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MAKE BEATS. LEARN CODE. PROMOTE EQUITY.

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CODE TO COMPETE

You will use Georgia Tech’s EarSketch Platform to code a unique remix that demonstrates awareness and calls for action!
Winners will be selected in August.
50 students will win prizes, and the top students will win a $5000 scholarship or grant to start a business!

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{

}

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How are music, computer science, �activism and entrepreneurship �pathways to promote racial equity?

Creating a Soundbank, Variables, & Tracks,

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Learn about Canadian and Indigenous history, focusing on the effects of colonization as well as racism today. ��

AGENDA

Intro to Layering Music
Creating your SOUNDBANK
Assigning Variables to your Sound Clips
Adding Sound Clips to your Tracks
Recording & Adding a Sound to EarSketch
Build your Vocabulary
Reflect on your song creation process

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OBJECTIVE

MODULE 4 - CREATING A SOUNDBANK, VARIABLES, & TRACKS

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Activity 1: Introduction to Layering Music

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1. LAYERS OF MUSIC

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Activity 1: Introduction to Layering Music

Watch this video on layering music

Afterwards, listen to Samian “Peuple Invincible”, as you listen list all the instruments/sounds (layers) that you hear in your Student Writing Activity Workbook, then compare notes as a class to see how many tracks you think were needed to create the song.

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BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY TO MAKE BEATS

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Term	Definition
	�A part of a song that is recorded separately as a musical clip and added to a piece of music. In a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), tracks are arranged in rows and labeled with numbers.�

TRACK

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2. CREATING SOUNDBANK & VARIABLES

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Activity 2: Creating Your SOUNDBANK

Follow the instructions on the slides or in your Student Coding Activity Workbook.

Create a new script called Your Voice is Power [Your Initials]. Don't include the brackets [ ] in the script name!
Type #SOUNDBANK in the CODE EDITOR after setTempo(120).

Because you used a # , it becomes a comment so won't run like the other code.
Your #SOUNDBANK will be like a drawer that holds your selected sound clips. You will go into that drawer and place those sounds in your song when and where you want them.

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Instructor Dialogue

Now that you have the outline of your script, let’s add some music. EarSketch has audio stems from genres such as R&B, Hip Hop, EDM, House, Pop, and Funk (and many more), and from over 300 different instrument samples. We are proud to present sound clips from our participating Indigenous Canadian musicians—Samian, Jayli Wolf, and Dakota Bear. In addition to these, we have sound clips from recording artists and sound engineers such as Pharrell, Ciara, Common, Richard Devine, and Young Guru. (Select the artist's name to learn more about their music.)

You will create a #SOUNDBANK with all our favourite sounds that we will use during our song.follow the instructions in your Student Coding Workbook to add sounds to your song.

Follow along the next two slides and then try it yourself following the instructions in your Student Coding Activity Workbook: Module 4 - Activity 2: Creating Your Soundbank

Instructor Cue

AFTER you do a demo or show them the slides demonstrating the steps, have the students begin the activity Student Coding Activities Workbook Module 4 - Activity 2: Creating Your Soundbank

To complete a demo follow the steps on the slides to add a SOUNDBANK to your script and then search for a sound and add it to your soundbank.

OR

Show the students the next two slides to help them understand the steps they will perform to complete the activity.

The Student Coding Workbook contains detailed instructions including screenshots.

.

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Add a drum and a vocal sound to your #SOUNDBANK

Select SOUNDS (headphones icon) in the CONTENT MANAGER to open Sound Browser.
Search for sounds, by artist, genre, and instrument.
Use the green play button next to the name of the sound clip to listen to it.
Find a drum and a vocal sound.
Select the line below #SOUNDBANK. Then, select the BLUE CLIPBOARD to paste the first sound clip into your code editor.
Repeat this process to add the second sound clip.

Note: You can use comments to create sections in your #SOUNDBANK for each category of sound

For example:

#drums�#vocals

#strings

Etc.

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Activity 3: Assigning Your Sound Clips to Variables

Do I have to write the whole sound name each time?

No! We can assign “nicknames” (VARIABLES) to selected sounds to make it easier to keep track of our favourite beats.

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BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY TO LEARN CODE

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Term	Definition
	�A unit of storage that creates a space in the computer’s memory to store data.�

VARIABLE

#SOUNDBANK VARIABLES �drums = SAMIAN_PEUP_BEAT_FULL vocal1 = JWOLF_COTG_VOX_MISC_SHOUT

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CREATE VARIABLES TO STORE YOUR SOUNDS

Follow the instructions on the slides or in your Student Coding Activity Workbook.

Create variables in your #SOUNDBANK for your drum and vocal sounds.
Add three more sounds to your #SOUNDBANK and assign them to variables. For example:

drums = SAMIAN_PEUP_BEAT_FULL

vocal1 = JWOLF_COTG_VOX_MISC_SHOUT

bass = TFLAMES_OC_BASS_CHOR

flute = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_FLUTE

strings = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_STRINGS_3

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Instructor Dialogue

Follow the instructions on your Student Coding Activity Workbook to use variables for your sounds and to add some additional sounds to your song

Follow along the next two slides and then try it yourself following the instructions in your Student Coding Activity Workbook: Module 4 - Activity 3: Assigning Variables to Your Sound Clips

Instructor Cue

Leave the next slide with an example of the finished code displayed while the students complete the activity.

AFTER you do a demo or show them the slide explaining the steps, have the students begin the activity Student Coding Activities Workbook Module 4 - Activity 3: Assigning Variables to Your Sound Clips

To complete a demo follow the example on the slide to assign a sound clip to a variable

OR

Show the students the slide to help them understand the steps they will perform to complete the activity.

The Student Coding Workbook contains detailed instructions including screenshots.

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YOUR FINISHED CODE WILL RESEMBLE THE FOLLOWING:

# description:

from earsketch import *

setTempo(120)

# SOUNDBANK

#drums

drums = SAMIAN_PEUP_BEAT_FULL

#vocals

vocal1 = JWOLF_COTG_VOX_MISC_SHOUT

#bass

bass = TFLAMES_OC_BASS_CHOR

#flute

flute = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_FLUTE

#strings

strings = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_STRINGS_3

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Term	Definition
	The function that adds audio clips to the DAW and uses four arguments/parameters - (sound clip, track, starting measure, and ending measure).

Activity 4: Adding Sound Clips to Your Tracks

fitMedia()

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BUILD YOUR VOCABULARY TO LEARN CODE

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Term	Definition
	�A piece of code that performs a task. fitMedia() setTempo() makeBeat()�

FUNCTION

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CODE YOUR INTRO!

Follow the instructions on the slide or in your Coding Activity Workbook

Type #intro after all the sounds in your #SOUNDBANK
Type the fitMedia() function below the #intro.
Choose a sound from your #SOUNDBANK and type the variable name as your first parameter. Add a comma after each parameter.
Enter “1” as your track number.

5. Enter “1” as your Starting measure.

6. Enter “5” as your Ending measure.

7. Run and play your code to hear the song you are creating

8. Repeat this process for the remaining four sound clips using a different track number for each.

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Instructor Dialogue

Practice using fitMedia to add sounds to your song by following the instructions in your Student Coding Workbook to add an intro to your song.

Follow along and then try it yourself following the instructions in your Student Coding Activity Workbook: Module 4 - Activity 4: Adding Sound Clips to your Tracks

Instructor Cue

Leave the next slide with an example of the finished code displayed while the students complete the activity.

AFTER you do a demo or show them the slide demonstrating the steps, have the students begin the activity Student Coding Activities Workbook Module 4 - Activity 4: Adding Sound Clips to your Tracks

To complete a demo follow the steps on the slides to add a fitMedia() command to your script then run and play the song.

OR

Show the students the slide to help them understand the steps they will perform to complete the activity.

The Student Coding Workbook contains detailed instructions including screenshots.

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YOUR FINISHED CODE WILL RESEMBLE THE FOLLOWING:

# description:

from earsketch import *

setTempo(120)

# SOUNDBANK

#drums

drums = SAMIAN_PEUP_BEAT_FULL

#vocals

vocal1 = JWOLF_COTG_VOX_MISC_SHOUT

#bass

bass = TFLAMES_OC_BASS_CHOR

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#flute

flute = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_FLUTE

#strings

strings = SAMIAN_PEUP_THEME_STRINGS_3

#intro

fitMedia(drums,1,1,5)

fitMedia(bass,2,1,5)

fitMedia(flute,3,1,5)

fitMedia(strings,4,1,5)

fitMedia(vocal1,5,1,5)

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OPTIONAL BONUS CODING CHALLENGE

This is a tricky one. If you are new to coding you may want to come back to it later after you have mastered fitMedia().

The setEffect() function allows you to add effects such as echo, pitch change or volume changes to your tracks. For example:

setEffect(2,VOLUME, GAIN, 8)

(increases volume on track 2)

setEffect(3, VOLUME, GAIN, -30)

(decreases volume on track 3)

Extension B lists other functions you can try!

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Instructor Dialogue

You can make a great song with just setTempo and fitMedia, but for those of you who get the hang of fitMedia quickly and want to go a little further, you might want to check out setEffect. It can be used to change the volume in case you want a particular sound to be quieter or louder, or you can use it to add special effects.

If you want to try it, follow the instructions in your Student Coding Activity Workbook: Module 4 - Optional Bonus Challenge: Kick it up a notch!

Instructor Cue

Have the students begin the activity Student Coding Activities Workbook Module 4 - Optional Bonus Challenge: Kick it up a notch!

There are many other functions available for students to use when they are ready.

Change the volume on one of the tracks. This is one of the most common questions students ask when they start building their song, they may find that they can’t hear the vocals because an instrument is too loud, so they can use this to increase or decrease the volume of a track.

Extension B below lists other functions for students to try!

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Activity 5: Record and Add a Sound to EarSketch

Follow the instructions on the slides or in your Student Coding Activity Workbook.

Continue with your Your Voice is Power [Your Initials] script.
Select the Add Sound button in the Sound browser.

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Instructor Dialogue

You may wish to add your own sound (either lyrics you say or sing) or something you've recorded or get from another copyright-free source.

In this activity, you will record and add your own voice and learn how to add it to your song. Follow along the next four slides and then try it yourself following the instructions in your Student Coding Activity Workbook: Module 4 - Activity 5: Record and Add a Sound to Earsketch

If you want there is an additional coding challenge to search a free library of sounds to add additional sounds to your song.

Let’s start by selecting the Add sound button.

Instructor Cue

AFTER you do a demo or show them the slides demonstrating the steps, have the students begin the activity Student Coding Activities Workbook Module 4 - Activity 2: Creating Your Soundbank

To complete a demo follow the steps on the slides to record a sound.

OR

Show the students the next four slides to help them understand the steps they will perform to complete the activity.

The Student Coding Workbook contains detailed instructions including screenshots.

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Activity 5: cont'd

Select the QUICK RECORD tab.
Specify Countoff Measures to control how long to count before recording begins.
Specify the number of Measures to record.
Select the REC icon to start recording. When the countdown ends and recording begins say “My Voice is Power”.

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TIP: You can record a maximum of 8 measures.

At 120 bpm one measure is 2 seconds long.

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Select Play to listen to your recording
Select CLEAR if you want to start over
To save your recording, give it a name by specifying a value for Constant Name .
Select UPLOAD

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Activity 5: cont'd

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Clear any filters you have in the sound library.
Search SOUNDS by ARTISTS.
Your login name will be listed as an artist (e.g. HOCKEYGEEKGIRL)
Select your Name as an artist and you will see your sound clip listed.

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Add your sound clip to the #SOUNDBANK

Assign it to a variable
Replace one of the tracks in your #intro with your sound by changing the variable name in one of the fitMedia() functions

Select Run and Play

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Activity 5: cont'd

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3. CONSOLIDATION / REFLECTION

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In your Student Writing Activity Workbook, match these terms with their definitions:

track
variable
function
fitMedia()

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Activity 6: Build Your Vocabulary

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Activity 7: Reflect on Your Song Creation Process

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In your Student Writing Activity Workbook, answer the following questions:

How did you choose your song’s sound clips?

How do you think you could layer your sound clips to represent layers of injustice?

How do variables help you create more effective code?

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Optional Extensions

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Extension A: Adding Sounds to Favourites

You can 'favourite' sounds by selecting the 'star' beside the sound.

You can also select the Show Only orange star to see only their favourite sounds.

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Extension B: Other Functions to Try!

Bonus Skill	What You Will Learn	Link for Curriculum Resources
Uploading sounds (adding lyrics, community sounds)	Go beyond the sounds in the sound browser. Upload a new sound, find a clip on FreeSound from community sounds, or record a new sound to add your voice to the song by singing or rapping.	Uploading Sounds Quick Tutorial Uploading Sounds Video
setEffect()	Adjust track volume, fade sounds in or out, create echos, distort sounds, change the pitch, or add a reverb .	Effects in EarSketch Effects and Envelopes Every Effect Explained in detail setEffect () Video
makeBeat()	Compose music note by note instead of at the measure level. This is great for drum beats. In music production, this approach is referred to as step sequencing.	Making Custom Beats: makeBeat
Loops	Use loops to code repetition in your music more efficiently.	Looping Musical Repetition

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THANK YOU!

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