Week 1: Loops & Layering
Unit: Loops & Layering
Welcome to Music Technology. This week you get set up on the classroom Macs and in Soundtrap, then start making music immediately — no instrument required. You will dig through Soundtrap’s loop library on a scavenger hunt, build five short sets of four loops each, and share your best one with the class. From there you learn what separates four loops piled on top of each other from an actual arrangement: layering them so they come in and out over time instead of all at once, using dynamics so nothing gets buried, and choosing loops by category and genre so they sound like they belong together.
Weekly Schedule
| Day | Date | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 8/3 | Day 1: Welcome to Music Technology | Log in to your accounts, review the syllabus and classroom procedures, complete the About Me activity, and set up Soundtrap. |
| 2 | Tue 8/4 | Day 2: Soundtrap Loop Scavenger Hunt | Explore the Soundtrap Sound library and build five projects, each with four loops that fit together. |
| 3 | Wed 8/5 | Day 3: Finish the Scavenger Hunt | Use 20 minutes of work time to finish the scavenger hunt, then pick the one set you will share tomorrow. |
| 4 | Thu 8/6 | Day 4: Layering and Dynamics | Share one loop set with the class, then learn how layering and dynamics turn four stacked loops into an arrangement. |
| 5 | Fri 8/7 | Day 5: Choosing Loops by Category and Genre | Learn why a set needs one loop per job, and how picking a genre first makes every choice after it more cohesive. |
Graded Assignments
- About Me (due Mon 8/3) — Complete the About Me activity in CTLS so Mr. Willingham can get to know you.
- Loop Scavenger Hunt (due Wed 8/5) — Five Soundtrap projects, four loops in each, with every loop name and project name written on your worksheet.
Late work will receive a one-time 20 point deduction.
Week 2 Preview
Next week you start making beats. You will learn the parts of a drum kit, build a beat from individual loops, and then learn what MIDI is and program your own drum pattern in Soundtrap’s Patterns Beatmaker. By the end of the week you will play a live beat using a MIDI controller and clean up the timing with quantization.