How To Create Spooky Music Using GarageBand for iPad

9 ways to create spooky music sounds for soundscapes and storytelling

Updated October 2020
Note: this lesson was originally created back in 2013. Although the GarageBand screen looks a little different in the videos below, you and your students should still be able to follow along. The written instructions in the handout give generic directions so they should still make sense.

Back in 2013 I put together a series of lessons for an ebook titled iPad Projects for the Music Classroom.Since that time, all of the projects from the ebook, plus the video tutorials and other resources have been moved into the Midnight Music Community and made available to members. A more recent version of the GarageBand projects that were part of the ebook have been created and now form part of the newer Music Teacher’s Guide To GarageBand course and lesson plan collection.

This spooky music project was one of the first I shared and it is always popular around Halloween. It’s a simple project which is easy to adapt and it works well in the music classroom and also in the general classroom. You can download a PDF copy of this sample iPad music project at the bottom of this post.

Using the spooky music creation techniques suggested in the video below, students can make their own programmatic music for storytelling activities or for movie soundtracks.

The spooky soundtrack that students create can be paired with a scary-looking image, or a short video clip by using video editing software.

In the video you’ll learn how to make these spooky sounds:

1. The Suspenseful Drone

2. The Suspenseful Drone version #2

3. The Dissonant Drone

4. Creepy Pizzicato Footsteps

5. Terrified Heartbeat

6. The Erie Piano

7. Crunchy Chords

8. Dramatic Diminished 9th

9. The Monster Roar

Using your spooky sounds: an example

I put together a short example project using the spooky sounds in a storytelling activity which you can take a look at in the video below. I recorded the narration on the top track using the Audio option in GarageBand’s instrument screen. The spooky sounds were recorded on the remaining tracks.

Download your copy

Would you like to take a copy of the Spooky Music for GarageBand on iPad lesson with you? Click the button below and a copy of this will be sent directly into your inbox.

Looking for More Resources for Music Teachers?

Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.

I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.

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27 Comments

  1. Jim October 1, 2013 at 10:46 pm - Reply

    Excellent suggestions! How did you record the video of your iPad screen?

    • Katie October 2, 2013 at 7:20 am - Reply

      Thanks Jim! I used Reflection to mirror my iPad screen to my MacBook Pro and then I recorded the MacBook Pro screen with Screenflow. When you do that, the audio is a little behind what goes on visually, but I just move the audio track back in Screenflow so that the two match up. It’s the best system I’ve found so far. – Katie

      • Helen Metcalfe April 2, 2014 at 3:37 pm - Reply

        what is Reflection? Is it an app?

  2. Ray October 10, 2013 at 10:59 am - Reply

    Hi Katie, The Scary Story concept is a fantastic idea. Loved it!

    • Katie October 10, 2013 at 11:01 am - Reply

      Thanks Ray!

  3. Christopher Sutton October 18, 2013 at 3:13 am - Reply

    I absolutely love this! What a fun way to incorporate the Halloween theme to tech-assisted music learning. Nice work Katie!

    • Katie October 18, 2013 at 8:39 am - Reply

      Thanks Christopher 🙂 – Katie

  4. Janine November 5, 2013 at 8:00 am - Reply

    My students and I enjoyed the spooky music activity very much! We are excited to try out more!

    • Katie November 5, 2013 at 9:11 pm - Reply

      Thanks so much Janine – I’m happy you enjoyed it! – Katie

  5. How To Make Music Garageband Ipad August 28, 2014 at 12:07 pm - Reply

    […] How To Create Spooky Music Using GarageBand for iPad … – How To Create Spooky Music Using GarageBand for iPad Posted on October 1st, 2013 in iPads, Music Tech Tips. 8 ways to create spooky music sounds for …… […]

  6. Diana Dawe October 22, 2014 at 8:05 am - Reply

    I’m a music teacher from Ontario, Canada and I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been using your video as inspiration for a Halloween Unit. My grade 8’s love your ideas, especially the spooky steps and the monster cough (of course). They’re going to use them to create recordings of themselves reading scary Halloween poems.

    So thank you very much for the resource!

    • Katie October 24, 2014 at 7:34 pm - Reply

      Hi Diana,
      Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I’m thrilled to hear that your Year 8’s are enjoying the project – that age group is usually the true test!
      All the best
      Katie

  7. […] Using a program like Apple’s Garage Band, download some scary Halloween music and record a few evil laughs, cackles and maybe the occasional “Boo” overtop. Save the track as a song on your smartphone and play it using a BlueTooth speaker you hide somewhere outside. […]

  8. […] PDF File Name: How to create spooky music using garageband for ipad Source: http://www.midnightmusic.com » DOWNLOAD « […]

  9. Heather Nanney October 1, 2015 at 3:43 pm - Reply

    I love this idea! I can’t wait to start using it with my students!

    • Katie October 9, 2015 at 8:31 pm - Reply

      Thanks Heather!

  10. […] Katie from Midnight Music shares some really creative tips and tricks to create spooky music with GarageBand.  Students will love the exciting sounds they can make with these ideas that are easy for students to create. […]

  11. […] Back to Basics – How to plug a MIDI keyboard into your computer | Midnight Music. How to plug a microphone into your computer | Midnight Music. GarageBand Shortcuts Free Download | Midnight Music. How To Create Spooky Music Using GarageBand for iPad | Midnight Music. […]

  12. Claudia November 4, 2016 at 4:57 pm - Reply

    This is so awesome! Glad I found this blog. By any chance do you have another post on creating Christmas music? Thanks!

    • Katie November 8, 2016 at 1:21 pm - Reply

      Thanks Claudia – glad you like it! I don’t have one on Christmas music, but it’s a great idea. Not sure I’ll have one done in time for this holiday season, but I’ll keep it in mind.

  13. Craig October 12, 2017 at 4:46 am - Reply

    #8 doesn’t seem possible with the latest version of Garage Band. I don’t see a way to lower the audio more than 1 octave. Am I missing something?

  14. Phil February 26, 2019 at 3:43 pm - Reply

    Awesome ! ! !

    I used this for a garage band lesson today. Taught the students to create spooky sounds. Will hav them make a story over the next couple days.

    Glad I found you : )

    Phil

    • Katie February 27, 2019 at 12:07 pm - Reply

      Wow – thanks so much Phil! I’m happy to hear it went well 🙂

  15. Glen November 22, 2019 at 11:47 am - Reply

    Awesome post, thanks you so much for sharing, you should also visit http://softwares.science/category/apple-garageband-tutorial perhaps cause this site is great for apple garageband tutorial stuffs said edith just above.

  16. Bahar Güdek October 23, 2020 at 7:40 am - Reply

    Good to have you Katie

  17. Cheryl October 29, 2020 at 3:01 am - Reply

    Very fun assignment! My students loved it!

    • Katie October 30, 2020 at 9:26 am - Reply

      I’m happy to hear that Cheryl!

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