Garageband in the classroom

Garageband tips

Garageband is an audio editing program that comes bundled on macs there is an open source program you can use instead on Windows called audacity Here is a tutorial if you want to learn more about audacity.

What can I do with Garageband with my students?

1. Have kids record: speeches, dialogues, do mock radio show interviews, fake commericials, etc….
2. i.e in an open mind exercise in English actually have the students record what they think the internal dialogue of the character would be
3. have kids record a poem and select appropriate background music to enhance the poem
4. in Social Science record radio ads for mock candidates or propositions in government
5. have kids record famous inaugural or public speeches
6. in World languages have kids listen to a file you made for dictation or listening comprehension
7. in CFL have kids make a slide show explaining a recipe and the family story behind the recipe
8. in APs have students generate Chapter reviews
9. in music have kids compose original pieces using loops
10. in science have kids make karaoke songs about cells, or biomes or ecosystems
11. in PE make aerobic work out tapes or calisthenics or dance tapes combining music and directions

How can you use it?

1. Make content presentations
2. Make dialogues for listening comprehension or dictation.
3. Make reviews

Once I make my broadcasts (called podcasts) Post them so kids can access them. I started with http://www.podomatic.com Later you may find you want to post them on a webpage.

Keep the files fairly small Try to be less than 5 minutes because they files will get very large very quickly.

Getting started

Once you open Garageband you can make 3 different types of products:

1.     original music

2.     audio only file

3.     narrated slide show file

Original Music

30% of all instruction should have music. Any easy way to incorporate music is as cues for behaviors, i.e quiz music, passing out or picking up paper music, clean up class music, discussion time music.

1. Open garageband
2. Select new music project
3. Select a bpm a higher number if you are trying to wake them up a lower number if you are trying to chill them out. For a quiz 132 bpm is a good concentration rate.
4. If you play piano you can use the piano to create your own music. I prefer loops because it is quicker.
5. So I delete the track and the piano
6. Click on the eye so you can select loops
7. Click a style
8. Listen
9. Drag and drop the loops on to your workarea
10. Adjust volumes and entry points
12. When done share to itunes

Making a podcast

1. Go to new project
2. Select make a podcast
3. The three icons you want to use are the eye, the letter I and the media icon
4. The eye lets you see the sound effects and jingle music
5. The letter lets you see the filters so kids can change the way their voices sound
6. The media icon lets you pull in music from iTunes or images from iPhoto

Equipment you need

Skype type microphone for one person

Open mike with pop filter for groups