Module 6: Lyric Writing and Recording
Explore simple ways to create stories with Lyrics. Use a picture to bring words to the sounds and samples your students are using to make their work even more unique. Finally, record your students' voices into their DAW using Audio tracks.
Lesson Plan and Materials (Module 6)
Lesson 6
This module's setup is all about hardware. You have to make some decisions about how you are going to record students into their songs. In addition, you will prepare a print out for them to create their own lyrics using the Album picture as a guide.
Recording Students:
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There are several ways you can have your students record their project, you need to decide and test which method you will use.
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Students record themselves on a Chromebook or personal device.
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Chromebooks and a lot of 1-1 devices in schools will have mics built in. For this project, those work just fine as a way to learn the process of recording into a DAW.
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When students first went onto BandLab, their browser asked permission to use that microphone. If they clicked no, you will have to go around and individually accept the use of mics on their browsers.
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Check that the mics are picking up sound, watch the lesson video for more information.
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Record students 1 on 1 with your own device in this week's assignment folder.
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Set up an audio interface with your computer (Information about this found in the lesson video).
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Use a school or personal mic to go in for each student and record their lyrics with you.
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This option is meant for situations where students do not have access to personal mics.
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I prefer using the first option where kids record themselves, because it gives them practice with clicking record, making decisions about their recording, etc. But that is not always feasible with the technology available.
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PRINT the Lyric Writing Handout found below
Lesson Setup
BandLab Assignment Template
FINAL PROJECT SUBMISSION
Use BandLab Studio to do the following 4 things in order:
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Attach your personal project to this assignment. This is where your final downloadable files will be kept.
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Go through the process of writing your lyrics for the 2 verse sections in the song.
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Create a new Audio Track titled "VOX" and record your lyrics during the two verses.
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Add sound effects using BandLab Sounds throughout the song to give each section character.
Then save your work with the button on the top right.
Lesson Plan Sequence
Introduction
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Depending on what you got done the previous lesson, this may be time to go back and introduce the outro and automation (see the last module for instructions).
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When they are past that step, this lesson will focus on creating and recording lyrics for the song. Show your students this picture again to refresh their ideas about what the character is doing, where they are going, what items/things do they see in the photo?
Lyric Writing Handout
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While not strictly attached to BandLab, this handout will help younger students organize lyrical ideas so that they can record their voices into the DAW.
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Follow these steps when using the handout.
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Come up with 4 words you see in the picture, or that relate to your story like: Horse, Robot, City, Reigns.
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Come up with 4 rhymes for each word you picked using the alphabet as a guide to work through what could start your next word. EX: Reigns - Abstains, brain, canes, deign, feigns, grains, lanes, manes...
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Use the original word, and then your new rhyming words to put together a rhyming verse on the blank lines.
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Again these words can be used for a rap style song or a song with a melody.
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EX: I ain't got no brains, got my hands on the reigns. Now I'm trying to abstain from going down that lane....
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This process will take a while, give your students as much time as you can to refine their ideas.
Recording in a DAW
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This is a step where you should step away from personal devices to demonstrate all the steps you need to take to record in BandLab.
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Add a new audio track. Name it "VOX" (commonly used for voice in recording).
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Click at measure 21 on the vox track.
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Click the "Autopitch" section on the bottom left of the screen, click monitoring if you want to hear your own voice through headphones.
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Check your "Count in" settings
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Follow steps found in the lesson video.
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Click the shortcut "R" on your keyboard to start recording.
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Space bar when you are done with a take.
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If you are unhappy with a take, you should just delete the clip and try again. There are no ways to playlist or automatically save extra takes.
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If you are not sure about a take, slide it over to another section of the song and then try again, this way the clip is saved for later.
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Sound Effects
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After they have recorded their verses, while they are waiting for you to record for them, or any other unsure downtime, have students add to the "Sound effects track"
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In BandLab Sounds, search "Foley."
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Students will listen through the different sounds and add things that could fit into their story at key moments throughout the song like transitions.
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Note: This module may take a few sessions to complete. Writing, recording, and adding sound effects is a lengthy task.
Lesson 6 Objectives
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Students can create a story using a picture.
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Students can find words in a picture, rhyme those words, and create lyrics for their song using those rhymes.
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Students can navigate recording simple audio on BandLab.
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Students can make creative decisions for when to add sound effects throughout their song.