# Unit Plan for Teachers - Generative Music in Sonic Pi
**URL:** https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452
**Category:** Educators
**Created:** [January 30, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452 "2022-01-30T02:28:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mrbombmusic](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/mrbombmusic)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452/1 "2022-01-30T02:28:41Z")
I am currently taking graduate school classes to get a second teaching certification in Computer Science (my primary certification is in music). As the final project for my Curriculum Development course, I had to develop a unit plan for a subject of my choosing. Naturally, I wanted to do something with Sonic Pi, so I decided to do a unit on creating generative music. It is meant to be a later unit in a class for beginners to coding.
The unit is posted on [github](https://github.com/hunter-teacher-cert/currdev_unit_plan-sonic-pi-gen-music). It includes detailed lesson plans with code examples, assignment sheets, lesson slides etc. I figured Iβd share it here for others to take a look at. The lessons and documents are uploaded as pdfs but [this link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HU5Xx_uDxKJbD2fBs8F1xsHi-sL_Sqee?usp=sharing) is to a Google Drive folder where each part is in its own Google Doc.
Here are the topics covered:
1. Using Randon Events to Write a Song
- Defining Indeterminate/Aleotoric
- Create piece using dice rolls and coin flips
- Recreating Dice Roll and Coin Flip piece in Sonic Pi
1. True random vs Pseudo random
- Using rrand\_i to choose random integer from a range of numbers
- Establish why same number is always chosen
- Use\_random\_seed
- Discuss concept of pseudo random
- Time.now.to\_i
1. Manipulating data structures
- Identify ways to manipulate a sequence of numbers
- Introduce methods for manipulating data structures
- Provide randomized input to methods
1. Looping through data structures of different lengths
- Identify issues with basic looping structures
- Finding length of data structures = .length
1. Single Line Conditional Statements
- Single Line if statements
- Storing randomized output in variables
- Dice Roll simulation
- Out of Class Assignment Roll Out
1. Nested Conditionals
- Intro to Nested Conditionals
- Probability
- one\_in() function
1. Random Durations
- Note Duration
- Sample Rate
8-11. Final Project - Generative Music
- Defining Generative Music
- Assignment Roll Out
- In Class Work Time
- Gallery Walk
---
### Author:  [@ethancrawford](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/ethancrawford)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452/2 "2022-02-09T03:40:57Z")
@mrbombmusic - just had a closer look at the repository - It may or may not be too late notice now to be useful, but I saw that in this file:
>
You use code similar to the following:
```ruby
seq = (ring, ...)
```
To me, it seems like the comma after `ring` is unnecessary. It works fine without one there π - up to you whether you feel itβs worth removing them though π
---
### Author:  [@mrbombmusic](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/mrbombmusic)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452/3 "2024-06-13T00:57:02Z")
Just realizing the github link to the unit plan is no longer working and the post is too old for me to edit so Iβm just posting an updated link: [GitHub - mrbombmusic/currdev\_unit\_plan-sonic-pi-gen-music: currdev\_unit\_plan-sonic-pi-gen-music created by GitHub Classroom](https://github.com/mrbombmusic/currdev_unit_plan-sonic-pi-gen-music)
---
### Author:  [@HarryLeBlanc](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/u/HarryLeBlanc)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2024, 1:55am UTC](https://in-thread.sonic-pi.net/t/unit-plan-for-teachers-generative-music-in-sonic-pi/6452/4 "2024-06-13T01:55:27Z")
Under probability, you might want to include spread too. To choose 3 in ten, you can just say spread(3, 10).pick β well worth knowing, and pretty easy.
Have fun!