Electronic music unit
Upper Primary – Senior Secondary
6 DAW platforms
Starter Pack & Full Access
Download PDF Guide Recreate is a learner-centred electronic music unit designed to help students develop authentic music-making skills by recreating real songs using digital tools and hardware. Rather than teaching music technology through abstract exercises or software tutorials, Recreate mirrors how contemporary musicians actually learn: by listening closely, copying with intent, analysing musical decisions, and then creating something new.
Recreate supports students from upper primary through secondary and senior courses, and is suitable for specialist and non-specialist music teachers.
What Recreate is — and what it isn't
- A "how to use a DAW" course
- Abstract software tutorials
- "Un-musical" technical lectures
- Software skills divorced from musical context
- A music-first resource using curated recreate videos
- Aural skills developed through real songs
- Production concepts introduced through musical context
- DAW skills learned because students are making music
"The teacher's role is to curate focus, guide reflection, and extend learning — not to deliver step-by-step technical instruction."
How Recreate works — the learning cycle
Recreate follows a flexible but deliberate learning cycle. Teachers may spend more or less time in each phase depending on context, but the underlying sequence remains consistent.
Before students begin a recreate activity, they listen to the original recording in full. Direct links are provided for each track via YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. Listening establishes a clear musical target and builds strong aural reference points.
At this stage, teachers might:
- Ask students to identify groove, texture, structure, or energy
- Encourage descriptive musical language
- Avoid technical discussion — the focus is musical listening and intent
You can also scroll to the end of the recreate video so students can hear the intended final outcome before they begin.Students work through a curated recreate video using a digital platform or hardware instrument — like learning a cover song. Technical skills are acquired incidentally; familiar songs reduce cognitive load.
- Students follow musical instructions through the video
- By the end, they have navigated a DAW workflow and built a functional recreation
- Practical production skills are developed without explicit technical drills
Share activities with students simply by copying and pasting the activity URL — no logins or setup required for students.At the bottom of every Recreate activity page is a downloadable PDF: Teacher Questions / Prompts for Deeper Exploration. These provide a comprehensive menu of teaching points embedded in each recreate — select only those relevant to your context.
Possible deconstruction focuses:
- Musical structure and form
- Groove and rhythmic feel
- Sound design choices
- Arrangement and density
- Genre conventions
- Production decision-making
Deconstruction always happens after the recreate — discussion must be grounded in musical experience, not front-loaded as instruction.Students use their completed project as a starting point for original creation. This is where Recreate shifts from imitation to composition.
- Extend the existing project
- Ask students to transform it stylistically
- Use it as a springboard for a new piece
- Design assessment tasks using the Curriculum Mapping & Assessment Tool in the platform
Found within the platform, this tool helps teachers generate meaningful Create tasks linked to a completed recreate, align tasks to curriculum outcomes, and keep the focus on musical thinking rather than software operation.
Recommended workflow:
- Students complete a recreate
- Teacher selects a focus during Deconstruct
- Use the tool to generate Create task ideas
- Pair with the Teacher Questions / Prompts PDF
- Adapt tasks to suit age, experience, and context
Assessment works best when it values process, decision-making, and reflection — not just the final product.
Platforms and learning outcomes
Recreate activities are available across six platforms, ordered here from most accessible to most advanced. Students may enter at any point — this is not a required progression. Platforms can be mixed depending on context, age, and available technology.
Chrome Music Lab- Billie Jean
- Birds Of A Feather
- Blinding Lights
- Butter
- Flowers
- Fortnight
- Happier
- Shake It Off
- Wake Me Up
- + 7 more
- Visualise pitch, rhythm & harmony using graphic notation
- Understand bassline, melody, and harmony relationships
- Recognise backbeats and four-on-the-floor rhythms
- Explore scales, compound metre, and ostinato
BandLab- Bad Guy
- Birds Of A Feather
- Butter
- Flowers
- Fortnight
- Happier
- Havana
- Karma
- Last Christmas
- Shake It Off
- Program beats using pattern-based sequencing
- Arrange music by splitting, merging, and looping regions
- Shape sounds using effects chains
- Balance levels using basic mixing techniques
Soundtrap- Fortnight
- Flowers
- Happier
- Karma
- Please Don't Fall In Love
- Save Your Tears
- Shake It Off
- Program beats using Patterns Beatmaker
- Structure songs using common pop forms
- Apply effects — chorus, tremolo, compression, reverb
- Balance tracks for clarity and musical impact
GarageBand iOS- Flowers
- Fortnight
- Happier
- Havana
- Karma
- Last Christmas
- Shake It Off
- Use Beat Sequencer for rhythmic programming
- Apply Smart instruments for harmonic support
- Use automation to shape build-ups and transitions
- Apply quantisation to improve timing accuracy
GarageBand Mac- APT. – ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
- Bad Guy
- Birds Of A Feather
- Kids – MGMT
- Shake It Off
- Control MIDI velocity and dynamics
- Apply EQ, compression, and filtering
- Use tempo and pitch automation creatively
- Apply basic mastering processes
Ableton Live- Adore U – Fred again..
- Birds Of A Feather
- Blinding Lights
- Leavemealone – Fred again..
- Levels – Avicii
- Waiting For Love – Avicii
- Shape sound using filters, LFOs, and automation
- Use sidechain compression for rhythmic movement
- Create build-ups and drops
- Apply basic mastering techniques
Cross-platform musical understanding
Regardless of platform, students develop a consistent set of deeper musical competencies across all Recreate activities.
Teaching recommendations
- Allow students to choose platforms where possible
- Frame recreates as musical challenges, not tutorials
- Use deconstruction selectively and purposefully — not every prompt every time
- Encourage reflection and discussion as part of every session
- Value creative risk-taking as much as technical accuracy
- Listen to the original song
- Complete the recreate activity
- Deconstruct discussion — selected prompts only
- Independent creation from the project
- Reflection or sharing
Curriculum considerations
Musical Futures is not a curriculum — it is an approach to teaching and learning music. Recreate supports common curriculum requirements in composing, performing with technology, listening and analysis, and reflection and evaluation. Assessment can be documented through portfolios, reflections, performances, or creative projects. Use the Curriculum Mapping Tool to align it to your local requirements.
Recreate positions music technology as musicianship, not software training. Used flexibly, it develops confident, independent electronic musicians who understand why music works — not just how to assemble it.