An experience with digital music creativity

The children are getting older and the need to get out and explore new things has been taken to a new level.

In times past, I'd hear of an idea for an excursion being planned and happily volunteer us all for an outing, seeing the educational benefits and how it would all fit in with things we're already doing. This still does happen a bit, but now my children are talking with other homeschooling children, finding out about activities ahead of me and wanting to get in on the act.

I'm really glad that some strong friendships have been made, and even more glad that my children are taking the initiative to ask about excursion ideas. I imagine this is going to happen more often as they get older!

It's because of such enquiries that I came across The Excursion Factor, set up to facilitate homeschoolers in the Melbourne area. Other homeschooling families already knew about this great group, so I quickly jumped on the bandwagon so we could participate in these outings too.

 Getting started, Maestro gets some personal instruction.

As far as Maestro was concerned, we'd hit the jacketpot! Music technology is one area he loves to spend lots of his time exploring, and LOOOOOKKKK! at all the excursions planned based around that interest!!!!! We already have a program here at home that he plays with, but a visit to the Digital Learning Hub near Melbourne's Arts Centre would open up the experience further.

Set up with keyboards, computers and a mixing board per student.

Along with a number of other homeschooling children, Mariposa and Maestro participated in the Discover Music Technology program which ran for 1.5hrs. Instrumental sounds were explored and recorded in MIDI, starting with drum beats and guitar sounds. This then lead to creating a track with ACID software, where recorded loops were arranged to make their own digital compositions. Each child had their creation saved and then recorded onto cd.

Sample of ACID with mulitple tracks.

Mariposa approached this activity with some apprehension at the beginning, but in the end had such a lot of fun that she's now creating more music again at home. And I have a budding sound engineer wondering how long it will take him to save up for the ACID program to use here at home.

Group instruction, given intermittently to introduce a new step to everyone.

Maestro will also be taking part in the Film Soundtrack Creator excursion planned for November. (Side note: don't you love how all the curriculum learning boxes are already set out for us? Love it!! )

Our list of excursion ideas will probably keep growing as interests develop. It'll be fun to see what ideas will arise over the next couple of years.