Character Growth and Development Through Music (GarageBand Activity)

Let’s build a musical journey that reflects how we develop over time.

How can music be used to represent personal development? As a composer and educator, I often think about how music can reflect an evolving sense of self—how a person, a thought, or an idea can be shaped by time, effort, and experience. 

That’s when I opened GarageBand and started experimenting. I began with a sparse eight-measure phrase in A minor, representing a darker, more somber take on the traditional 1-5-6-4 chord progression. With each looped section, I added more instruments, harmonies, and textures—just as a character develops more depth, resilience, and perspective. In the final section, I modulated to C major, keeping the same 1–5–6–4 progression. This change of keys presented the idea in a new, more positive light. The story was told—not with words, but with sound.

Character Growth and Development Through Music gives students a way to translate narrative arcs into music—helping them understand characters, themselves, and the power of emotional storytelling.

How to Complete the Activity

1. Introduce the Idea

Start by discussing character arcs or personal growth. What does it feel like to evolve? What would that sound like? Wouldn’t this be a wonderful time to implement the use of emoji, Memoji, or image playground?

2. Start with a Section in A Minor (1–5–6–4)

• Guide students to build an A minor – E minor – F Major – D minor progression.
• Keep the section sparse: one or two instruments maximum.
• Encourage the composers to consider the feelings of introspection, sadness, or tension.

A simple idea using the minor 1-5-6-4 chord progression with two instruments.

3. Develop the Character (Add Layers)

• Duplicate the original section and begin layering.
• Introduce new instruments: harmony, percussion, melody.
• Each new layer brings a new experience, emotion, or realization for the character.

The same initial two instrument tracks with an additional layer to represent development.

4. Modulate to C Major

• Create a new section using the same progression, but now in the key of C Major (C Major – G Major – A Minor – F Major).
• Reflect the character’s resolution, healing, or transformation.
• Maintain some original elements to show connection, not replacement.

A contrasting section in C major with additional instruments illustrating development and depth of character.

5. Reflection & Writing

• Ask students to journal about their composition:

“What changed in the music, and why? + How does this reflect the character’s growth?”

• Optional: Pair with short story writing or personal narrative.

This is my completed Character Growth and Development project, presented in a screen recording on YouTube.

Cross-Curricular Possibilities

• ELA: Pair with any novel study. Have students compose a theme for a specific character.
• History: Explore how societies change over time. 
• Science: Represent stages of growth or transformation.
• Art: Mirror the layering of musical texture with visual collage or mixed media.
• SEL: Invite students to reflect on their own emotional growth and represent it musically.
• Technology: Discuss layering in music as a metaphor for coding or iterative design.

There’s so much power in giving students an opportunity to demonstrating understanding of development by composing instead of only writing about it. This project invites students to reflect, explore, and express change in a new medium that requires critical thinking and creativity. I would encourage you to try this with your students, even if you don’t teach music. GarageBand makes the process approachable and the outcomes are so creative. You’ll be surprised how easily students connect sound to meaning, and how beautifully they can represent the journey of growth through music.

Please share your ideas and modifications in a reply below or create your own forum post. I’m eager to learn about your experiences!