Amateur Band

Amateur Band is designed for users to mix musical instrumentals together, and users can choose from four instrumentals in the free edition. (Please note: There are several dozen instrumentals available in the paid version.) To hear the instrumentals, users can tap the “sound” tab on the bottom of the screen, which will allow them to sample the instrumentals individually. To mix instrumentals, users must select the “compose” tab from the bottom of the screen. They can then tap on the instrumentals that they wish to mix together. To save the mix, users must tap the “compositions” tab on the bottom of the screen and then tap the “save me” tab on the top left while the mix is playing. To pause the music at any time, users must tap the “stop” button on the top right, which is on all screens.

Instructional Ideas

1. Teachers can create a mix for students to listen to. As the mix plays, teachers can have students list what they like about the mix and what they do not like. After listening to the mix for a period of time (30–120 seconds), teachers can facilitate a class conversation regarding the qualities of the mix. Some questions to stir conversation include: (1) What did you like or not like about the mix? (2) How many instrumentals could you hear? (3) Was the mix organized? (4) If the music was used as background music for a television show, what type of scene would be most fitting for it?
2. Teachers can show students a piece of art or video with no sound. Next, teachers can have students create a mix to accompany the art or video. Finally, teachers can have students write an explanation justifying why their mix is appropriate for the art or video.
3. After creating mixes using this app, teachers can have music students form groups of four. Together, the groups will have to play different instruments to create mixes. When ready, teachers can record the groups as they play their mix. Finally, teachers can call the class back together and play the recorded mixes for the class. After the class listens to the mixes, they can discuss what they liked about them and offer suggestions for improvement.

Screenshots

Screenshots