Podcasting in the Music Classroom
by Dr. Jim Frankel
Podcasting first emerged back in 2004, and was instantly popular in the education space. After about 5 years it slowly faded away until a very strong resurgence recently. Popular podcasts such as Serial, This American Life and Freakonomics Radio have brought podcasts back to the forefront, and educators have incorporated podcasting once again into their curricula. Since podcasting began there have been many free tools and services that have been made available to educators to help students create their own podcasts, and music teachers can play a vital role across the curriculum as facilitators for creating podcasts using a wide variety of readily available tools. This article provides you with an easy-to-follow “how to” guide to get podcasting started in your music classroom.
What it Podcasting?
Podcasting was originally a contraction of the words iPod and broadcasting. I like to think of podcasting as a DVR for the radio. Most radio stations now podcast their daily broadcasts so that you can download them and listen to them whenever you want. Missed your favorite NPR show? Log on to www.npr.org and download it. Smart phones can be used as a device to listen to the show – although you can also listen to it on your computer, or any other MP3 player. Most podcasts are available for free at the iTunes Music Store as well as other outlets such as SoundCloud, Stitcher and Spotify. Contrary to what you might think when you see the word iPod, podcasting is possible for everyone, whether or not you are an Apple computer or iPod user.
In addition to downloading and listening to individual radio programs, you can also subscribe to a specific podcast through the most podcast distributors. Podcasts use a script known as RSS – Really Simple Syndication – that automatically updates the latest podcast to your devices. Personally, I subscribe to a few different podcasts, and each time I log into Spotify, new podcasts await. What makes podcasting so exciting however is not the fact that you can download other peopleπs radio broadcasts, but that you and your students can easily create podcasts and have them available on the iTunes Music Store, Spotify, SoundCloud and other similar podcast outlets - all for free! The following is a step-by-step guide to creating a podcast.
Creating podcasts
Step 1: Create the Content
The first thing you need to consider when creating your own podcast is the actual content within it. Because we are specifically addressing educational uses of podcasting, you might want to consider adapting an existing project that you do with your students. For example, if you have your students learn about different composers, it might be an idea to have them create a podcast about a specific composer – for example: J. S. Bach. Have the students write a script that answers different biographical and music questions about Bach. To be clear, writing the script for a podcast takes time, and is the most difficult part of the process. Students should go through a draft/edit/revise process with you to finalize a very clear and well thought out script. They should also include any spots where music will be played (including which piece of music) and spots for any intro and outro music/sounds that they would like to include (often called bumpers).
These musical examples and intro/outro music can be found in a variety of places online. In the Bach example students might use MIDI files of Bach's works by downloading them (legally) from websites such as IMSLP.org, JSBach.net and CDPL.org. I would recommend that students try to compose their own intro/outro music using some of the loops that come with most digital audio workstation software titles, such as GarageBand, Mixcraft, Soundtrap and Soundation. If you are doing a series of podcasts from a specific class over the course of a school year, you might try to compose one piece of intro/outro music to be used by all of the students when they create their podcasts for the sake of consistency.
After they have carefully planned out their podcast, it’s time to record it.
Step 2: Record Your Podcast
While it is possible to use any software title that can record audio and export the file as an MP3 or WAV file, the easiest application in my opinion is Soundtrap. When you launch Soundtrap and enter the Studio environment, you simply click on the Podcast option to get started.
The first thing students should do is create their intro music so that they know where their actual vocal parts should begin. Keep the intro music short - not more than 30 seconds - as the script should be the most important aspect of the podcast. Once the intro is in place, students can create vocal tracks to record their scripts. To record a voice you can either use the built-in microphone on the computer, a stand-alone USB microphone (I recommend Blue USB Microphones – www.bluemic.com), or you can even integrate a more professional level microphone using either an audio interface with a handheld microphone like a Shure SM58. For group objects you can create multiple vocal tracks so that students can record their voice into their own track.
Once the script has been recorded you can import MIDI files or musical examples that you have downloaded into a new track(s). You can edit them anyway you’d like to suit your podcast needs.
The final step is to add the outro music, complete with the students recording over the music any information about their podcasts - including websites where listeners can access more of their podcasts. It is a good idea to share a podcast with your students so that they have a model of what a podcast consists of.
Step 3: Export Your Podcast
Once the students have finished recording their podcasts they will need to Export them so that they can be uploaded to a podcasting distribution site. Before doing so I strongly recommend that you listen to their projects, as you might need them to edit and revise some of their work. You should also listen to make sure that the audio levels are consistent throughout. You can use the Compressor effect in Soundtrap (accessed by clicking on the Effects button in the instrument panel) to ensure a consistent volume level. Once you approved the student podcast for export, students should first save their projects and then click File>Export to MP3 (or WAV). I recommend that the students send you that exported audio file via email or a service like Google Drive so that you can facilitate the posting of that podcast to a podcasting distribution platform. I do not recommend letting students do that as it is very easy for them to have access to other students work as well as posting non-sanctioned audio files to your podcast site. That could cause some issues to say the least.
Step 4: Publishing Your Podcast
There are numerous websites and platform for you to distribute your podcast through. The easiest in my opinion is Soundcloud. I recommend setting up a Soundcloud account for either your school or music department. It is completely free, and you can customize your account to reflect any branding or school logos. To create a Soundcloud account go to soundcloud.com and use your school email address to create the account. Choose a name for your podcast (ex. Main Street School Music Department Podcast) and use that name as the Display name. You will need to confirm your email address to activate your account.
The next step is to complete your profile information in Soundcloud, including a profile image (they recommend a hi-res image that is at least 1400x1400 pixels), add a description of your podcasts to your profile’s bio, and add a link to your music department website (if you have one).
After you have completed your profile you will need to adjust the content settings of your podcast. Choose a category (Learning), choose the language that your podcast is in, select the "upload default settings”, and finally, enable the RSS feed setting (this will allow users to access your podcast on other websites (Spotify, iTunes, etc). There are other content settings that you can adjust (author information, email address displayed), but these are optional. The most important content settings that you’ll need to do to set up your Soundcloud site as a podcasting site is to upload an actual podcast to your RSS feed, and in the Permissions tab, check the box where it says include in RSS feed. If this is confusing, there are many video and written tutorials available on Soundcloud to help you through the process. It is much easier than it sounds.
To get your podcasts distributed through other services, you will need to go to the Content tab and copy your RSS feed URL. Once you have that, you can submit that URL to Stitcher, iTunes and Spotify. While it isn’t required that you make your podcasts available through other platforms than Soundcloud, it will make your podcast available to a much wider audience.
Once you have submitted your podcasts RSS feed URLS to those other platforms a few hours or up to a day for it to appear on those platforms. Your Soundcloud channel will be available instantly.
Curricular Integration Strategies
So now that you now what podcasts are and how to create them, how can you use them in your music classroom. I have already mentioned one use – the J.S. Bach podcast. My suggestion would be to think of all of the assessments you already do with your students and think of ways to adapt them. Here are some quick ideas:
Concert Review
Many teachers look for activities for their students to do immediately following a Winter or Spring concert. Here's a great activity! Have your students review the concert - including their own critiques of each piece performed, each ensemble, etc. This is an activity that many teachers already do, but by adding the podcasting aspect it will certainly make it a more enjoyable activity for the students - and you!
Music Theory Podcasts:
Have students create podcasts about a certain aspect of music theory. Let them create a short podcast on the major scale. They can write a script that describes the structure of the scale, import images and videos that illustrate the structure, and they can sing the major scale as an audio example.
Folk Song Podcasts:
Have the students research a given folk song. They can then write a script that describes the history of the song. Have them locate a MIDI file online (www.contemplator.com), import it into GarageBand, add a vocal track and have them sing the lyrics along with the accompaniment. I have done this project with my own students and it was very successful. To hear their work search the iTunes Music Store for ≥FAMS Folk Song Podcasts≤.
Young Composer Podcasts
Podcasting is a great way to provide your students with a free form of getting their music on the iTunes Music Store. They can create and record their music using any notation or sequencing software. Simply convert their work to an MP3 and post it to the iTunes Music Store.
Popular Music Critique Podcasts
One of the easiest and most effective ways to integrate popular music into your curriculum is to have students select a piece of music that is meaningful to them, and have them write a script that provides a critique of the music. For example, if a students loves a song or album by Beyone, Post Malone, or Ariana Grande, have them write a critique of that song, including musical vocabulary to describe the structure of the song, the meaning of the lyrics, the instrumentation, etc. Have them assume the role of a music critic working at a newspaper or online journal. The students will love the idea of their opinions being broadcast about one of their favorite artists.
Podcasting and Copyright
One quick word about podcasting and copyright - podcasting poses some questions about copyright law and fair use. The thing to keep in mind in regard to fair use is that the intention of copyright law is to avoid copying. Even though you may think it is an educational use, and therefore a fair use, to include copyright protected music within a podcast, if it is made available to the public it is no longer fair use. Whether or not you are using only 30 seconds of the piece (or less than 10%), once you make available in a format where other users can copy it you are violating copyright law. The students can include short snippets of the actual audio track within their podcasts. This is most certainly covered by “Fair Use” with regard to copyright law. Just don’t have them include the entire track.
A Word to the Wise
Whether you are new to podcasting or you’ve been doing it for some time, my suggestion is to jump right in and start podcasting with your students today. They will enjoy the process and should enjoy having their work available to the public on sites that they frequently use themselves. Be sure to get the OK from your administration and the parents before distributing podcasts through sites like Soundcloud. Some school districts might be uneasy about sharing student work online. A best practice is to not have the students ever share their names in the podcast. Student privacy and safety is always paramount - so be sure to take this part of the podcasting process very seriously.