Unit Plan Outline

Teacher: Liam Callan

Unit Title: Intro to DAW Composition
Grade(s): 9th/10th grade music elective
Number of Classes: 4
MA Frameworks:
4.8Improviseshortmelodies,unaccompaniedandovergivenrhythmicaccompaniments,eachina
consistentstyle,meter,andtonality
4.9Composeandarrangeshortpiecesforvoicesorinstrumentswithinteacherspecifiedguidelines,using
theelementsofmusictoachieveunityandvariety,tensionandrelease,andbalance
4.10Useavarietyoftraditionalandnontraditionalsoundsourcesandelectronicmediawhencomposing
andarranging
5.8Describespecificmusicoccurrencesinagivenauralexample,usingappropriateterminology

National Standards: (Creating, Performing, Responding, Connecting)

MU:Cr1.1.T.IaGeneratemelodic,rhythmic,andharmonicideasforcompositionsorimprovisationsusing
digitaltools.
MU:Cr3.2.C.IaSharemusicthroughtheuseofnotation,performance,ortechnology,anddemonstratehow
theelementsofmusichavebeenemployedtorealizeexpressiveintent.
MU:Cr3.2.C.IbDescribethegivencontextandperformancemediumforpresentingpersonalworks,and
howtheyimpactthefinalcompositionandpresentation.
MU:Cr2.1.T.IaSelectmelodic,rhythmic,andharmonicideastodevelopintoalargerworkusingdigital
toolsandresources.
MU:Cr3.2.T.IaSharecompositionsorimprovisationsthatdemonstrateaproficientlevelofmusicaland
technologicalcraftsmanshipaswellastheuseofdigitaltoolsandresourcesindevelopingandorganizing
musicalideas.

Rationale:
This would be the first unit in a Music Technology and Composition elective
available in High School and would give students a thorough introduction to the
most simple DAW (Garage Band) as well as a basic understanding of how a
song is composed.
Essential Questions:
1. How and why has technology become an integral part of music creation
2. At what point does a piece become more about technological expertise than
musical artistry? And is that still music?

Enduring Understanding:
1. Technology started as a tool to archive sound and grew in prevalence just as
in all parts of society because it made the process easier; and then it made it
different.
2. Technology can be anything from a computer recording music to an electric
guitar.
Behavioral Objectives:
Proficiency with basic midi recording and loop manipulation in Garage
Band
Understanding of basic harmonic, melodic and ostinato composition
Ability to articulate motivation behind artistic choices through
understanding rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic function.
Assessment/Evaluation:
Informal
Lesson 1:
Informal assessment conducted in sharing of piece at end, and demonstrating
understanding through both the product and the explanation of the choices they
made in both their project and their partners.
Lesson 2:
Informal assessment of understanding of ostinato through final project. Also
ability to create drum groove fitting to the style and timbre chosen.
Lesson 3:
Check up on functional harmony, and bass line (V I perfect cadence, roots 5ths
and 7ths)
Lesson 4:
Check completed pieces for well composed melodies that vary between A section
and B section.
Formal
Final project will be graded based on correct harmonic progression, use of chord
tones as stabilizers in the melody, correct use of roots, 5th and leading tones sin
the bass, and accuracy of quantization in the drum parts.
Long Range Assignment/Project/Product
End Product will be a 16 measure binary composition team composed by pairs of
students that will demonstrate the behavioral objectives discussed above.
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
Basic knowledge of major scale, tonality, and layout of a piano keyboard

Ability to identify consonance and dissonance

Ability to distinguish instruments aurally
Basic functional knowledge of a Macintosh computer and its operating
system

Accommodations:
(How does instruction accommodate for special needs and ELL students to
insure equity?)
1. Each lesson has a built in template created that can be pieced apart
differently so that students struggling to create multiple elements can
receive a more realized template with only one part missing. In the
opposite case, students that excel will be given the opportunity to
create more complex compositions and manipulate midi data for
arranging.
2. Each lesson will be taught with a step by step visual presentation that
the students will have access to on Google Drive to use at home to aid
their editing.
School to Home/community connection:
Students will gain a better understanding of how music is created and achieve a
comfort with both the technology and the language behind music creation. This
will allow them to better comprehend trends and make-up of the pieces that they
hear on the radio or on their iPods every day.

Activator:
Introduction unit to music elective. Only activators to create interest are: listening
to music and experience with the basic functions of a macintosh computer
Repertoire:
Custom created repertoire.
Materials Needed:
(List all materials necessary for this unit, including paper, pencils, instruments,
audio visual, digital equipment etc.)
Ideally a music technology lab equipped with:
Laptops/Desktops (macs)
Garage Band
Projector
Aux cable
Midi Keyboards
Templates (to be distributed in class)

Lesson Outlines
All four lessons fully realized in attached folder.