Students learn to code musical layers using fitMedia.
Students storyboard and develop coded music.
Students learn how to upload sound samples in EarSketch.
Students identify the difference between copyright and licensing.
The objective for this section is to learn how to layer music using the fitMedia function, and for students to design and develop their coded video background music. There are no new functions to learn to layer music. The assignment will lead the students through layering a section of music so that they can hear the contrast of one or two sound loops (background beat and bass) in comparison to an ensemble (background beat, bass, piano, guitar) of sound loops.
Students will also storyboard their music similar to Unit 3 Section 6. They will be given a formula that they can use to change time to measures so that they can play a transition where they want to highlight a part of their video. We have budgeted 3 class days for them to make their music, but suggest as always that based on workflow you decide how many days to provide. Keep in mind that they will share their music with classmates for a 4 box review two sections later in the unit and be able to make changes.
For this section students also learn how to upload sound samples using the Freesound.org library of over a million sounds. EarSketch is directly connected to Freesound so this requires nothing other than using EarSketch itself.
Since students are uploading sounds they also learn that they must give attribution to sounds they upload because of copyright laws.
Activity 3.14.1 (Budget 20 minutes)
Students learn to layer music using fitMedia.
1. Hand out the Musical Layers and Drop Out Transition assignment to each student. The assignment leads them through making a beat, adding musical layers, then dropping out everything but the background beat. Monitor the room and help when needed.
2. Do a quick poll when students are done to hear which type of transition they like best. If some are willing to share their reason why then facilitate class discussion, but this discussion is not necessary.
Activity 3.14.2 (Budget 15 minutes)
Students review and select roles involved in software development .
1. Teacher explains that in this class, everybody is a coder. Each student will be responsible for creating, developing and coding a part of the background music that includes a computationally looped makeBeat and user input musical transition that they will "own." In addition to being a coder, because software development requires many different skills and talents, everyone on the team will continue additional roles as part of a software development team. The teacher will want to walk the students through each role, and the duties that each will have to perform. A full description of each of the the roles is provided in the document linked to the role. The two roles are:
Activity 3.14.3 (Budget 20 minutes)
Students design the DAW Storyboard of their music for the challenge.
1. Model using the DAW storyboard worksheet by facilitating a class discussion on an emotional engagement they want to elicit and a hypothetical transition point in a video and how to use the formula to compute the transition measure.
2. Hand out the Music Storyboard worksheet to each student so that they can each design their own part of the musical background for the video. Student should work in a pair to design together so that there each student codes a makeBeat and a transition to highlight important information in their video.
Activity 3.14.4 (Budget 150 minutes)
Students develop their coded music.
1. Give the students time to develop their music and code. Ask for student share outs as they are developing. If students finish faster than other students, then have them design music that could be used as a ringtone or another option you or they could think of for music.
Activity 3.13.1 (Budget 50 minutes)
Students learn to upload sounds to add to their music.
1. Present the first slide of the Uploading PowerPoint and click on the image to play the music for 25 seconds. Then show the second slide and play the music for 20 seconds. ask the class to vote to see if Queen and David Bowie should have sued Vanilla Ice for copyright infringement.
2. Show the third slide and ask the class to vote whether Queen and David Bowie should have sued Vanilla Ice for copyright infringement. ( We will come back to what really happened at the end of the presentation).
3. Show slides 4-7 on the process of uploading music using the freesound library in EarSketch.
4. Model in EarSketch how to upload a wind sound and pick a wind that has a good volume. Search for the wind sound by typing in "wind" in the search field. (Intentionally do not focus on the artist name)
5. Insert the wind sound from measure 1 to 5 using a fitMedia function call into any of your previous scripts.Then play the song with and without the wind by using the Mute button in the DAW. In the comments section of the code add the attribution for the language you are using
for Python - "# Wind sound by (Artist Name) from the Freesound library"
for JavaScript - "// Wind sound by (Artist Name) from the Freesound library"
6. Give the students 10 minutes to explore uploading sounds from Freesound, and remind them that if they use a sound they need to provide attribution in their comments.
7. Show the last two slides of the powerpoint to show that Queen and David Bowie did sue Vanilla Ice and they settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money, and that Vanilla Ice could have saved money if he had bought a license to use the bass from Queen and David Bowie.
3.14.1 Musical Layer and Drop Out Transmission Assignment (Student Worksheet)
3.14.2 Project Manager Role Description (Student Resource)
3.14.2 Quality Assurance Role Description (Student Resource)
3.13.1 Upload PowerPoint (Teacher Resource)