Enrichment Course Weeks 1 – 10, 11-20, 21-30.
Below, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the first year of the online course. The topics covered include navigating the software, using plug-ins, virtual instruments and audio effects, exporting your work to share with friends and family, and much more!
Although the sessions are teacher-led and feature weekly exercises, students will have a great deal of freedom when working on their own projects, where they can compose in any style using the production techniques they’ve been taught. If you’d like to hear what students have made in the past, head to our ‘Videos & Audio’ page.
| Session | Learning Outcomes | Learning Activity | Linked Resources e.g. listening / video / exercise / information |
| 1 | Gain an understanding of the content of weeks 1 – 10 Learn how to recognise key instruments and timbres used for Dance music Start to gain an understanding of pulse and basic note values (crotchet, minims and quavers) Learn how create a Dance Drum Pattern using step record. | Tutor gives an overview of the 10 week programme Listening to short excerpts of dance music, discussing the sounds heard, the instrumentation and how it makes you feel. Bandlab – Using Drum Sequencer to create drum beats. Garageband – Using Beat Sequence to create drum beats. Create a beat that fits with a dance/pop loop. | PowerPoint presentation of Session 1. Spotify playlist of songs using basic grooves, ideally focused on modern pop. Basic Drum Patterns Sheet, featuring key for different rhythm and patterns ie 8 beat, 4 beat, four on the floor etc Either project templates or loops the students can use to create drum |
| 2 | Understanding the sounds of acoustic vs electronic drums, differences in timbre, dynamics etc Learn key areas of the Arrange Window e.g. cue arm, tracks, metronome – transport bar with record, play stop etc Develop further understanding of pulse and basic note values. Start to learn how to quantise, loop, copy and paste performances. | Listen to tracks demonstrating different drum sounds – acoustic vs electronic. Differences in timbre, dynamics etc Changing patches – Trying out last week’s beats with different drum patches Real time recording Introducing Drums in Garageband – Using screen to input performance Using Instrument patch in Bandlab to record real time drums with computer keyboard Recording performance to arrange window. Learn | PowerPoint presentation of Session 2. Cheat sheet of drum kit layout (reference GarageBand and BandLab’s layout (desktop/tablet) and keyboard shortcuts. Project templates or loops students can use to performance with, during sessions or at home. |
| 3 | Learning to recognised the relationship between and bass and drum patterns, showcasing the importance of syncopation to create more memorable rhythm patterns. Students understand how to link kick drum and bass rhythms, and similarly snare and high hat as appropriate. Students learn how to importing loops/backing tracks, matching the tempo of project in the process. Adding variation to drum patterns and basic fills. | Tutor gives an overview of the 10 week programme Listening to short excerpts of dance music, discussing the sounds heard, the instrumentation and how it makes you feel. Bandlab – Using Drum Sequencer to create drum beats. Garageband – Using Beat Sequence to create drum beats. Create a beat that fits with a dance/pop loop. | PowerPoint presentation of session 3. Spotify playlist of songs featuring basic syncopation of bass and drums parts. ‘Backing tracks’ of different dance genres for students to adjust tempos and add drums to. New drum pattern sheet showing new drum patterns and basic fills. |
| 4 | A basic understanding of different bass sounds & timbres. Students learn the A natural minor scale, creating simple bass lines with the notes from it. Students learn how to play the same scale from a different starting note. Students learn about importing drum loops and recording bass lines with them. Students will develop an appreciation for how drum sampling shaped music and production techniques. | Listen to songs and talk bout the tones of the basslines ie 808, synth bass, electric bass etc Create a bass line around the scale of A Natural Minor, using basic rhythm values from previous lessons. Garageband – Use Alchemy Synth Bandlab – Use Instrument. Discuss the impact of drum loops in sampling ie ‘funky drummer’, ‘Amen Brother’. Importing ‘Drum Samples’ to record bass lines to. | PowerPoint presentation of Session 4. Spotify list – featuring songs with sample drums Cheat sheet for keyboard layout – feature scale of A Natural Minor Drum loops for students to perform with, both in sessions and at home. |
| 5 | Students deepen their learning and understanding about the relationship between drums and bass relationship, how they work together in the context of pop and dance music ie Off beats, driving, with kick etc Students learn of the A minor pentatonic, as a way to create strong bass lines. Students create bass and drum parts that play ‘in the pocket’ together. Student understand how to create different patterns to fit over some basic pedalling pad loops | Listen to songs that feature bass and drum parts playing together. Ask students to count out what beats notes fall on. Recap of A natural minor and learn how to play A minor pentatonic. Bassline rhythm – Learning how to create bass parts that follow the kick drum pattern. Some basic syncopation will be demonstrated. Introducing pad loops. Applying suitable ostinato bass & drum parts that work with these new kind of loops. | Powerpoint presentation of Session 5. Spotify list – Songs demonstrating drums and bass working together. Scale sheet for A minor pentatonic. A cheat sheet featuring patterns using the A natural minor and A minor pentatonic scale. Pad loops for students to perform with, both in sessions and at home. |
| 6 | Students learn about Verse & Chorus sections ie rhythmic energy a chorus can have compared to a Verse. Learn that sections have multiples of 4 or 8 bars. Students are able to recognise a change from verse to chorus and the musical features that determine this. Students learn that drum fills can help lead a listener into a new section – prepare for a change. | Listen to musical examples, highlighting the transition between Verse and Chorus. Ask students what they notice in terms of changes between sections, how long sections are, the ‘energy’ etc Create different drum patterns & bass lines to contrast different Verse & Chorus sections Using drum fills to segue between sections. | Powerpoint presentation of Session 6. Spotify playlist – song examples which have clear contrast in drum and bass patterns between Verse & Chorus. Cheat sheet of ideas showing verse & chorus sections. Reference sheet for drum fills. |
| 7 | Students understands how you make bigger sounding sections using layers of drums, bass and percussion. Students learn that by layering additional drums and bass parts, further dynamic changes can be created, adding energy and contrast to a song arrangement. Students learn about the addition of a sub bass to further enhance the main bass part. Students learn how percussion loops add a further dimension to arrangements. | Listen to musical examples of layers of drums and bass, used to create different sections of music. Using two drum machines, create a beat using different elements from different patches ie high-hat from 808 but use Kick and Snare from an acoustic kit. Bass – Two bass sounds together ie Sub bass and octave down Percussion loops – how to apply to different sections | PowerPoint presentation of Session 7. Spotify playlist of songs featuring strong rhythm patterns and sub bass parts. Reference sheet for different ideas and approaches for layering. Loops of percussion featuring tambourine, shakers, handclaps etc of different rhythm and intensity. |
| 8 | A recap of importing backing tracks, as well as scales we’ve been working with this term. Students understand how to create and improvise riffs/melodies over an A minor bass line. Students now start to explore further into patches on software instruments, focusing on ‘Lead patches’ | Listen to musical examples of hooks played over static bass lines. Recap of A natural minor and A minor pentatonic. Exploring further into the Instruments, focusing on ‘Lead patches’ Students improvise over a loop progression set up by the teacher, and see who can create the best hook! | Powerpoint presentation of Session 8. Spotify playlist of songs featuring hooks over static bass lines. Reference sheet for ideas of melodies to use for hooks. Various loops for students to jam to, both in session and at home. |
| 9 | After recap, students will use this session to start working on a track for end of term, consisting of at least one Verse and Chorus, no more than 2 minutes long. Recapping scales and approaches to creating melody hooks for songs. Students learn how to create a contrasting melody for a Chorus section. Student learn how to automate volume and how this can support the leading into a section or create dynamics contrast. | Quick Quiz, recapping what we’ve learnt so far with Dance music and recording production. Track creation. Start constructing a song from the ideas we’ve learnt from this term’s sessions. Students repeat Session 8 melody construction as the basis of their Chorus. Think carefully about contracting rhythms and also using a different starting note to the home note. Starting form the minor 3rd, 5th or minor 7th. Volume automation. How to make quieter verses and louder choruses. | Powerpoint Presentation for Session 9. Quick Quiz regarding what we’ve learn this term, discussing instrumentation, techniques and approaches to structure. Loops resource – pads, sfx – a collection specifically to use with this project alongside previous lessons – key of A natural minor. |
| 10 | Students will complete their composition they started in Session 9, demonstrating an understanding how to create a basic pop dance track. Learn how to review and critique compositions, reassuring an understanding of the basic steps to creating an arrangement within a DAW for pop and dance music. Students learn how to ‘bounce/mix own’ their composition and Share songs. In brief, outline what we aim to learn in next term’s lessons. | Students finalise their work. Refining melodies and the use of volume automation in arrangement so far. Extending their arrangement to include further verses/ choruses. Developing and defining Intro & Outro for arrangements. Students save in MP3 format and upload their work for sharing and evaluating. | Powerpoint Presentation for Session 10. Further loops for students to use or practise with for practising until next term. Link to Soundcloud/YouTube to all songs created from this term’s project – aka mixtape |
Term 2:
| Session | Learning Outcomes | Learning Activity | Linked Resources e.g. listening / video / exercise / information |
| 11 | The first session of this term is a recap of the BandLab interface and techniques we’ve learnt from the previous term. Students learn of the key signature feature of BandLab A reminder of the A natural minor and A minor pentatonic, and how important it is to perform in key. The importance of using patches that go with a genre of music. | Quiz – recapping functions of BandLab and composition approaches Before students begin cresting a new demo, ask the class to assign the song to A minor. This feature will shown properly next session Create a new song that features: Drums (two grooves with fills) Bass (main riff and a developing one for another section) Structure of Verse and Chorus Stays in A minor | PowerPoint presentation Session 11Any previous sheets in PDF format should be accessible from HMS Cloud. Include example sheet of drum beats and bass lines that are in the correct key for students to work with for starting points. Worksheet of ‘Patches for Genres’ |
| 12 | Extending structures – Intros and Outros Students are shown how to expand a song further with the addition of introduction sections Students are shown ways to finish an arrangement. Students learn how to change the key of their final song | Show audio examples of intros in songs. Ask students to describe what happens, how the song begins, what instruments, and how the next section come in. Using last week’s work, ask students to add an Intro section to their piece of music. Students should try to: Start with drums Start with bass Start with melody Start with a whole new idea! Give selected students a chance to present their work. Show examples of Outros/ending of songs. Again, ask students to analyse how the examples finish. Students to add an Outro/Ending to their arrangement Students will try adjusting the key signature of their song, to see if it adds any further magic to their song. Make sure students continue to set their song to A minor as they begin a new project. | PowerPoint presentation of Session 12 |
| 13 | Students undestand how you make bigger sounding sections using layers of drums, bass and percussion. Students learn that by layering additional drums and bass parts, further dynamic changes can be created, adding energy and contrast to a song arrangement. Students learn how percussion loops add a further dimension to arrangements. How to ‘remix’ an existing song with new drums and bass sounds | Listen to musical examples of layers of drums, used to create different sections of music. Using two drum machines, create a beat using different elements from different patches ie high-hat from 808 but use Kick and Snare from an acoustic kit. Percussion loops – explore the sample library built into BandLab and how to apply to different sections. Show students the importance of how the tempo feature of BandLab can adjust some loops for good, or for bad Using the assignments, ask students to make the tracks bigger by doubling up drums and bass parts | PowerPoint presentation of Session 13. Reference sheet for different ideas and approaches for layering. Loops of percussion featuring tambourine, shakers, handclaps etc of different rhythm and intensity. |
| 14 | Students are shown how additional bass instruments can help lift sessions of music. Students learn about the addition of a sub bass to further enhance the main bass part. Introducing octaves and how to use transposition tools. Adding more bass to lift up a mix. | Listen to musical examples of layers of bass, used to create different sections of music. Bass – Two bass sounds together ie Sub bass and octave down Extra – ‘Layer the melody from last session’ Show students how to transpose parts to different octaves for bigger riff/bass sounds Add bass elements to assignment tracks | PowerPoint presentation session 14. Two assignments – one for class and one for home. |
| 15 | Students can critique the sound of a song’s mix. Students learn how to remix a song. Students are able to mix a song from scratch. | Listen to several mixes of a song. Discuss the details of the mix, what’s audible, too loud, too quiet etc. With the examples above, students try to fix the mixes, trying to improve the mix using volume, pan and mute controls. Assess whether certain channels are too loud/ quiet etc. Using one of the assignment tracks, students are asked to mix the tracks to what they believe creates the best sound of the overall mix. | PowerPoint presentation session 15. Two assignment projects – one for class, one for home. |
| 16 | Student learn how to automate volume and how this can support the leading into a section or create dynamics contrast. Using automation to add dynamics to a mix. Are able to create fade in/out effects with automation. Are able to add new effects to existing projects. | Show examples of how automation can be used for fading in musical elements in a song. Also cover how volume automation can be used for fading in and out the whole mix. Volume automation. How to make quieter verses and louder choruses. Panning – for effect and for widening the mix. Show students how you can use volume swells for drum fills, adding tension to SFX and how panning can be used for ‘mind games’. Using previous lesson’s assignments, ask students to experiment with automations to add newer levels of excitement to the mix. | Powerpoint Presentation – session 16. |
| 17 | An understanding of electronic music: House. Students understand how to program House music beats and bass lines. How to use loops for characteristics of the genre. How important the key feature is in BandLab, to making loops work for, or against, your song. Students demonstrate an example of House in BandLab. | Show audio examples of House music. Discuss what instruments are doing, the rhythm, textures, effects etc. House – dance music with more piano, gospel and organic sounds. Show examples of how to program the instruments to play this genre of music. Students are asked to explore Bandlab’s loop library, and find sounds that match the characteristics of this genre of music. Make sure students have fixed their song to A minor. Students compose a minimum of 8 bars of House music. | Powerpoint: House & Techno |
| 18 | An understanding of electronic music: Techno. Students understand how to program Techno music beats and bass lines. How to use loops for characteristics of the genre. How important the key feature is in BandLab, to making loops work for, or against, your song. Students demonstrate an example of Techno in BandLab. | Show audio examples of Techno music. Discuss what instruments are doing, the rhythm, textures, effects etc. Show examples of how to program the instruments to play this genre of music. Students are asked to explore Bandlab’s loop library, and find sounds that match the characteristics of this genre of music. Make sure students have fixed their song to A minor. Students compose a minimum of 8 bars of Techno music. | Powerpoint: House & Techno |
| 19 | Abilities to create a style of composition. Students start their end of term assignment. Students are assured of any skills they’ve learnt this term through demonstration and activities. | Create an end of term song – for either of the two genres of music from previous sessions. Students to start/continue their work on their assignment. Song needs to feature: – At least one verse/chorus – At least an intro, Outro or both – Drums – Bassline – A melody line on one section. – Automation – A balanced mix Song should be no longer than 2 minutes. Show examples or reminders of any of the skills used in session, whether individually or to whole class. | Assignment sheet |
| 20 | Students will complete their composition they started in Session 18-19, demonstrating an understanding how to create a basic pop dance track. Students learn how to ‘bounce/mix own’ their composition and Share songs. Learn how to review and critique compositions, reassuring an understanding of the basic steps to creating an arrangement within a DAW for pop and dance music. Students have built a new skill set over the course of the term. They are able to create music with a computer, using BandLab as our DAW. | Students finalise their work. Students save in MP3 format and upload their work for sharing and evaluating. Listening session: allow students to listen to everyone’s final piece. Encourage students to continue creating songs with BandLab, trying out different genres of music. You may inform students that next term will feature new ideas for creating new songs. | Powerpoint Presentation for Session 20. Link to SoundCloud/YouTube of this term’s mixtape: Student’s final assignment work. |