Template-based DAW projects

I am passionate about the power of the ‘template’ in DAW-based projects. Rather than asking students to start with a blank screen, I (almost) always provide a template as a starting point. This could be block chords played on the piano, or a bass line; something to help them get started with a task. Even if they need to create from ‘scratch’, I will still include something simple, like a drumbeat, that will eventually be replaced (students find it easier to record in time to drums than a metronome – for some reason, they always turn it off!). Online DAWs make it easy to set up these templates, pushing them out to all students via the ‘assignments’ feature. I like to label tracks and regions, and use the ‘notepad’ feature of many DAWs as a reminder to students of what I’m asking them to do in a specific project.