Day 32: Music Remix Project
Tuesday, May 5th, 2026
Warmup
Check out these 10 pieces from the Mutopia Project. You are not limited to these options, but they are all great starting points for your GarageBand remix project.
1. Für Elise — Beethoven
Why remix it: One of the most recognized melodies in Western music. The iconic repeating motif is perfect for chopping into loops. You can try lo-fi hip-hop, EDM, or cinematic versions. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=931
2. Moonlight Sonata (All 3 Movements) — Beethoven
Why remix it: The arpeggiated first movement is already hypnotic and loops beautifully. You can isolate sections, add atmospheric pads, or layer beats underneath. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=276
3. In the Hall of the Mountain King — Grieg
Why remix it: Starts quiet and slowly accelerates to a frenzy — a natural template for a build-drop structure. Hugely recognizable and appears constantly in modern media. Great for dubstep or metal-style remixes. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1888
4. Gymnopédie No. 1 — Erik Satie
Why remix it: Already has the feel of ambient/lo-fi music. You can add chill beats, jazz chords, or reinvent it as a pop ballad. The slow waltz rhythm translates naturally to GarageBand loops. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=37
5. Maple Leaf Rag — Scott Joplin
Why remix it: Syncopated ragtime rhythm is a natural bridge to modern music. You can flip it into hip-hop, jazz-funk, or keep the bounce and add drums/bass. Multiple distinct sections give lots of material to work with. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=23
6. The Entertainer — Scott Joplin
Why remix it: Instantly recognizable (ice cream truck, anyone?), upbeat, and highly melodic. The repetitive, section-based structure makes it easy to isolate and manipulate individual parts. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=263
7. Anitra’s Dance — Grieg
Why remix it: Has a sneaky, mysterious energy and a strong rhythmic pulse that sits naturally under modern production. Easily turns into something cinematic or even trap-influenced. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=281
8. Prelude Op. 28, No. 4 in E minor — Chopin
Why remix it: Dark, slow-moving, and emotionally intense. A sustained right-hand melody over a slow chromatic left-hand accompaniment makes it very easy to pull apart in GarageBand and rebuild as something cinematic, ambient, or post-rock. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=468
9. Invention No. 4 in D minor — J.S. Bach
Why remix it: Bach inventions are two-voice pieces — a perfect structure for you to mute one voice and replace it with a drum line, synth bass, or entirely new instrument. Great for learning about counterpoint through remixing. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=67
10. Ode to Joy — Beethoven
Why remix it: The single most recognized melody in classical music worldwide, and it’s written in a straightforward SATB hymn format on Mutopia, giving you four separate MIDI voices to work with independently. Incredibly flexible for any genre. 🔗 mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=528
Work Session
Today you will begin working on your Classical Remix Project in GarageBand. Start a fresh project — not yesterday’s exploration file. Use the pieces from the warmup (or another piece from Mutopia) as your starting point.
You may do the following
- Cut, copy, and paste MIDI notes and regions onto new tracks with different instruments.
- Add, delete, or change notes and rhythms.
- Use any loop that seems appropriate for your style. Apple Loops are organized by genre and type!
- Extend the piece to add an intro, outro, drum break, etc.
- Record yourself playing a MIDI controller on an existing or new track.
- Use an Automatic Drummer Track or create your own drum beat.
- Use automation to control effects.
Project Requirements (due Wednesday)
Your finished remix — due at the end of class on Wednesday — must meet all of the following criteria. Start building toward them today so you have less to do tomorrow.
- Identify a song, artist, genre, or style of music that you are attempting to fuse with your chosen MIDI file. You need to be able to say something like:
- “I am fusing the music of Bach and the music of Coldplay.”
- “I am fusing classical music and hip hop music.”
- “I am fusing the music of Imagine Dragons with the music of Tchaikovsky.”
- “I am fusing classical music with classic rock.”
- Create a musical fusion between the classical piece and the modern music style you chose.
- Use a minimum of 4 MIDI tracks with software instrument.
- Use a minimum of 1 Apple Loop (green audio region) on any track.
- Your creation must be between 90 and 120 seconds long.
- Your creation must have a logical beginning, middle, and end.
- Use the automation feature to control volume in a meaningful way on at least 2 tracks.
- Create a compelling and coherent piece of music.
- Compelling means the listener will want or need to listen because it is interesting, fun, or cool.
- Coherent means your creation makes musical sense.
- Correctly balance the volume of all tracks and the master track.
Warnings
- Avoid having too much happening at the same time: too many loops, too many drums, too many instruments.
- Make sure all tracks line up precisely — everything should typically start and stop on a measure line.
- Be careful with loops that may not match the style of music you are creating.
- Choose a tempo appropriate for your chosen style of musical fusion (hip hop, rock, pop, EDM, dance, etc.).
Closing
Before you stop working, press Space and listen to your project from the beginning.
Ask yourself:
- Can you hear both the classical piece and the modern style you chose? If a listener couldn’t tell you fused two things, you need more contrast.
- Do your tracks start and stop cleanly on measure lines?
- Does the overall volume feel balanced — no single instrument drowning everything else out?
Tomorrow is your last day to work on this project, and you will share it with the class. Come in with a clear idea of the next thing you want to improve or add — you will not have time to start over.
Standards
- MSMTC8.CR.1 — Generate musical ideas for various purposes and contexts (choosing instruments, adding loops, recording MIDI, and writing new regions to fuse a classical piece with a modern style).
- MSMTC8.CR.2 — Select and develop musical ideas for defined purposes and contexts (selecting a Mutopia MIDI file and a modern fusion style, then deliberately developing both into a unified composition).
- MSMTC8.CR.3 — Evaluate and refine selected musical ideas to create musical work that meets appropriate criteria (listening back, balancing track volumes, aligning regions to measure lines, and checking that the fusion is coherent before saving).
- MSMTC8.CN.1.a — Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating music (students choose both the classical source material and the modern style based on personal musical taste and prior knowledge of genres).