QComposer Plus is a QuaverMusic Creative that allows you to compose music on a staff using melodies, harmonies, rhythm, and form.
Teachers or students can navigate to the Creatives icon from their Dashboard to freely compose.
New Project Builder #
Click Menu > New to start a new QComposer Plus.
- Title your Project
- Enter the Project’s name
- Select the format for the Staff
- Select the Time Signature
- Click Create to begin!
Adding Notes to Staff #
- The note bank will update depending on the time signature chosen.
- Drag and Drop single notes or barred notes to staff to be placed where you wish
- All notes default to natural, but you can select the flat or sharp signs to change the pitch of any note before you add it to the staff.
- When dragging a barred note to the staff, the note’s entire duration will be on one line or space to begin. Then you can move the multiple note heads to different lines or spaces as needed.
- You can stack notes to be played at the same time.
- You can compose up to 32 measures.
To remove notes from the staff, drag the note(s) off the screen or in a dead space off the staff.
Control Panel #
- Music Note Bank: Use the yellow arrows to navigate the note bank. Check out the Adding Notes to the Staff section to learn notating with QComposer Plus.
- Accidentals: To attach an accidental to a note, select the flat or sharp signs, and the selected sign will be applied to the note(s) you drag and drop.
- The natural sign is selected by default. The natural sig may come in handy if you wish to add a flat or sharp at the beginning of a measure, but would like the same note to be natural later in the same measure.
- Playback Controls: The playback controls include a repeat sign, restart, and a play button.
- When you use the play button, it will turn into a pause button
- When you select the repeat button, it will turn into a double-bar line.
- Tempo: To change the tempo, click the Moderato Tempo drop-down arrow.
- Sound Patch: To change the type of instrument playing your project, click the Sound Patch dropdown arrow.
- Clear Project: Click Clear to remove all notes from the staff and start over.
Adding Play-Along Track #
- Click on the blue bar below your title and composer name to add a PlayAlong Track.
- You can also click Menu > PlayAlong to add
- Click the Play button next to the title to preview any PlayAlong track.
- Select a check box next to PlayAlong you wish to add.
- Click Select to add the PlayAlong as a backing track.
After Adding PlayAlong Track #
- Once added, you will notice the chord progression of the PlayAlong Track is at the top of each measure.
- Once added, a volume slider and a speaker icon will appear next to your PlayAlong’s title. The volume slider allows you to mix the PlayAlong track vs. your composition. The speaker icon allows you to mute and unmute the PlayAlong track.
- Selecting the red X will remove the PlayAlong Track.
Note: Play-Along Tracks are tempo specific; if you change the tempo of your project, you will lose your current Play-Along Track.
Saving Project #
Click Menu > Save to save your QComposer Plus Creative. Your Creative will be saved in your account, ready for you to view or edit in the future!
Opening or Deleting Project #
Click Menu > Open to open a previously saved project.
- This will open a window where you can select a project to Open or Delete
Download and Make Mp3 of Project #
- Click Menu > Save You will be asked to give your project a title if you have not already.
- After saving your project, you can make an mp3 to download it. Click Menu > Make Mp3 from the menu and then Menu > Download the mp3 when it’s ready.
Creating QComposer Plus Assignment #
To begin, create a folder in the Resource Manager where your assignment will live, or use an existing folder.
- With no folder selected, click Menu > New Folder, and title your folder.
Your folder will now appear in your Resource Folders on the right-side of your Resource Manager.
- Select the folder and click Menu > New Assignment Template.
- Title your assignment.
- Open your folder, and you’ll see your Assignment with a green “A” next to it. The green “A” icon indicates it’s an assignment template.
- Search for QComposer Plus in the Resource Manager.
- Drag and Drop the resource into your assignment template on the right side of the screen.
Giving Assignment to Students #
- Right-click on the Assignment in your folder to Assign to Class. Use the Assignment Details screen to select your class(es), student(s), assign date, due date, and more! Click Save to send off!
- Students can submit their project by clicking Menu > Submit on their QComposer Plus.
- Students should Save their submission if they wish to access it at a later time.
- Completed submissions will appear in your GradeBook next to the student’s name with an orange checkmark, meaning submitted.
- Click the checkmark to open the assignment review screen and view their work.
I wanted my 5th grade students to create a 4 measure composition in 6/8 time using QComposer Plus. I did as directed above to create the assignment, but when it came time to submit the work, the “submit” option was no longer in the Menu.
Hi Lisa!
Once a student submits their QComposer project from an assignment, the Submit option disappears from the menu. I’m curious if that might be what happened. Also, if a student goes to Qcomposer Plus from their dashboard and clicks Creatives instead of going into Assignments, they would need the option to Submit in their menu.
Please let us know if you still cannot see the option to Submit.
I wanna download as MP4
Hi Gavin!
Unfortunately, there is no way to download a QComposer composition as an MP4. I will be sure to pass that suggestion along to our development team.
Is there an option to add lyrics in either Qcomposer or plus?
Hi Ben!
That is not currently a feature offered. I’ve passed your request to our Content & Development team for consideration. Thank you for reaching out!
question! Is there a way for me as a teacher to download a students creation!? I wanted to create a QR code of the students songs they make and post on a bulletin board to share with the campus. I tried a test run, made and assignment and student created and submitted but I did not see a way for me to download from assignment/grading screen to get what they made.
I tried having them download and airdrop to me but I think our network blocks it.
Hi Elizabeth,
Currently, there isn’t a way to download student creatives directly from the gradebook. The method you mentioned could work if the student can find a way to send it to you. However, you can download it from your own computer without needing the student to send it.
While in the gradebook, you can right-click on any student’s name and select ‘Login as…’ to access their account. From there, you can navigate to their Creatives app and download any creative directly to your device.
I hope this helps!
Can we print the composition?
Hi Melissa!
There is not currently a print feature in QComposer or QComposer Plus. I will pass along this feature request to our content/development team for consideration.
Please make these printable!!
Hi Emily!
Thank you so much for your feedback! We know this is a highly requested feature, and I’ve shared your thoughts with our Content and Development team as they continue to work towards future improvements.
Have a fantastic day!
Can you edit the measures or fade out a play-along track in the QGrooves? I want the students to build an eight-measure track.
Hi Nakita!
Unfortunately there is currently no option to fade out play-along tracks. I will pass along your suggestion to our Content and Development team for consideration. Thank you for reaching out!
Is there a way to zoom in to one measure at a time while being able to access the note bank and have it show on the screen?
Hi Andrea!
While there isn’t a built-in feature to zoom in on a single measure, you can adjust your device’s zoom settings by pressing Ctrl + plus sign (+) on a PC, or Command + plus sign (+) on a Mac.
This should allow you to zoom in on two measures while still using the note bank. It should also work in fullscreen mode for increased visibility.
Thank you for reaching out!
Two suggestions: Make the compositions printable (pdf) and add a “undo”/”redo” buttons!
Hi Daniel!
Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions! We love hearing ideas like these—printable compositions and undo/redo buttons are both great features that would definitely support creativity and ease of use. I’ve passed your feedback along to our Content and Development team.
We appreciate you taking the time to share!