Level the playing field and think outside the box with Garageband.

My Take

I love Garageband when it is not used solely for working on music composition. While that is a good use of Garageband, it is capable of so much more.

The presentation functions in Garageband allow you to choose from several different methods of exporting your finished piece. We upload to group Soundcloud account and then students embed their Soundcloud file on a presentational website. This project is a collaborative effort that students thoroughly enjoy and become very engaged in. Because of the high level of engagement, students learn a lot from trial and error as well as each other. Ideas flow more freely and more risks are taken when working with Garageband. Students can easily work outside their comfort zone and try things.

Incorporating and integrating Garageband in lessons is easy. Most anything can also have an audio (or musical) component. But getting students to move past scripted and outlined lessons is a perfect way to instill and motivate creativity. Most support for functionality, whether on an iPad or desktop (and many students have the app on their phones), can be found with a well worded Google search.

I have used Garageband with all level and types of learners. They all engage equally, so in a sense, Garageband can level the playing field in project work.

I would recommend teachers have clear instructions and expectations for outcomes on your projects and certainly outline the required criteria of the project. But once that is all out of the way, watch your students get creative and take pride of their production.