Launch
Students will launch the class album project by analyzing how music and visual choices communicate stress and calm, then begin gathering audience-centered evidence through playlist discussion, moodboard stations, and an initial songwriting direction note.
Days 1 - 2
🎧 Moodboard Mixtape Studio
Launch 45m
🎼 Chords, Coping, and Playlist Notes
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Research & Empathy
Students will gather and analyze direct audience evidence about stress, calming music, and healthy coping, then turn that evidence into empathy artifacts and a user-centered songwriting brief that will guide later composition and production decisions.
Days 3 - 8
🎧 Chill Playlist Evidence Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
🗣️ Interview Protocol for Coping Music
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
🤝 Mental Health Music Co-Design Talk
Community Experience 45m
📝 Peer Listening Interviews
Research 45m
🧠 Empathy Map and Need Statement
Deliverable 45m
✅ Research Portfolio Checkpoint
Assessment 45m
Design Brief & Concepts
Students will turn empathy findings into a user-centered songwriting direction for the class album by writing a How Might We statement, building a design brief, generating contrasting song concepts, and using structured peer critique to choose one concept to prototype next phase.
Days 9 - 13
🧭 How Might We Track Goals
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
🎼 Emotion-to-Sound Planning Lab
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
📝 Design Brief for One Track
Deliverable 45m
💡 Three Song Concept Sketches
Project Work 45m
✅ Concept Pitch and Prototype Gate
Assessment 45m
Prototype & Showcase
Students will turn their design brief into testable music and visual prototypes, gather feedback from peers and outside stakeholders, complete two documented revision cycles, and present a refined stress-and-coping album concept supported by evidence, musical reasoning, and next-step decisions.
Days 14 - 18
🎛️ Rough Demo Build Sprint
Project Work 45m
🎼 Emotion-Mapping Arrangement Clinic
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
🗣️ Recording Circle Feedback Round
Deliverable 45m
🤝 Nonprofit Validation Session
Community Experience 45m
📊 Prototype Evidence Pitch
Assessment 45m
Showcase
Students will present their finalized stress-and-coping album work to an authentic audience, explain how research and revision shaped their musical and visual choices, gather audience responses, and complete a final performance-based assessment and reflection on collaboration, message clarity, and growth.
Days 19 - 20
🎤 From Pressure to Playlist Launch
Community Experience 45m
📝 Creator Statement and Track Rubric
Assessment 45m