What is Incredibox?
Incredibox is a free music creation website where students drag loops, in the form of characters, to create their own beats. (Incredibox also comes in the form of a paid app, for those of you with iPads!) It’s simple enough for young students but has enough options to engage older students as well.
As you can see, the guys start out without shirts! This may be something you want to discuss with your admin before using Incredibox. In my experience, most students are fine with it, no explanation needed, or with the explanation that the guys are wearing swimsuits. You know your community best – use your discretion.
Each of the boxes at the bottom is a loop. When dragged onto one of the guys, it dresses them (thankfully!) and starts playing the loop – either beatboxing or signing. Loops can be muted or solo’ed and when you’re done with your song, you can record and share it (just be aware of the 24 second minimum length). The free website allows you to explore four different versions (styles); the other four are for paid users only. I’ve never found the need to purchase the additional four, but they’re there if you’d like them!
What can I do with Incredibox in my music class?
Incredibox lends itself to a variety of mini-lessons and jumping off points for several different topics. Some ideas:
- Intro to beatboxing (grab my lesson plan here)
- Segue into a DAW (ex. Garageband or SoundTrap)
- Create a song telling a story (give students a story – create songs representing the story)
- Composing with form (binary, ternary, rondo, etc.)
Not to mention, Incredibox can be a great brain break, indoor recess activity, or silent class activity during testing.
Don’t have access to a class set of computers? Even having access to a few iPads lets you use Incredibox as a center. So many options!
Walk-Through
The ability to mute and solo the singers/beatboxers provides a lot of room for creativity. In this video, I walk you through the basics of the Incredibox website and how to use its features to their full potential.
If you’re looking for ready-made lesson plans to get you started, check out my Incredibox Project Lesson Plans. Throughout the lessons, students will…
- review the concept of high/middle/low
- identify the parts of a drum kit (bass/kick drum, snare, hi hat)
- connect beatboxing to parts of a drum kit and high/middle/low sounds
- identify binary, ternary, and rondo form and/or the beginning, middle, and end of a song
- compose their own beats
- identify emotions in a story and recreate them musically
Pin it for Later!
Looking for more music teaching tips?
Sign up for lesson plans, teaching tips, freebies, and more!
