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YouTube Royalty Free Music

Introduction: Many professors and students are looking for ways to enhance video projects or set imagery to music but copyright and other compliance issues are often ignored. YouTube provides a free music library of hundreds of tracks that are royalty free so students and teachers have a great, legal resource that allows for multiple forms of representation, expression, and engagement

Link to video created with YouTube's free audio library. _{Images courtesy of: YouTube.com and ©YouTube LLC. 2019.}

UDL Principles: Representation: This tool can provide alternatives to auditory and enhance the delivery of visual information. Audio can be used to improve lectures or PowerPoints across topics or assignments. The selection of music can be variable and open-ended so students have to think critically about what tracks work best with the assignment. Auditory collages or projects that present information set to relevant music can provide multiple means of representation. YouTube has known classical works and other original audio options which can allow students to activate background knowledge or create relationships depending on the learning outcomes or activities. Students can branch out from this site so it can become more than just Aural learning. They can get creative and demonstrate knowledge through a type music or use it to enhance a different learning style; for example, using music to enhance or provide depth to a kinesthetic exercise or visual presentation.
Action and Expression: Tracks can be used vary the methods of response or be used to support visual projects and storybooks. Audio expression of content through track selection on YouTube can open opportunities for construction and composition. Students can express a wide range of cultures or their own personal background through a music’s tone, pace, or genre. As an enhancement too, music selection can facilitate information or support development. Tracks can be selected to meet an activity or create an audio quiz. Strategic thinking can be expressed through selection of tracks that are shared to support relevant ideas.
Engagement: Music can directly enhance interest in a variety of ways whether it is just the music or in group projects, podcasts or videos. Audio selection provides expression of an experience or interest which can provide variety and freedom to personalize the learning experience. Sharing of music or finding personally relevant tracks can reduce threats and encourage interaction. A personal journey or expression of learned material can have the mood or intent set by music selection. Students can post music to websites, audio collages and message boards for feedback or as part of a collaborative work. Letting students have access to music without a lot of legal restrictions and concerns can increase motivation and interest. Having a free library of music helps with the variety of projects that can be built using other tools in this repository.

Classroom Applicaton: Students have a variety of options for activities that fit UDL principles. One can be given a genre and then find matching audio tracks that fit a time period, theme, or other pattern of use that shows critical thinking. Images or other projects created using the other tools in this repository can be enhanced by students selecting relevant tracks. Instructors can build audio quizzes. Pre-recorded lectures or live presentations can be enhanced by playing music back without copyright concerns. Student projects can be built as music videos or montages. One student can play back tracks while others present giving projects more depth and options for expression and representation that shows more in-depth understanding of material. Music can be added for more expression depending on the tone, genre, or emotion it invokes.

Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
Web interface. Platform independent. Free. Copyright free. Thousands of music tracks. Multiple genres. Music only and vocal tracks. Diverse uses. Lectures, videos, presentations. Student or faculty use.	Limited library. Lots of worthless tracks. No commercially successful music. Time consuming to find the correct music.	Creative expression. Group or individual projects. Enhance in or out of class activity. Podcasts, videos, presentations.	Must have a Gmail account.

_{Images courtesy of: www.pixabay.com Copyright © 2019}

Introduction: Many professors and students are looking for ways to enhance their presentations, projects, videos, or other creative works and Pixabay offers a royalty free, free site with 1.6 million stock photos, vector images, and videos. This site is easy to navigate and has a stunning selection that can stimulate the use of the UDL principles for students and instructors.

UDL Principles: 1.6 million images provides a lot of visual variability. Whether video or images these free resources can be used in demonstrations, how-to videos, education or instruction. It allows one to build visual cues, quizzes, assessments, and websites with imagery or video. Students can combine visual and auditory learning as guided by the instructor for multiple means of perception. Peer or instructor created quizzes, match games, or other assignments can cross over themes and encourage creativity without having to create the images. Those exercises create multiple means for how the information is represented. Pre-recorded lectures or live presentations can be enhanced without copyright concerns to guide information processing and visualization.
Action-Expression: Pixabay supports multiple means of expression and communication for visual projects, storybooks, documents, and videos. Let students explore and select images promotes expression. An instructor can use images within a lesson to create strategic thinking or image analysis. Using images can help with construction and composition of knowledge or guide an activity to an appropriate goal. Pixabay provides students images to complete assignments, interpret lessons, or express ideas. Students can tell stories and customize activities or submissions through their use of imagery to build fluency. Video assignments can be built entirely with resources downloaded from this site.
Engagement: Enhances group projects, presentations, or videos. Picture walks, puzzles, and other game ideas can be built through image selection and appropriate goal oriented instructions. Student can express their varied cultural or background experiences through images to generate interest or self-motivation. Consuming and selection of imagery allows for varied peer engagement or assignment submission. Quizzes or projects can require appropriate imagery that sparks discussion. A personal journey can be expressed through images or video. Students can post works to a website, message board, or develop their own memes or ideas by combining Pixabay with Fire Alpaca.

Classroom Applicaton: Below are examples of some exercises that fit UDL principles referenced above. Students can be given a genre and have to find matching images to support their position to show critical thinking and analysis and/or pick images that have personal relevance. Students can tell a story using just images or create a video to tell a story or express their ideas on a related topic. This assignment can be modified to become group projects, express feedback to ideas or concepts, or promote out-of-the box thinking. Student projects can be built as music videos or montages using a combination of tools like ShotCut, YouTube Royalty Free, and Pixabay.

Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunities	Threats
Diverse uses. Video, images, and vector art. Free. Student controlled. Used in any area of study. Usable at home. Alpha channel support. Used by instructors or students. Enhances existing goals, assessments, and assignments. 1.6 million Options. No copyright. Famous images.	Doesn’t have everything. Not all images high resolution. Limited video options. Limited vector options.	Creative expression. Group or individual projects. Used in conjunction with other projects. Enhance in or out of class activities. Develop variable lessons and assignments. Enhance presentations.	Content appropriateness. Inappropriate use. Security and IT concerns.