A Collaboration Game for Musicians
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TEACHER MATERIALS
Unit 6
The Song
Activity 3 - Soundtrap
Switch!
Collaborate to compose a song with rhythm, bass, chords, and melody.

STUDENT/PLAYER GUIDE

It’s time to create a new piece of music with all the skills you’ve learned. This activity will be the ultimate collaborative challenge, because you’re going to create rhythm, bass, chords, and melody together with your bandmates by switching lanes after each step! What will this sound like? Listen and discuss with your bandmates as you experiment with group music-making. Remember that KSHH communication is the key to collaboration.

Step 1: Rhythm - You’ll begin by creating rhythm in “your” starting lane. You’ll return to this same lane to finish, in Step 5 (see below). You can modify, or completely rewrite the rhythm track in this lane and use any drum sound you like. Remember the importance of space / rests. Feel free to mute the other three tracks if you want, or you can listen to them for inspiration. Don’t forget to save and sync when you’re done composing!

Step 2: Bass - Now shift to the right into the next lane, where you’ll create a bass track to go with the rhythm track that your bandmate just created! Remember - you can modify, or completely rewrite the bass part in this lane. Experiment with bass line melodies and sounds that fit with the rhythm track. Consider activating the looper to replay the beat while you iterate. Feel free to mute the other two tracks (chords and melody) if you want, or use them for inspiration. Practice, record, and edit the notes as you wish. Don’t forget to save and sync when you’re done.

Step 3: Chords - Shift again to the next lane, where you’ll create chords to go with the previously created rhythm and bass. You can modify, or completely rewrite the chords track in this lane. Use the piano roll or keyboard to experiment with chords of two or more notes that support the rhythm and bass tracks. Consider activating the looper to replay the beat while you iterate. Feel free to mute the other tracks if you want, or use them for inspiration. Practice, record, and edit the notes as you wish. Don’t forget to save and sync when you’re done.

Step 4: Melody - Shift again to the next lane, where you’ll create a melody to go with the rhythm, bass, and chords! Use the piano roll or keyboard to experiment with melodies and sounds that support the other tracks. Consider activating the looper to replay the beat while you iterate. Feel free to mute the other tracks if you want, or use them for inspiration. Practice, record, and edit the notes as you wish. Don’t forget to save and sync when you’re done.

Step 5: Listen - Review your work and do a round of KSHH with your bandmates. Celebrate what you’ve done - you’ve created your band’s first tracks together in a virtual studio!

Step 6: Arrange - Return to the lane with your first rhythm track. Do one round of gentle refining as needed to improve your lane’s overall sound. Anything you might add? Anything you might remove? Consider using the piano roll to make smaller edits. Remember this is a collaboration - try to preserve and highlight your bandmates’ creative work. Your final task is to work on the transitions between the lanes (“the buffer zones”) by collaborating with those lane “owners.” Feel free to use the loops library to find some interesting sounds. Don’t forget to save and sync. When you’re finished editing, listen to your band’s piece from start to finish and do a round of KSHH.  

Bonus: Give your composition a name -  What’s the title of your band’s piece - is it “Untitled”? Does each lane have a title? With your bandmates, discuss what to call your composition. 

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“Switch” Activity for Player 1: Step 1 “Rhythm” track in Lane 1 (light blue), Step 2 “Bass” track in Lane 2 (dark green), Step 3 “Chords” track in Lane 3, and Step 4 “Melody” track in Lane 4 (dark pink). Buffer zones keep lanes separated, until Step 5, when they can become musical transitions between lanes.


TEACHER/PRODUCER GUIDE

  1. Introduce the activity and confirm all players understand the steps.
  2. Encourage students to talk with their band before they start - is there some result (style/genre, even a word or title) we’re all aiming towards, or are we just discovering what happens as we go? 
  3. Remind players this is a music game we're playing - the point is to have fun experimenting with ideas, sounds and rhythms. It might help for students to think of each step as a rough draft that they can keep working on later. 
  4. Player tips: 1) Listen, then experiment, then listen again, and keep adjusting as desired. 2) Space is the place. Stress the importance of leaving musical “room” for the other instruments.
  5. Share your screen with the class as you demonstrate this activity in the “Band X Music” studio in Soundtrap. We recommend you work with a band to discuss and demonstrate the following steps. 
  6. Explain that each player will begin (Step 1), and end (Step 5), in “their” lane. To begin each of the Steps 2-4, they will shift, moving to the lane to their right, or if they just worked in the “last” lane (furthest right in the Soundtrap studio), then they’ll rotate back to the “first” lane (furthest left).
  7. When finished, students will listen to their bandmates’ melodies and give KSHH feedback (verbally, in the Soundtrap chat window, or in the band's slides).
  8. Option: If students want/need more challenges, the teacher can add more measures, (or add more tracks), to students’ lanes.
  9. Invite each band to update their Google slides with their new work and to give their bandmates KSHH feedback on the next slide. To export an mp3 from Soundtrap, select File>Export>Export as mp3.

RUBRIC

Exemplary (5)

  1. Step 1: Rhythm complete
  2. Step 2: Bass complete
  3. Step 3: Chords complete
  4. Step 4: Melody complete
  5. Step 5: Listen and Review complete
  6. Step 6: Arrange complete
  7. Shares KSSH feedback with another student

Proficient (4): At least 5 complete

Progressing (3): At least 3 complete

Emerging (2): At least 1 complete

Beginning (1): 0 complete

TEACHER RESOURCES

  • Article: Playing Together With Style, by The Last Gaspé, April 1999
  • Article: The Art of Arranging a Song, by Hyperbits, 2020
  • Article/Videos: Music is the Space Between the Notes, By Bill Leebens, February 2019
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