Objective: Students transcribe musical patterns either on paper or within a DAW.
The teacher tells students what tool and sounds will be used to make the pattern so students know exactly what to listen for. For example, “I will be using the kick, snare, and hi-hat of a Patterns Beatmaker on the Vanilla preset” or “I will be using the notes C, D, and E4 on the Grand Piano preset.” We suggest using at least two but no more than five sounds or pitches.
The teacher will also share how many times students will hear the pattern, counting down the repeats as they are played. After the last repetition, the teacher will call on a student to share their answer.
Variation 1: Paper
The teacher plays a musical pattern and students write it down on paper. It can be easiest here to use symbols or letters instead of writing down full names.
Variation 2: DAW
Students use the same tool to transcribe the pattern that the teacher uses to play the pattern. Students can share their answers by playing the pattern out of their computer speakers.