Project Introduction

Educator notes

Educator Intro

Transcript

Welcome back! You're well on your way into making amazing projects with Sonic Pi. This chapter prepares you and your students for the final project of this module. You already have the skills to make interesting beats and melodies. I will show you some tricks to turn your looping beats into a more refined project. First of all I will show you an alternate way to play notes using the play_pattern_timed command. It can be a highly effective tool when writing more complex melodies. The command will also introduce you to the concept of lists. You will master new synthesizer tricks and learn how to use sound shaping tools to make a simple two-part structure for a song. Finally I will show you how to make your mix shine with effects. Effects are a great way to make your mix sound more professional and finished. They can also be used to add movement and excitement to your mix. You'll learn about some of the most basic effects and how to control them in finer detail. With these tools you're ready to rock with Sonic Pi! The chapter will end with project work where you combine everything you've learned so far into a short song. I will give you some ideas how you can present the works either online or in a live setting. See you soon!

Length of the chapter: 60 - 120min

Adjust the length of the chapter according to the time you have at hand. There are more detailed lesson plans on the next page.

Learning objectives:

The student…

…understands how lists can be used to store information
…knows how to use play_pattern_timed to play back a melody
…can use the reference to find information about synth options
…can set default options with use_synth_defaults
…knows how to use effects in Sonic Pi
…has made an original, creative project with Sonic Pi

Slides and Lesson PLans

You can use the slides below to introduce the fourth chapter to the students. There are speaker notes in the slides that explain them. To see the speaker notes, click Options > Open Speaker Notes in the bottom panel of the slides or press s. There are similar slides in the Educator Intro of every chapter.

Also see the lesson plans below the slides!

Slides

Plan 1 - Structured lesson (90 - 120 min)

Time to complete	Activity
10 min	Scrum-routine: All students (or pairs of students) tell after each other the following things: 1) what they were doing in the end of the previous lesson and 2) if they had any challenges they would need help with. If students are shy to speak when others are listening, you can and talk with them individually later on the lesson. It doesn't matter if some students are still doing the tasks of the third chapter. You can help those students personally after introducing the third chapter to everyone.
10 min	Introduce the fourth chapter with the slides above
10 - 20 min	Students start the fourth chapter alone or in pairs and go through the topic New Tricks On The Block. Ask the students to raise their hand if they have any challenges. Walk around the classroom while the students are working and discuss briefly with each student. Talk especially with those who have had challenges or seem to lack motivation. Make sure that every student has some kind of meaningful goal for this lesson.
5 min	Ask the students if they have had any challenges so far. If needed, explain the use of patterns in detail.
10 - 20 min	Students continue with the topic Programming Those Beats! and Tweak It! Ask the students to raise their hand if they have challenges.
5 min	Introduce the project exercise. Remind the students of the requirements for the project but encourage creative work and exploration.
30 - 40 min	Students work on the project.
10 min	The best way to end the final lesson is to listen through all the works the students have made. If some students don't want to show their work you can present all works anonymously. Make sure to give everyone an applause! There might not be enough time at the end of the lesson. In this case you can have still have one shorter lesson and have a concert at the end of that.

Plan 2 - Freely flowing lesson (90 - 120 min)

Time to complete	Activity
10 min	Scrum-routine: All students (or pairs of students) tell after each other the following things: 1) what they were doing in the end of the previous lesson and 2) if they had any challenges they would need help with. If students are shy to speak when others are listening, you can and talk with them individually later on the lesson. It doesn't matter if some students are still completing the tasks of the third chapter. You can help those students personally after introducing the second chapter to everyone.
5 min	Set a goal for the fourth lesson: finish the song you have been working on! Make sure the students understand the project work of this chapter. Ask the students to start from the topic Project Introduction and then continue forward. Ask the students to raise their hand if they have any questions.
30-60 min	Walk around in the classroom while the students are working and discuss briefly with each student. Talk especially with those who have had challenges or seem to lack motivation. Make sure that every student has some kind of meaningful goal for this lesson. If you feel that students have trouble understanding the new topics, explain them to everyone together. Check the Educator Notes for more teaching tips related to these topics. Also remind the students that they don't have to use every new trick in their works!
5 min	Introduce the Project. If some students have started or completed it already, it doesn't matter. - Show an example result or show something you have coded yourself. - Go through the project requirements to make sure the students know what is expected of them
25 min	Students develop their projects.
15 min	The best way to end the lesson is to have a concert of all the works the students have made. If some students don't want to present their work, you could make the concert anonymous. You can use more time for this and create a small event for other students as well!

Transcript

Hi! It’s Antti from Mehackit! This final chapter is your chance to make your own song! You already know how to make a basic looping pattern with drums and a bassline. I’m going to teach you some more tricks to take your songs further! First I will show you how to make melodies in a new way with lists. You will learn to modify your synth sounds even more to add variation to your song. Finally I will show you how to add effects to your track to really make it shine! You will make a short looping song with live_loops and the new skills you have learned. You can always build on what you have made before or you can start a totally new song if you want to. Whatever you do, remember to experiment and have fun!