Key Stage 3 music · Composing

KS3 music technology: recording, sequencing and mixing

In Years 7 to 9, pupils are expected to use technology appropriately when they create and compose music. In practice that usually means recording, sequencing and editing on a computer or tablet, building a piece from layers, and balancing the sounds. Technology does not replace musical thinking; it gives pupils a way to hear their ideas straight away, change them and share them, including those who do not yet play an instrument fluently.

Using music technology, explained

The curriculum says pupils should “use technology appropriately”, and leaves schools to decide how. Most music departments use a computer program for making music, often called a digital audio workstation, and some use keyboards, tablets or notation software. The software changes from school to school, so the skills matter more than the product. Your child’s teacher will know exactly what is on offer, and the principles below carry across to all of them.

There are two main kinds of material. Audio is a recording of a real sound, such as a voice, a guitar or a sound from the classroom. MIDI is different: it is a set of instructions that says which note to play, when, how long and how hard, and the computer then plays that note using a chosen sound. Because MIDI is only instructions, a pupil can change the instrument, move a note or alter the tempo after the event without recording anything again. Pupils also use pre-made loops, short repeating patterns of drums, bass or chords, and learn to choose and arrange them with a purpose.

Pupils learn to build a piece in layers called tracks: perhaps drums, bass, chords and a melody. They learn to edit by cutting, copying and moving sections, to correct the timing of notes using quantising, and to shape the sound with effects such as reverb. Mixing comes last. It means balancing the volume of each track, placing sounds to the left or right, and making sure that nothing drowns out the part the listener should be following. Many pupils find mixing the hardest skill because it requires careful listening, not just clicking.

Technology is a way into the other composing skills, not a separate subject. A pupil still has to choose a structure, decide on a key, develop a motif and think about texture and dynamics. The software simply lets them hear the results and revise them quickly. Pupils are also taught to use it responsibly: to save work carefully, to name files sensibly, to keep headphone volume at a sensible level, and to be honest about which parts they made themselves and which they borrowed. The same objective asks pupils to appreciate a wide range of musical contexts and styles, and technology helps here too: some styles, such as electronic dance music and hip hop, are made largely with technology, so pupils often study how a style is built before composing in it.

Schools usually judge this work on the musical result and the quality of the decisions, not on how advanced the software is. A tidy four-track piece with clear structure and a thoughtful balance often earns more credit than a crowded one with twenty tracks. Because much of the work happens on a screen with headphones on, it can be hard for parents to see what is going on, which is why a short conversation about what your child is making can be very helpful.

Words your child will hear

Track: One layer of a recording or sequence, for example a drum track or a bass track.
MIDI: Instructions that tell a computer which notes to play and how, rather than a recording of a sound.
Loop: A short pattern of sound that repeats over and over.
Quantise: To tidy the timing of notes so they line up exactly with the beat.
Reverb: An effect that adds an echo-like sense of space, as if in a hall or room.
Mix: To balance the volume and position of all the tracks so they sound clear together.
Tempo: The speed of the beat, often given in beats per minute.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

Pupils should use technologies appropriately and appreciate and understand a wide range of musical contexts and styles.
Pupils should be taught to improvise and compose; and extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions
Aim: pupils learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: building a four-track piece

A Year 9 pupil has an hour to make a 32-bar piece using sequencing software, with drums, bass, chords and a melody. How might they work?

Set up the project first. Choose a tempo, say 100 beats per minute, and a time signature of four beats in a bar. Decide on a key before adding any notes, such as A minor, so that everything fits together.
Build the drum track as a four-bar loop and repeat it. Keep it simple so that the other parts have room: a kick on beats 1 and 3, a snare on beats 2 and 4, and a steady hi-hat.
Add the bass and chords using a keyboard to record MIDI. Play a bass note on the first beat of each bar following the chords Am, F, C, G, then record the chords above. If notes land slightly early or late, use quantise to tidy them.
Compose a melody on a fourth track, using notes from the chords. Try it with two different instrument sounds. Because it is MIDI, changing the sound takes seconds and the notes stay the same.
Shape the structure by muting and unmuting tracks: drums and bass alone for the intro, all four tracks for the main section, then strip back and end with the chords. Finally mix. Lower any track that masks another, pan the chords slightly to one side, add a little reverb to the melody, and listen on headphones at a low volume.

A finished 32-bar piece with four tracks, a clear structure built by adding and removing layers, quantised timing and a balanced mix. A good write-up would explain which choices were musical (key, structure, layering) and which were technical (quantising, reverb, panning).

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking the software does the composing

Pre-made loops and automatic features make it easy to produce something that sounds polished, so pupils (and adults) may assume little skill is involved.

What helps: Ask what your child chose and why: the tempo, the key, which loops, where the new layer enters. The musical decisions are the composing, and the software only carries them out.

Assuming MIDI is a type of recorded sound

MIDI tracks play back through realistic instrument sounds, so they seem like audio.

What helps: Explain that MIDI is like sheet music for a computer. Swapping the piano sound for a flute while the notes stay the same shows the difference immediately.

Believing that quantise fixes a weak performance

Quantising makes the timing perfect, so pupils lean on it instead of practising the part.

What helps: Use it as a tidy-up. Perfect timing can sound stiff, and a rhythm that is slightly loose can feel more natural. Playing the part along to a click first still matters.

Making every track as loud and busy as possible

Adding layers feels productive, and a louder sound seems better, so the mix becomes crowded and muddy.

What helps: Suggest listening to one track at a time and asking what the listener should hear first. Leaving gaps and turning things down is a skill, and often the best improvement a mix can have.

How to help at home

Let them be the teacher. Ask your child to show you how their project is set up: the tracks, the tempo, the key. Explaining it aloud shows what they understand and gives you a reason to listen properly.
Count the layers. Choose a song you both know and try to count how many different parts you can pick out: drums, bass, chords, melody, backing voices. Listening for layers helps when they build their own.
Record a sound walk. With a phone or tablet, record a minute of everyday sounds in different rooms or in the garden. Play them back and talk about which are high or low, short or long. These can become material for a composition.
Keep the volume sensible. Headphones are part of composing, so set an agreed volume limit and encourage short breaks. Working at a lower volume also gives a more honest mix.
Save and name work. Help your child get into the habit of saving versions with clear names and keeping a copy somewhere safe. Losing an hour of work is a miserable way to learn the lesson.

Builds on

Key Stage 2: Improvising music
Key Stage 2: Composing music