Excellent (and Safe!) Tool for Collaboration and Creation!
Community Review for Soundtrap
My Take
I feel like Soundtrap gives my students a new way to work together. Collaboration is a huge component of education, and is a big part of the 21st Century Skills in the Iowa Core. Students are able to develop skills that are useful beyond my classroom, as well as beyond their school careers. My administrator is appreciative of the walled-garden aspect, as student safety is a top priority. I think this product is limitless in what you can do--give kids a basic outline and let them experiment. They can easily determine if their product works, what doesn't, why it doesn't work, and how to fix it. They can continue this process until they are satisfied that it's their best work, and then share it with others for feedback and reassess what needs improvement (Growth Mindset, anyone?).
As a teaching tool for band and choir--I can use Soundtrap for singing and playing assessments. Playing Tests--record and share. Add a beat and bass to make it interesting. You'd be surprised at how many ways "Hot Cross Buns" can be remixed. Singing and sight reading assessments can be done the same way. We have collaborated with the English teacher and used Soundtrap as a way to record poetry and turn original poetry into compositions.
Soundtrap is also fantastic in Elementary Music classes. Our students all have access to either Chromebooks or Ipads, and soundtrap is easily accessible for all ages. My Kindergarteners can even pull in loops and create music, and they love to create projects on our SmartBoard. Parents enjoy seeing and hearing student projects, and often share them with family members (positive community contact--bonus for schools!).
How I Use It
My students use Soundtrap to collaborate and create original work. They have created newscasts, jingles, advertisements, and sound files for assignments as well as just for fun. They are able to collaborate with students in real time or as time permits, and can choose to work with someone ten feet away or around the world. I really like the fact that they can use pre-made loops or can choose instrument sounds and create original tracks.
Students on my Speech team used soundtrap to create their entry for competition, and were able to fine tune their presentation to the point that it sounded like a professionally edited newscast. They earned top scores at both the District and State Level.