NOTE: Any featured products are based on the experience and opinions of Network members and Music & Youth. We do not receive any financial benefit from the vendors to promote their products. We just thought they were helpful and you might like ’em.
Curated list of the Best Programs and Portable Equipment for virtual programming or socially distanced solutions.
Virtual Programming Starter Resources
Customizable templates for recommended Zoom settings, staff guidelines, parent waivers/permission forms, sample email communications and participant guidelines.
• Recommended Zoom Settings and Staff Guidelines
9 Steps to Set up your Zoom account and helpful staff guidelines
• Sample Staff Guidelines for Virtual Programming
Simple Staff Guidelines when conducting Virtual Programming on Zoom
• Sample Parent Consent Using Google Forms
Customize your own parent consent form using Google Forms
• Sample Email Templates for Virtual Programming
Email Templates to efficiently communicate with Parents/Guardians
• Participant Guide for Zoom Meetings
Practical help for your participants who are new to Virtual Programming
• 4 Virtual Programming Ideas
Members of the music staff at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston describe their approach for:
- Group Instrument Lessons on Zoom
- Virtual Music Production Sessions
- Virtual Jam “Round Robin” Session
- Instagram Live “Takeover” Concert
Recommendations on how to properly clean and disinfect your program area and music instruments:
Virtual Programming Ideas and Resources
↓ Virtual Programming Ideas↓
• Virtual Group Lessons (Zoom, etc)
Tutorial on how to set up virtual group lessons for any instrument
• Instrument Loaner Program
Resources (Recommended Equipment list and sample parent permission form) to help you set up an instrument Loaner Program.
↓At Home Resources↓
Advanced
• Berklee Pulse
• Berklee Online
Beginner
• Yousician
• Curated Youtube Lessons (ie. Guitar, Ukulele, Piano, Drum pad, Vocals)
↓ Virtual Programming Ideas↓
• Virtual Beat making/recording sessions (via Zoom, etc) Thanks BuildingBeats.org
Free beat making tutorials and examples of virtual music production projects/sessions
• 4 “Masked” Music Production Ideas
Is social distancing limiting your studio collabs? Encourage youth to make beats with anonymous producers adding an element of mystery
• Rhythm Roulette (Using Splice)
Challenge your participants to a weekly beat making challenge using predetermined samples
↓ Virtual Programming Ideas↓
• Virtual Group Lessons (Zoom, etc)
Tutorial on how to set up virtual group lessons or songwriting sessions for vocalists
• Cover Song Challenge
Set up a weekly Cover Song competition to encourage virtual collaboration and music making
↓ Virtual Programming Ideas↓
• Household Foley
Zoom session icebreaker – the participant with the most realistic sound effect wins!
• Zoom Concert Watch Party
Schedule a regular time to meet up with participants to watch a virtual concert (using “screen share”) Examples: Beyoncé Homecoming, HipHop Evolution, or favorite artists on YouTube.
• Virtual Karaoke Party
Tutorial on how to set up a virtual Karaoke party with your participants (complete with a Google Doc best practice)
↓At Home Resources↓
Advanced & Beginner
• New York Vocal Coaching
• Chrome Music Lab
• Sampulator
• You DJ
Music Making Resources
• Ableton (Free 90 day trial) – Professional level beat making software
• ProTools First – Free version of Industry standard software
IOS and Android compatible:
• Zenbeats – Make beats with classic Roland Sounds like 808’s
• BlocsWave – Loop-based app to explore, create and record your music
• LaunchPad – Instantly create and remix music
• Acapella – Connect, collaborate and create music with friends who love to sing and play instruments.
IOS only:
• Beatmaker 3 – Professional DAW powered by a mobile device
• Garageband – Turn your iPad, and iPhone into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio
• Reason Compact – Your pocket music studio
• Reason Take – Record your ideas anywhere… just Sing, hum, rap, or strum.
• “Drop a Beat” Apple App Story – Collection of other popular music making Apps for IOS
Android only:
• Best Music Making Apps – Collection of other popular music making Apps for IOS
• Mobile Permission – Send Permission Slips to Parents’ cell phones
• Bloomz – The #1 App for All Your Classroom Communication
• Remind – Communication for the school, home, and everywhere in between.
• Crew – The connected frontline workplace
Professional Development Resources
• Music Impact Network – Free program resources for after school music programs
• Groove3 – Pro-quality Recording studio video tutorials
• Henny Tha Bizness – Professional iPad music Producer
• Genius Deconstructed – How to make a hit with the industry’s top producers
• Pensado’s Place “Into the Lair” – Engineering and Mixing Tutorials with Dave Pensado
Lyndia:
• Music Production
Coursera:
• Teaching Popular Music
• Music Production
Skillshare:
• Music Production
• Video Production
EdX.org:
• Music Technology
• Music Theory
• Creativity & Entrepreneurship
Berklee Online:
• Free Resources
Please send resource recommendations to info@musicimpactnetwork.org