Digital Music Production

In this course, students will create and compose music with the digital audio workstation (DAW) Soundtrap. Students will grapple with the fundamentals of music production through making music of their own. They will listen to musical examples and the work of their peers and use relevant music technology and composition terms in their written and verbal analyses of that music as well as during class discussions.

Students will also look at the cultural and social contexts for music technology and learn about the many professional opportunities for those that master the subjects introduced. Those subjects include building songs with loops, using the digital rhythm creator to write drum parts, using the piano roll to write melodies, chords and basslines, the fundamentals of music theory, recording audio, mixing, and arranging a song.

All students will end the year with an album’s worth of music they created over the course of the school year. Students will leave the class empowered to make whatever they want with music technology as well as with a solid understanding of how they can apply these skills professionally across the music industry and modern media landscape.

NOTE: This course also includes Music Appreciation. Students are invited to analyze the music they enjoy, and to discover connections between their favorite artists and wider cultural and social forces.