, expert help, and detailed instructions, check out the Garageband, Soundtrap, and Bandlab Course inside the Midnight Music Community.
Watch the video below for a quick overview of the course!
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed previewing this lesson and I’d love to share this project and so many others with you inside of the Midnight Music Community!
Do you have any questions about the Garageband, Soundtrap, and Bandlab Course for music teachers or the Midnight Music Community in general?
What music platform do you use with your students?
Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!
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Looking for More Resources for Music Teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my businessMidnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – theMidnight Music Community– where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus oneasyways to incorporate technology intowhat you are already doing in your music curriculumthrough a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside theMidnight Music Community.
