Everyone Can Create Music with iPad College Course Album on Apple Music and Other Platforms

As a result of the pandemic, I developed a new and now very popular course combining my previous music technology curriculum with the Apple Everyone Can Create Music with iPad curriculum. In addition, students learn about the fundamentals of music such as pitch, rhythm, form, texture, dynamics, and instrumentation through creative projects rather than simply listening to a lecture and passing a test. This course is taught online in a synchronous modality and is open to all students as a liberal arts core (aka general education) elective, recommended for music majors.

At the conclusion of the course, students have the opportunity to share their final projects with the world through an Apple Music (and all other streaming services) album. Of course, they must grant permission for their work to be included. I also hold an album cover design contest for each release. I have found that, generally, students strive to create more polished products when this opportunity for exposure is granted and that they are incredibly proud of their work.

[Although I do curate the projects and some are not able to be shared, students who earn grades above a certain threshold are permitted to have their projects included. After all, most of these students knew very little about music production and the fundamentals of music before joining this course.]

In just a few days, our fourth album will be released. You can find a preview of it here:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/theuniversityofvirginiascollegeatwisemusictechnology/fall-2022

I would be glad to entertain any questions about the course and its curriculum. Thanks for taking a moment to investigate my students' work.

4 replies

February 12, 2023

Really enjoyed previewing each track! Thank you for sharing your students' work and creativity with us!

February 13, 2023

Thank you for taking a moment to listen! This semester's students are hard at work on their podcasts right now. I am hopeful that some of them enjoy this current project so much that they continue producing future episodes. The students have so many great things to share! One of the best was a discussion between two first semester freshmen discussing how different college was compared to high school. What a great resource for students who will soon follow in their footsteps!

February 13, 2023

I just ❤️ hearing a “bright” side story related to pandemic teaching - especially when it pertains to music. Very exciting to hear how the fundamental elements of your music class were able to blend so nicely with the content in the Everyone Can Create Music project guide.

I also love the student showcase piece for assessment - sharing beyond the classroom walls and engaging with a larger audience 🙌🏻! What a fun compilation, I enjoyed listening to the previews...and bonus point to track #12 'Jazzy Blues' - and their #1564Challenge chord progression.

Thanks for the great share, Donald!

February 13, 2023

Thanks so much for your encouragement and kind comments, Erika! The course was originally a “special topics” course but has been approved to be included in the course calendar as a permanent course this semester.

Although I love teaching my upper level music courses to music majors, it is delightful to see the childlike curiosity of these non-music majors that are excited to make their own beats, podcasts, remixes, and even full-length songs. And they are SO proud to share that their final projects have been “published” for the world to hear.

These students are exposed to and learn the fundamentals of music without even realizing it because they enjoy the creative aspect of the course so much. Can you tell that this is one of my favorite courses? 😄

I’ll reach out to the students and share the kudos you have shared, especially to the composer of “Jazzy Blues.” You have a great ear; you must be a musician also.

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