Add music to an animatic you've created

What can we use if we don't have the exact music files or a paid editing program listed in the instructions?

If you don't have the music tracks or a paid editor, import royalty-free songs or a short smartphone recording into your editing program's media bin, or open your animatic in free apps like iMovie, Shotcut, or Audacity and use their built-in loops.

My beats don't line up with scene changes or the clip sounds jumpy when I loop it—what should I try?

If a strong beat won't line up when you drag the music clip to a scene start marker or the loop sounds jumpy, zoom further into the waveform, nudge beat markers and the clip by small increments (turn off snap if needed), and add short fade ins/outs to hide jumps.

How can I adapt this activity for younger kids or make it more challenging for older children?

For younger kids, simplify by using one premade loop and help them add timeline markers and place one beat marker, while older kids can add multiple tracks, automate volume changes, and fine-tune beat markers and clip trims themselves.

What are quick ways to improve or personalize the music in our animatic after following the basic steps?

To enhance the animatic, layer subtle ambient tracks or sound effects, record a short voice or instrument to mix with the music, fine-tune clip volumes and fades per scene, then export the mixed video and share it on DIY.org with a description of your choices.