BandLab: Inspiring Creativity

Introduction

During the health crisis of 2020, a wide range of industries suffered including education and arts. Music educators have to think creatively about how to deliver instruction asynchronously while keeping students engaged in the process. A study by Richard Diem and David Katims (2002) showed that instructors in at-risk classrooms rely heavily on direct instruction incorporating very little technology. The lack of reasonably adequate equipment plays a role in creating barriers in today’s teaching. One solution proving to be effective amongst music educators and students is BandLab. BandLab is a web based Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and social music platform that gives users many of the tools of a traditional music production software combined with social, collaborative, and educational tools for users to learn, create, and share musical concepts and compositions (BandLab, 2020). This case study will examine BandLab’s capabilities, associated learning engagement strategies, and ways it can be used for in-class, virtual, and distance learning. We will also discuss possible challenges with BandLab and how to overcome them.

Experiential learning

Guzdial and Guo (2014) suggest that tinkering and making are powerful learning agents because they allow the student to conduct experiments and possibly make adjustments along the way. A study by Alfred Johnson (2010) conducted at Medger Evers College concluded that digital MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and recording software are playing a greater role in Secondary classrooms than traditional music curriculum. Keeping up with these trends is leading teachers to incorporate electronic music production and audio engineering into their music programs. BandLab allows the user to access most of the traditional tools found in high-end Digital Audio Workstations. However, unlike popular DAW’s like Pro Tools and Logic, the user needs little to no prior knowledge or experience to begin using the software. The tools embedded in BandLab, such as free loop and sample packages, make it easy to open the software and begin creating a composition instantly. The other feature that contributes to BandLab’s ease of use is its accessibility. BandLab can be accessed from almost any device with a dedicated internet browser. The user needs no special interfaces, microphones, or cables. This is especially important for students who lack access to a computer or studio equipment.

Belief in Success

Reiser and Dempsey (2018) assert that students are motivated when they believe they can be successful at a task (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). BandLab shortens the distance between concept or idea and completion by making the creative process much simpler (BandLab, 2020). Creating a musical composition in BandLab is as simple as drag and drop. The student subscription gives the user access to free categorized loops and samples (BandLab, 2020). Each sample pack is grouped based on genre and feel. The user can create a musical piece from a group of pre-selected and related samples or mix and match the samples from different packages to create something that is different and innovative. Once the user sets the key signature, all samples and loops play in the same key making it nearly impossible to create a composition that is displeasing to the ear or dissonant. While the track controls of BandLab are comparable to many popular DAW’s, they are much simpler. Similar to GarageBand by Apple, BandLab’s functions have been simplified to accommodate novice users. This ease of use helps to reduce technical barriers that would discourage learners from immersing themselves into learning the software. Learners with particular learning challenges find BandLab’s intuitive interface easier to use.

Collaboration

Jackson and Burgess (2016) assert that collaboration promotes the value and acceptance of the ideas and contributions of others. When students collaborate, the sense of partnership increases individual ownership in a project (Jackson & Burgess, 2016). BandLab offers users the ability to share their work socially by allowing cloud-based storage (BandLab, 2020). Users can share and edit projects together and create a collaborative working environment where ideas and concepts are communicated remotely. Similar to Google Classroom, teachers can create classrooms inside BandLab to assign work and communicate with students and parents, thus creating a virtual musical environment where students can access all class content. To aid in this shared workspace, teachers have the ability to group or pair students, giving them the ability to put students together based on similar learning levels, musical abilities, and aptitude. Teachers can also use groupings to differentiate instruction for different learners. Differentiated instruction as a practice, values the unique learning needs of all students, recognizing that learners play a part in constructing their own understanding (Grant & Lerer, 2011).

Challenges in using Web-Based Music Learning Software

One issue when working with any web-based technology for music is latency. Mike Senior in the book, Recording Secrets For The Small Studio (2014) defines latency as the length of time it takes for sound to be converted from digital energy readable by the computer, to analog energy that one can hear. When working with any DAW, latency must be addressed immediately, especially when recording Audio. Latency can lead to sync problems which ultimately lead to inaccurate and off timed recordings. One way to address latency inside BandLab is to use the test latency feature which is a built-in latency correction feature. While this feature does not completely eliminate latency, it audibly reduces it. Another issue when using BandLab is lack of advanced capabilities. While it is easy to use, it lacks the more advanced features of a professional Digital Audio Workstation. If the user seeks to expand the skills learned, BandLab will only go so far. Learning professional editing, mixing, and automation will require the learner to switch to a recording industry standard DAW like Logic, Pro Tools, or Ableton Live. As a result, BandLab should only be used to introduce the student to audio engineering and not a tool for teaching advanced music production techniques.

Integration

The main Digital Audio Workstation platforms in my classroom is GarageBand and Logic. Before our school was forced into asynchronous learning, I used these DAW’s to teach audio recording, MIDI production, automation, and mixing. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Ohio, the dilemma in my class was answering the question of how to deliver technology-driven content to learners with no technology. BandLab solves that problem. I am using BandLab to teach not only electronic music creation, but also collaboration and music theory. I am able to create assignments and give students exemplar projects/templates for them to use as ideas for their own projects. I have also used BandLab’s assessment tools to check my students’ understanding of audio and music production principles.

Conclusion

BandLab is an affective music learning tool for beginning music students. It can be used to teach a variety of audio and MIDI principles as well as promote collaboration and community. Used as an introduction to the world of audio engineering, it prepares students to use professional, industry standard music production software.

References

About bandlab - bandlab blog. (n.d.). BandLab Blog. https://blog.bandlab.com/about/

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Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2018). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (4th ed.). Vital Source Bookshelf. https://doi.org/https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134237039/cfi/3!/4/4@0.00:33.7

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