"Barbara Freedman has created the go-to resource for music educators, providing classroom tested lessons, projects, tips, and materials that will get any music educator up and running with a comprehensive approach to facilitating creative and relevant music-making experiences for their students. Freedman, a singular force in music technology thinking and practice, writes in an approachable, clear, and jargon-free style that will take the fear out of the equation for newcomers while also providing terrific projects and a unique perspective for experienced teachers. 'Teach music, the technology will follow' has become Freedman's rallying cry, and with Teaching Music Through Composition she has put her motto into practice. Every music teacher should add this incredible resource to their library."--James Frankel, Teachers College, Columbia University
"Teaching Music Through Composition: A Curriculum Using Technology is an excellent and practical guide for music educators striving to reach the 'Other 80%' (non-traditional music students). Drawing from her experience teaching one of the leading high school music technology programs in United States, Barbara Freedman shares her field-tested approaches for utilizing technology to unlock students' creativity and passion for music. This an essential addition to the library of all teachers of technology-based music
classes." --Dr. Rick Dammers, Associate Professor of Music Education, Rowan University
"In Teaching Music through Composition, Freedman provides music educators a new and comprehensive curriculum for teaching all aspects of music at the secondary level. Freedman's approach acknowledges and exploits the prevalence of technology in our schools, the hands-on engagement with the elements of music made possible by these tools, and our increased understanding that students learn music best by 'doing' it. The book's well-thought-out sequence of activities, refined over many years of practice, are delivered in a straight-forward, down-to-earth manner that comes as no surprise to those who have followed Freedman's teaching and career. Furthermore, the book's premise - that by focusing on musical goals, students (and teachers) will be less distracted by the technology used to accomplish them - is right on target!"--Dr. Scott Watson, Music Teacher, Parkland School District (Allentown, Pennsylvania), and Author, Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity (OUP)
"Barbara Freeman's clearly outlined lessons emphasize the 'cool factor' that draws students into music learning and skill development. The 'tips' highlight Freedman's wisdom and successful classroom experiences."--Sandi MacLeod, Executive Director of Music-COMP
Introductory material
Introduction to Music Composition
1. Tour of the Software for Music Creation
(a) Lesson: Creating Software Instrument Track
(b) Lesson: Tour of the Loops Library
2. Using Loops
(a) Lesson: Creating Melodies with Loops
(b) Lesson: Understanding Song (AB) Form
(c) Lesson/Project: Creating a Piece Using the Software's Prerecorded Loops in AB Song Form
3. Recording Drum Tracks
(a) Lesson: Understanding Rhythmic Notation with Rhythm States
(b) Lesson: Reading Graphic Rhythms with Rhythm States
(c) Lesson: Rhythm Dictations
(d) Lesson: Drum Beats
4. Composing Drum and Percussion Beats
(a) Lesson/Project: Composing Drum and Percussion Beats
5. Writing Melodies
(a) Lesson: Understanding the Piano Keyboard
(b) Lesson: Melodic Dictations
(c) Lesson: Evaluating Melodies
(d) Lesson: Composing a Melody in D Dorian
6. Melodic Variations Using Rhythmic Alterations
(a) Lesson: Melodic Fragments, Rhythmic Augmentation, And Rhythmic Diminution
7. Creating More Variations
(a) Lesson: Manually Changing the Pitch Level of Regions
8. Composing with Original Regions
(a) Lesson/Project: D Melody Piece in Modified Sonata Allegro Form
9. The Sound FX Piece
(a) Lesson: The Sound FX Piece: How Ideas Evolve Over Time
(b) Lesson: The Sound FX Project: Creating Two Dimensional Sound Image and Creating Sonic Space
(c) Lesson: Using Reverb to Create Three Dimensional Space
10. Basic Keyboard Theory
(a) Lesson: Whole and Half steps
(b) Lesson: Generic Intervals Lesson Plan
(c) Lesson: Basic Keyboard Theory: Understanding Major Scales
11. MIDI Remix
(a) Lesson Plan: Analyzing a Remix 1
(b) Lesson Plan: Analyzing a Remix 2
(c) Lesson Plan: MIDI Remix
12. More Rhythms
(a) Lesson Plan: More Rhythms
(b) Rhythmic Improvisation
13. Dictations
(a) Lesson Plan: Melodic Dictations
14. Melody Writing Drills
(a) Creating Melodic Motives Lesson Plan
(b) Lesson Plan: Motive Variations
(c) Lesson Plan: Motive in Sequence
(d) Lesson Plan: Improvising Melodies
15. More Melody Writing Drills
(a) Lesson Plan: Compose to a Given Rhythm (Rhythmic Continuity)
16. Melody Forms
(a) Lesson Plan: Question and Answer
(b) Lesson Plan: AB Tonic/Dominant
(c) Lesson Plan: Rondo
17. The Ringtone Project
(a) Lesson Plan: The Ringtone Project
18. More Basic Keyboard Theory
(a) Lesson Plan: Major and Minor Thirds
(b) Lesson Plan: Understanding Triad Qualities
(c) Lesson Plan: Building Triads on Scale Degrees
19. Chord Progressions
(a) Lesson Plan: Basic Chord Progressions
(b) Lesson Plan: Twelve Bar Blues
(c) Lesson Plan: Given Chord Progressions from the Simple Map
(d) Lesson Plan: Common Chord Progressions Not on the Simple Map
20. Accompaniment Patterns
(a) Lesson Plan: Accompaniment Patterns
21. Putting it Together
(a) Lesson Plan: Composing Four-Measure Melodies
(b) Lesson Plan: Drone
(c) Lesson Plan: Generic Parallel Intervals
(d) Lesson Plan: Counter Melody
(e) Lesson Plan: Adding Chords
(f) Lesson Plan: Understanding Bass Notes
(g) Lesson Plan: Creating a Bass Line Part 1
(h) Lesson Plan: Creating Bass Line Part 2: Root and Fifth
(i) Lesson Plan: Adding Drums and Syncing the Bass
22. Melody
(a) Lesson Plan: Melodic Non-chord Tones
23. Composing Instrumental Music for Live Performance
(a) Lesson Plan: Solo Flute or Violin Piece Project
24. The Art Project: Rondo Form
(a) Lesson Plan: The Art Project: Rondo Form
25. Introducing Audio and Audio Editing
(a) Lesson Plan: The Speech Project
(b) EQ
26. More Advanced Audio
(a) Lesson Plan: The Radio Commercial Project
(b) Lesson Plan: The Podcast
27. Aural Reporting
(a) Lesson Plan: Aural Reporting
28. Music for Video
(a) Lesson Plan: Music for Video
Appendix
Reading Rhythms with Rhythm States
Piano Supplement Printed Material
Piano Supplement Video Lessons
Index