Discovering Diversity: Sound Infusion
DISCOVERING DIVERSITY
Teachers Resource
USERS MANUAL
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Discovering Diversity: Sound Infusion
INTRODUCTION: Cultural Infusion and DEECD work together to create an innovative on-line programme to
bring the music of the world to the Classroom.
“Sound Infusion” is an online resource where students can explore the world of music from around the world. Students can learn about music, musical instruments from other
countries and even produce their own music using the vast 5,000 music loops to create their own original music. Sound Infusion is part of the Discovering Diversity Programme
delivered by Cultural Infusion. The “Sound Infusion” project created by Cultural Infusion that has been kindly funded by the Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development (DEECD).
Cultural Infusion is an organisation dedicated to culture in education through its “Discovering Diversity” programme which delivers school incursions, intercultural, multicultural
and indigenous programs, concerts, tours, interactive workshops, artist-in-residencies, teacher professional development programs to promote cultural appreciation, wellbeing
and engagement. To enhance this programme, Cultural Infusion have developed this online resource “Sound Infusion” as a wonderful application that can enhance the classroom
learning in regards cultural studies.
Cultural Infusion develops supporting programs and tools to assist teachers in the development of student’s understanding of the origins, uniqueness and diversity of Australia’s
multicultural society. This “Sound Infusion” application Web 2.0 content will feature in the FUSE website providing access at both teacher and student level and is funded as part
of the digital education content initiatives and strategies of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
The “Sound Infusion” Application
This exciting and innovative application is an online sound studio where students at both primary and secondary level can work with a large range of royalty-free cultural music
loops to create their own unique music with a cultural flavour. Accessible through FUSE and via the Cultural Infusion website Sound Infusion stimulates an exploration of cultures
through videos of cultural performers discussing the background, instruments and music from the culture. Online support material includes videos, photos, text-based
information and web-links to further explore and discover. Students are then encouraged to use the Sound Infusion application to make their own interpretation of this music
and can share this music.
One of the most exciting aspects of Sound Infusion is that it is an online application that requires no alterations to the computers on your school network. Students can save their
project and come back to complete it or advance it at a later stage and when completed can save the finished composition as an mp3 file. They can also work on their project at
home. The possibilities are endless. Music teachers, LOTE teachers, Humanities teachers will all use Sound Infusion to support their class work and stimulate creative thinking
and further develop student’s online skills and becoming global citizens.
© Cultural Infusion 2012
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Discovering Diversity: Sound Infusion
Using “Sound Infusion” Online
Cultural Infusion has tailor-made the FUSE resources to support learning across multiple areas and utilizes a majority of online pedagogy as identified by the Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development. Sound Infusion is a designed to be used as an Individual project activity but can be used as a group activity. Please refer to
suggestions in Lesson Plans.
This resource is broken into seven clear pedagogical areas of focus for whichever subject or learning
outcome that is desired.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Registration and Teacher training
Student editing and Publishing
Student starting their own project
Editing
Publish and Share
Investigation into further online material
Acknowledgements and References
Each of these areas contains identified online pedagogy that are covered in this program.
Teachers can simply understand this very simple programme via the “Getting Started” videos that can be found on the Sound Infusion home page which shows all the necessary
elements for demonstrating the program to students.
All the Sound Loop are royalty free and any music developed by users are with the understanding of the Creative Commons which allow others to use and listen.
Sound Infusion is a single-user Audio Sequencer with the capacity to design and develop custom length cultural themed fusions of sound material collected from professionals
trained in the music art forms from cultures all over the world.
Music created with Sound Infusion can be further enhanced via a third party interface (a further more advanced audio sequencer for example) which they can create a more
sophisticated sound with sound overlays, remixing, and alterations.
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Discovering Diversity: Sound Infusion
1. Registration and Teacher Training
Time to register (as a teacher)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Start at http://culturalinfusion.org.au/soundinfusion/
Click on the Register as a Teacher button.
A similar page will appear and click REGISTER NOW.
Fill out all the details and read the Terms and conditions then click “Register Now”
An Email with your password is now in your indicated email address.
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2. Creating a project and Creating Student Logins for your students
1.
2.
Login using your Teacher ID (password was randomly generated and emailed to you).
Click on “Project and User Manager”.
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3.
Follow the prompts to create a project.
a. Click “Manage projects” on the side menu then create a project name, e.g. New Class Project Name
b.
Then click “Add project”.
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c.
Now click “User Manager” on the side Menu, then step 2: Add Students
d.
Create individual logins and passwords for each student
*note: email address is not necessary for this step
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e.
4.
Assign your students to your created project file.
f. *note: only students in the project can participate in that project forum
Distribute login details to students and your students are ready to go.
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3. Student starting their own project – just drag your selected sound loop
1.
2.
3.
Get your students to login with their login and allocated password.
Once they login they will start with a blank panel ready to start creating their own music.
Now students can choose instruments by searching through “CULTURES” or “INSTRUMENTS” tabs in the upper right corner. Once they have chosen the sound loops
they would like to use, they simply drag the loop to the middle. Students can find more information about the sound loops by clicking on the “i” button next to the
instrument description.
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4. Editing
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TURNING OFF CERTAIN PARTS OF THE LOOP: If the student would like to only use the instrument during certain parts of the song, they can turn off the loop
simply by clicking on bars which will then turn that bar into a shaded area. This denotes that you will not hear the loop during this period.
SPEED OF LOOP: Once the sound track has been dragged. The speed has already been predetermined. If they would like a faster speed they must choose the
same loop with a faster speed. In order to do so, select the Beat per Minute adjustment button (BPM) under the record button.
VOLUME: You can increase and decrease the sound of the whole loop by adjusting the VOLUME button by sliding it from left to right but you can also click on
the track which will show a line which you can change up and down to control the sound at any point of the loop.
VOLUME IN CERTAIN PARTS: Click the sound loop and a line will appear where you can change the sound volume at any part of the composition by dragging
the point up (for louder) and down (for softer).
SOLO: When you shade this button in orange and press the PLAY button it will only play that Sound Loop
MUTE: When you shade this button in orange and press the PLAY button it will mute this Sound Loop
PAN: This will allow you to control where the music of the sound loop will come from the left or right speaker.
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5. Publish and Share
When the student is happy with his music composition and is ready to save, simply click the “Save” button to save it on the server. Once the sound is saved, the student can
open it at any time.
When the student wants to publish his song so that everyone can see it, he first needs to record it with the Red record button. Once the recording is made he can either click
the “Share” button to publish his song on his page and share it with his teacher or click the “Download as an MP3” button to save the music creation into a MP3.
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6. Investigation into further online material
Students can investigate more about the culture through Cultural Information on the homepage.
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7. Acknowledgements and References
Victorian Education Department – DEECD Websites
List of VCE Subjects
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/studies/index.html
VELS resource booklets
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vels/downloads.html
e5 instructional model http://www.education.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/innovation/e5/E5_A1PosterTable4.pdf
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/proflearning/e5/about/default.htm
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