Write Your First Song

In this project, students use the microphone and GarageBand on iPad to explore emotion and musical growth using the 1‑5‑6‑4 progression in A minor (A minor, E minor, F major, D minor). Starting with a simple eight‑measure section, they duplicate the section and gradually add instruments and textures to reflect a growing emotional arc — much like a character’s journey in literature, healing over time, or historical change born from hardship. To conclude, the piece shifts to the same progression in C major (C major, G major, A minor, F major), offering a sense of resolution and hope. This project invites students to express how sound can mirror the way people and ideas evolve through challenge.

We encounter contrast every day — in colors, emotions, textures, sounds, and even ideas. In this project, students use GarageBand on iPad to explore contrast by creating music that shifts between distinct moods and styles. One section uses only loops in an 8‑bit video game style; another is more relaxed, built on the familiar 1‑5‑6‑4 chord progression. Whether in art, science, language, or life, contrast helps us notice, reflect, and make meaning. This activity invites students to express contrast through music — using key, emotion, style, texture, or volume — making it a powerful tool for cross‑curricular exploration and creative storytelling. No music background required — just curiosity and imagination!