The extended school closure of 2020 hasn't stop Newtown High School music students from making amazing music! Here are a few samples of original compositions created by members of Mr. Lee's Music Technology classes.

Found Sound Project:
One assignment was to capture "found sounds" from within the students' homes and then manipulate those sounds -- along with other musical elements -- to create original pieces of music. ​

In this 4th example, Brian Garten set for himself the challenge using his "found sounds" exclusively as the only available ingredient for his composing. Listen to what Brian was able to create using ONLY field recordings of ordinary sounds from within his home (e.g., coffee maker brewing) and manipulating those everyday sounds through his mastery of audio software...

Students in Mr. Lee’s Music Technology classes demonstrated terrific imagination and craft throughout the Fall 2019 semester. Here is a sampling of original student works!

Students in Mr. Lee’s Music Technology 3 class recently explored wild possibilities in audio editing and processing! Students were given a microphone and a blank sheet of copy paper (8.5 x 11). The assignment was to create something using ONLY sounds recorded from the paper (e.g., ripping, crumpling, flicking, etc.). This was an exercise in creating original music out of the everyday sounds of a mundane object (copy paper): to elevate the ordinary into something more extraordinary — that is, musical art!

This was a 2-day activity, so short drafts of musical fragments were expected. But even in a couple of periods, students demonstrated significant skill and imagination in manipulating audio production software to shape sound in amazing ways.

Some examples of audio manipulations include:
* Cutting sound samples into smaller pieces; arranging those pieces in musical rhythm
* Filtering sound samples through audio effects, such as reverb
* Time-stretching sound samples
* Moving sound samples higher or lower in musical pitch
* Generating tonal sounds (i.e., sounds with sustained duration and pitch, as would be heard from a horn or piano) and mapping those tonal sounds onto the keys of the piano; then, performing harmonies and melodies (all from the sheer sound of copy paper!)

Check out some samples below!

Students in Mr. Lee's music classes have been producing creative music and compelling audio throughout the fall months. Here's a sampling of student work!

In Music Technology 1, students created original music and sound for video game clips. In the process, they studied a technique of interactive music known as "vertical layering." Here are some samples:

Brian Garten - Original music and sound for Rayman Legends

Ava Feeley - Original music and sound for Danganronpa (excerpt)

In Music Technology 2, students warmed up their film-scoring skills by creating original music to accompany a still image. 

In the following example, Myles Ku evokes his selected image with compelling music that demonstrates the timeless value of standard compositional devices [such as rhythmic and sustained pedal points (or drones)].

In another assignment, students ​​created original music for a standard Hollywood movie trailer. 

Here's Marty Godbout's score for the Volcano (1997) trailer:

​AP Music Theory students created four-measure chorale phrases using newly acquired skills of harmony and voice leading. Bringing their work to life, members of the class brought in their instruments for an informal reading session. Here are a couple of samples: [Listening hint: Both phrases are in a simple triple meter, so try to hear them in "3 beats per measure."]

This 11-minute video collage showcases student work from the Newtown High School music theory and music technology classes. It will be shown on Monday, April 2, 2018, at a dedication event celebrating the newly refurbished Newtown High School Auditorium.

Students in Mr. Lee's Music Technology classes ended 2017 with compelling, creative work. Check out some samples!

INVENTING "ALIEN SPEECH"
How do the fictional aliens in a science-fiction film communicate?
​Our students gave this Star Wars character a number of possible dialects.

Sophomore Jamie Davis mapped a single teacup "clink" to the piano keyboard of a sampler instrument, and then made this musical passage:

Senior Jimmy Doutney recorded various physical objects and manipulated the audio to create this musical passage:

Junior Evan Song recorded the sounds of an old cassette player to bring this Mars Rover to life:

MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS
Here are some original compositions that demonstrate the incredible expressive breadth of our students: