Music Tech Curriculum Ideas

student using technology

There are many ways to incorporate music technology into your music curriculum, both by supplementing existing student projects and through the implementation of new assignments and tasks. When incorporating beginner music production into the existing curriculum, make note of topics that could be enhanced through the use of technology. For example, a lesson on rhythmic sight reading could incorporate a simple beat-making activity using MIDI controllers and a digital audio workstation (DAW).

We recommend educators lean in to Project-Based Learning, projects that spark creativity and inspiration and teach the skills students need to succeed beyond the music classroom. Music technology curricular ideas are below for the following topics:

Music Production

  1. Beginner: Musical Collage
    • Assignment: Use a sample library to create a new musical arrangement with at least 4 tracks and a minimum of 60 seconds long. Garageband or Logic are great DAWs for this assignment because of their built-in access to Apple Loops. Optionally, students can record their own parts in addition to samples.
    • Objective: Students will learn to create arrangements and edit tracks using existing audio. This places a focus on creative play and learning the software and removes the obstacle of composition by making it optional.
    • Tools: DAWs like GarageBand, Logic Pro, or Ableton Live and sample libraries like Apple Loops or Splice.
  2. Beginner: Drum Loops and MIDI Sequencing
    • Assignment: Create a 4 bar drum loop using MIDI and drum samples. Feel free to give a genre restriction here, i.e. “house” or “hip-hop”.
    • Objective: Students will practice MIDI sequencing and learn several common drum patterns.
    • Tools: DAWs, drum samples, MIDI controllers.
  3. Intermediate: Compose and Produce an Original Song
    • Assignment: Write and produce an original song, paying attention to melody, harmony, rhythm, and lyrics (if applicable). Suggested length: 60-90 seconds, over the course of 3 classes.
    • Objective: Students will explore songwriting and composition techniques.
    • Tools: DAWs, virtual instruments, MIDI controllers.
  4. Intermediate: Soundtrack for a Scene
    • Assignment: Choose a short movie scene or animation clip and compose an original soundtrack that enhances the mood and action. Next level — film and edit original scenes in addition to composing the musical score.
    • Objective: Students will develop skills in creating music that complements visual media.
    • Tools: DAWs, video editing software. Garageband and iMovie are great options for iPad users.
  5. Advanced: Soundalike Project
    • Assignment: Create your own version of an existing song, making it sound as close to the original as you can. Alternatively, you can create a new composition for a specific artist of your choice, aiming to create something that you can imagine them recording. *Please note this is for a learning experience, and the tracks shouldn’t be shared online to avoid copyright problems.
    • Objective: Students will use critical listening skills to understand the elements and arrangement of a song and/or genre, and will translate that knowledge into the technical skills that they have learned to produce music.
    • Tools: Internet, DAWs, recording hardware including microphones and audio interfaces
  6. Advanced: Collaboration in Production and Songwriting
    • Assignment: In pairs, team up to create a new song and recording. Within the team, students can either take on all roles together, or can designate one person as the “producer,” one as the “lyricist,” one as the “vocalist/instrumentalist,” etc. Work together to write and produce a song from scratch. *Suggested length: full song of 2-3 minutes over the course of 4 classes.
    • Objective: Students will learn communication skills through collaboration, and will navigate a co-writing environment, which is very common in the music industry.
    • Tools: Instruments, notebooks and/or computers, DAWs, MIDI controllers, virtual instruments, and recording hardware.

Audio Engineering

  1. Recording a Podcast
    • Assignment: Create a podcast episode on a topic of their choice, focusing on capturing clear audio, editing out unwanted noise, and adding intro/outro music.
    • Objective: Students will learn the basics of recording, editing, and mixing audio.
    • Tools: Microphones, audio interfaces, DAWs.
  2. Live Recording Session
    • Assignment: Organize a live recording session with students acting as musicians and assistant engineers. Record and mix the session as the teacher.
    • Objective: Students will experience the process of recording live instruments and vocals.
    • Tools: Microphones, audio interfaces, DAWs.
  3. Mixing and Mastering
    • Assignment: Use raw tracks from a multi-track recording and mix them to create a polished final product. Next Level — master the mixed track to ensure it’s ready to share.
    • Objective: Students will learn to balance audio tracks and prepare a song for distribution.
    • Tools: DAWs, mixing plugins, mastering software.

Live Performance

  1. DJ Set
    • Assignment: Prepare and perform a 12-15 minute DJ set, focusing on beatmatching, transitions, and crowd interaction.
    • Objective: Students will explore the art of DJing and live mixing.
    • Tools: DJ controllers, DJ software like Serato or Rekordbox.
  2. Live Looping Performance
    • Assignment: Design a live looping performance in Ableton Live using instruments or vocals, building layers of sound in real-time.
    • Objective: Students will use looping technology to create live music performances.
    • Tools: MIDI controllers, DAWs (Ableton Live).
  3. Electronic Music Ensemble
    • Assignment: Form small groups to create and perform either an original music piece or a cover, incorporating various electronic instruments and live performance techniques. This could be adapted to be an addition to an existing band, orchestra, or choir class. *Suggested group size: 6 people.
    • Objective: Students will collaborate to create and perform music as a group, and will learn how to set up and use technology in their live set.
    • Tools: Midi Keyboards, drum pads, DAWs, guitar pedals, other instruments, microphones, PA Board.

Evaluation Criteria

As the educator, here are some tips on how to evaluate these student projects:

  1. Technical execution: Is the audio/recording free of major technical issues? (clipping, noise, timing/sync problems, balance). This category shifts focus per project: for DJ Set it’s beatmatching accuracy and transition smoothness; for Live Performance it’s clarity and tone of amplified instruments, for Podcast it’s clean, edited audio.
  2. Creativity / artistic choices: Did the student make intentional creative decisions rather than defaults? (arrangement choices, sound selection, structure). Especially relevant for Musical Collage, Soundtrack for a Scene, and Electronic Music Ensemble.
  3. Process & skill demonstration: Did the student use the specific technique the assignment was designed to teach? (e.g., actually using MIDI sequencing rather than only pre-made loops for the Drum Loop project; actually applying critical listening skills, not just copying, for Soundalike). This is where you catch whether the “objective” was actually met, separate from whether the final product sounds good.
  4. Collaboration / professionalism (for group projects): Communication, division of labor, meeting deadlines. Directly relevant to Collaboration in Production, Electronic Music Ensemble, Live Recording Session.

A few additional ideas for evaluating work:

  • Reflection component: a short written or verbal reflection (what worked, what they’d change) alongside the technical grade; this captures growth/understanding that a purely technical rubric misses, and is easy to standardize across every project.
  • Process checkpoints for longer projects: partial credit for early-stage deliverables (a rough draft, a demo) rather than only grading the final product, so students aren’t only assessed at the finish line.

Career Pathways

Music technology skills open doors well beyond “recording artist.” Consider highlighting the breadth of this field for students. Explore rewarding career paths in the music industry.

  • Audio engineering: studio engineer, live sound engineer, mastering engineer, broadcast/podcast engineer
  • Production: music producer, beat maker, composer, sound designer for games and film
  • Music technology & business: A&R (talent scouting, often now data-informed), music supervisor, artist manager, music tech startup roles
  • Education: many students who fall in love with music tech go on to teach it, continuing the cycle

Making the Connection Real

  • Invite local audio engineers, producers, or musicians as guest speakers. Many working professionals are glad to share their path with students, and non-traditional entry points (self-taught producers, career-changers) can be especially motivating for students who don’t see a clear “traditional” route into music.
  • Where possible, connect students with local studios, radio stations, or venues for job shadowing or informational interviews.
  • Encourage students to build a small portfolio (even 2 to 3 finished tracks or a podcast episode) as they move through the program. This is genuinely useful for college applications, internships, or entry-level job applications, and gives the coursework a tangible outcome beyond a grade.

Additional Ideas

Integrate Technology with Traditional Instruments

Encourage students to combine their knowledge of traditional instruments with new technology, such as using MIDI keyboards or electronic drum kits.

Collaborative Projects

Promote teamwork by assigning group projects where students with different skill sets (e.g., producers, engineers, performers) can work together.

Guest Speakers and Workshops

Invite local musicians, producers, or engineers to speak or conduct workshops, providing students with real-world insights and inspiration.

Explore and Adopt a Curriculum

Research websites or organizations specializing in music production curricula, lessons, and projects. One is Build-A-Band, a Creative Music Production curriculum designed by Zealot Interactive to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to learn music composition, create original compositions, and form music groups.

Think Like a Performer

Created by Education Through Music with YouTube and TED-Ed, the Think Like a Performer course connects participants with working musicians who want to help hone and share the beautiful gift of music with the world. Each video has accompanying resource materials for free, supporting project-based curriculum and slides, as well as an interactive playable that requires no additional software to utilize.

More Music Tech Resources for Teachers

From Save The Music

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Curriculum & Lesson Plans

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