Badge Requirements

Badges

You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated—no more and no less. You must do exactly what is stated in the requirements. If it says “show or demonstrate,” that is what you must do. Just telling about it isn’t enough. The same thing holds true for such words as “make,” “list,” “in the field,” and “collect,” “identify,” and “label.” - taken from the Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge information page

All posts should be in your own words (not copied and pasted from somewhere else).

  1. Core Computing

    1. Create a portfolio website using https://blogs.baylor.edu (this uses Wordpress, a very popular CMS). Create a separate category for each badge. Create a main menu that uses categories rather than pages. Any time a badge requirement indicates to post to your website or “create a post”, create a new post and categorize it with the badge title.

    2. Contribute to a class discussion about the following (if you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics):

      • how digital data is stored

      • access differences and scenarios for files saved in the cloud vs. saved locally (on a single computer)

      • how the internet works

    3. Create a post that lists five proprietary file types and five open file types. Briefly explain why you should be aware of digital obsolescence.

    4. When given a binary number, demonstrate how to convert it into a decimal number and vice versa.

    5. Video Component: Make a video tutorial on how to create a basic website from scratch with all the following requirements:

      • In Quicktime choose "New Movie Recording" to show your "talking-head" in the corner from your webcam (choose View > Float on Top). Then, choose "New Screen Recording" to start recording your tutorial. Note: you’ll need to figure out how to record your voice as well.

      • Teach how to create an index.html file with a basic HTML boilerplate

      • Teach how to add a styles.css file, link it to the index.html file, and style something

      • Teach how to add an index.js JavaScript file that when a user presses a button: 1) they are asked to input their name and birth year and 2) an alert responds with "Hello, [name]. You are about [number] years old."

      • Post the video to this badge’s page on your portfolio website.

  2. Physical Computing

    1. Create a post with two music related Arduino projects that you find compelling (check out Arduino's Project Hub)

    2. Contribute to a class discussion on safety precautions when working with electricity in music studios, music halls, and the marching field. If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics.

    3. Create a post with the following:

      • Calculate the amperage requirements of a typical home studio setup (computer, monitors, AC powered interface, and at least one analog synthesizer) based on each unit's power consumption (in watts) and explain how to keep from tripping a breaker with that gear.

      • Discuss how to locate and operate the circuit breaker panel for repairs, upgrades, and when a breaker is tripped.

    4. Demonstrate how to properly use a multimeter for low voltage electronics.

    5. Video Component: Create a video demonstrating your working Arduino project (either one you make up or follow from the "Built-in Examples" within the Arduino IDE). Post to your website.

  3. Sequencing & Notation

    1. Contribute to a class discussion about how MIDI works and why it is still applicable in music technology today (including what type of information is sent from a MIDI keyboard to a computer when a note is played and why a MIDI keyboard itself does not produce sound). If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics.

    2. Demonstrate to one of your colleagues in the class that you can execute the following:

    3. Create a post with a PDF score and playable audio file you created and exported from Dorico containing multiple instruments, dynamics, and articulations (the score must contain at least 20 total measures of notation).

    4. Create a post with a PDF score and playable audio file you created and exported from MuseScore containing multiple instruments, dynamics, and articulations (the score must contain at least 20 total measures of notation). This must be a different piece of music from what you input into Dorico.

    5. Video Component: Record a quick video screen capture using QuickTime of a simple task you may need to help students figure out in MuseScore or Dorico (such as how to input a chord, a dynamic, a tempo marking, etc.) and then convert it to an animated GIF using DaVinci Resolve. Note: there will be no sound, but it is simple to add text and graphic overlays in Resolve. Post to your portfolio website.

  4. Sound Reinforcement & Recording

    1. Contribute to a class discussion about the following (if you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics):

      • ground loops (hum) and how to avoid them

      • the difference between balanced and unbalanced cables

      • loudness (dB)

      • how a spectrogram (frequency domain) is different than a waveform (time domain)?

      • microphone types (dynamic, condenser, contact) and polar patterns (omni, figure eight, cardioid, etc.)

      • what a preamp does and how to avoid clipping (distortion)

    2. Demonstrate how to properly roll XLR audio cable.

    3. Post to your website 1) a photo of the recording setup and 2) the bounced stereo file of a multi-track project you recorded and edited in a DAW (4 or more microphone inputs; at least two performers close miked plus a main stereo pair). Follow these requirements:

      • Apply at least three audio effects (e.g., reverb, delay, EQ).

      • Add tasteful panning.

      • Include automation (volume, panning, effect controls, etc.)

      • Prepare it for streaming services by targeting -14LUFS (integrated) and -1TP.

    4. Create a post containing the following:

      • define and discuss lossless and lossy audio files (and give examples of file types)

      • how normalization is different than compression

    5. Video Component: Create a documentary-style video about setting up a PA system that demonstrates proper setup and gain staging. Include interviews (e.g., with classmates) and a voiceover explaining the process.

  5. Sound Design

    1. Attend a class demonstration of historic and recent electroacoustic works showing a variety of different approaches including fixed and interactive works. If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics and provides media examples.

    2. Create a post that explains the characteristics of different waveforms (sine, square, sawtooth, triangle, etc.) and has playable examples of each (embedded in the post).

    3. Demonstrate that you can create a compelling patch on a hardware analog synthesizer.

    4. Create a short piece of music using an AI tools like AIVA, MuseNet, or Google's Magenta. Post the audio to your website and include your comments on ethical questions that arise from your exploration (e.g., originality and copyright).

    5. Video Component: Create a short musique concrete or acousmatic style video that uses only found sounds you have recorded and manipulated (you may not record any instruments designed for music). The video can contain footage of recording sounds and any visuals that support the theme of the work.

  6. Still Digital Imaging

    1. Contribute to a class discussion on photography exposure concepts (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) and best practices in capturing images. If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics.

    2. Capture a high-quality photograph as RAW using a DSLR or mirrorless camera and edit it using an advanced bitmap editor (e.g., Photoshop, Pixlr). Post the photo to your website.

    3. Create a simple graphic from scratch using Adobe Illustrator and post it to your website.

    4. Teach one of your colleagues how to create a simple graphic of your choice from scratch using Graphite.rs as they follow along on their own computer.

    5. Video Component: Using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, create a short stop-motion film that could be posted to one of the Baylor ensemble’s social media accounts as promotional material. Post it to your website.

  7. Videography

    1. Contribute to a class discussion about photography concepts that carry over into videography (e.g. resolution) and new concepts unique to video (e.g. frame rate). If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics.

    2. Create a short video that demonstrates your ability to record and edit multicam shots using DaVinci Resolve. You will need at least three cameras and an external audio recorder for this requirement. This is not a tutorial video but rather an exercise in practicing documenting a performance. Post the video to your website.

    3. Create a post that discusses white balance.

    4. Show one of your colleagues some examples you found online for using the rule of thirds. Have a discussion about when it is best to use rule of thirds and when it is best to frame differently.

    5. Video Component: Plan and produce a polished music video, applying advanced techniques like storyboarding, transitions, and audio mixing. You must include text overlay and a moment using either split-screen or multi-screen. Post the video to your website.

  8. Communication

    1. On your own, research best practices for promoting music on social media platforms. Then, contribute to a class discussion on the topic. If you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses this topic.

    2. Create a short, hypothetical, engaging social media-style video that you might create for your band, choir, or orchestra program as a future educator. Focus on concise storytelling, vertical orientation, and attention-grabbing text. Post to your website.

    3. Pair up with one of your colleagues and list — from memory — best practices for creating and delivering presentations.

    4. Put together a presentation on a music technology topic of your choice and support it with slide deck created with a presentation tool (e.g., Google Slides, Keynote, PowerPoint). Include multimedia elements like images, videos, and/or audio. In creating the slides, follow all the presentation tips discussed in class and any others you discover. Plan out your presentation and rehearse on your own. Then, rehearse your presentation in front of one of your colleagues while they record you on their phones; post the rudimentary rehearsal video to your website and ask for peer feedback before recording your presentation professionally.

    5. Video Component: Record your presentation from requirement "d" professionally as if it were for a virtual conference. Practice framing yourself in the shot, using a professional background, and synchronizing slides with your talk. Post the video to your website.

  9. Tech-Wise

    1. Contribute to a class discussion on negative effects of technology on mental health and productivity. Here are some resources to explore before the discussion (if you miss the discussion, create a post that thoroughly discusses these topics):

    2. Post a few wise technology practices around topics such as the following:

      • protecting passwords

      • cybersecurity awareness

      • safeguarding personal information

      • practicing ethical use of copyright protected content (how to obtain a license to use copyright protected content)

    3. Go 24 hours without technology (all screens) and post a reflection about your experience.

    4. Next time you are in a common situation when you would normally use your phone to pass the time (waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for class, taking a study break, decompressing before going to sleep, etc.), do not look at your phone. Write a post reflecting on what you did instead of screen-time (consuming).

    5. Video Component: Produce a vlog reflecting on a chapter of a book or a podcast about how to use technology in a way that positively impacts your mental, spiritual, everyday life and enables you to thrive. Add an intro/outro for professional presentation. Include a link to your source when you post the video to your website. The following are a few highly recommended books and podcast episodes, but you are free to look for a source of your own.

PreviousIntroduction to Technology for MusiciansNextFinal Exam

Last updated